"Eight Contrasts Between the Confessing and Compromising Church"
by Joseph Mattera
Note: the following article was recently written by Joseph Mattera, one of the leaders of the U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders, a Charismatic/Pentecostal reform movement. While I do not endorse or affirm all the beliefs of this movement, this article is a solid critique of the issues facing Christianity around the world as exemplified in . . .
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hey, Jude, don't let me down
thoughts on our present circumstances from the book of Jude
The little book of Jude probably isn't read very often and certainly isn't typically read as prophetic, but as I stumbled upon it the other night, I was stopped in my tracks in light of the current situation in the UMC. Reading through it was like reading a commentary on the recent decades, but especially the past couple months in our . . .
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don't change denominations to find the perfect church
the grass may be greener, but every pasture has cow pies
If you've stayed this long, you deserve a shorter and more light-hearted post. Well, this is it. My short plea here is for all those thinking about disaffiliation to take off your rose-colored glasses, check your Pollyanna attitudes, and be realistic about one thing.
Just like there are no perfect local congregations, there are . . .
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denominational affiliation: does it matter?
what's in a name?
Those on both sides of the arguments for remaining in the UMC and disaffiliating from the UMC are asking the question, "What difference does denominational affiliation mean?"
It's an important question and one that everyone should seriously consider.
What difference does it make? What's it matter what sign . . .
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loving sinners without loving (or condoning) their sin
One of the great challenges faced by anyone in a position of leadership is the constant struggle of loving people in all their brokenness without loving the things that make them broken. It is an uncomfortable position to be in. It is difficult to love people while holding them accountable for their actions. Parents, teachers, supervisors, . . .
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what can we disagree on and remain together?
Last time, we saw from Scripture that division, while by no means ideal, is sometimes necessary. We must not tolerate false doctrine or sin for the sake of physical unity. But where does that leave us? What are the grounds for division? We've all heard horror stories of church splits over carpet color and other such nonsense. Is that . . .
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is unity the highest good?
or do some things justify a church split?
There is a progressive/liberal group within the Texas Annual Conference called "That We May Be One." On this group's website, they say:
We see divisions within the church as hurting the witness of the biblical unity of the church that Jesus asked for and expected from us. This is why we are deeply committed to . . .
Posted in: aldersgateumc
