I could be wrong. Let me start there. I will get into specifics concerning what I could be wrong about and why. I want to open with that leading statement because this has become more of an essay than a scriptural lesson on anything. I think I’ll also make that the title. It seems provocative enough to draw readers in.
There wasn’t a sermon on Sunday as we expected, one with a scripture and message associated with that scripture. Instead, there was a discussion about “Why I am a United Methodist.” I’ll be honest; I had work and left before the message began after fulfilling my obligations to usher.
Why did I leave? It is complicated, but the simple answer is that I didn’t want to interrupt the proceedings if I had to gather my things and leave based on my principles and things that could have been said. I have no idea what was actually said. I made my decision, and I stand by it.
“But how do you know they didn’t make good points?” That’s valid, and I weighed that as an option. However, I considered this writing time and what I would say concerning what they might have said. I decided this would feel too much like a rebuttal space, potentially, and I have said repeatedly that it is not the goal of this writing.
So, what to do with Monday Morning With Jesus if there was no Sunday sermon and I’m still planning on writing? I considered that, too, before heading out. My plan was and is simple. I’m going to explain why the split between the “United” Methodist Church and the Global Methodist Church is the absolute right path. In the process, I hope to also explain why I attend and teach a small group at a church whose doctrines I no longer believe in or support.
3For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
Romans 8:3–6 (NASB95)
That passage is about being obedient. I attend and lead a small group at East Cobb United Methodist Church because that is where the Holy Spirit led me. I have resigned myself to continue to attend and lead that group until either I pass or that church passes, whichever comes first. Of course, the Spirit could have other plans but it does not seem that way at this time. I do not pretend to understand God’s plan here. I am just walking the path He is laying before me, come what may.
That is why I am at my church. That doesn’t explain anything about why I believe the disunion of the Methodists and Global Methodists is a good thing. Some of what comes next may irritate people. It is not my goal to irritate anyone. My goal is to explain my position. God works in the hearts of men and women. I can do no other than what I am led to do.
Before I explain that position, let me say that I have been at this church for some time, in excess of twenty years. That is not nearly as long as some of those who are still in regular attendance there. Some of those people are multi-generational. There are plaques in the sanctuary that have their grandparent’s names on it. I am still a relative newcomer compared to many of the regular attendees there. However, I believe my tenure and service in the past have earned me the right to have an opinion and call it my church.
I’m not going to go into the history behind the split of the Methodists and Global Methodists. There are plenty of good dissections of that on the internet. You can go find the flavor and writer of that data and read it for yourself. Suffice it to say it boils down to two camps; the Progressive camp of attendees and the Traditional camp of attendees. Much water is under the bridge between these two camps, both in and out of annual conference and general conference.
For the last decade or more, the Progressive camp has worked its people into leadership roles nationally in the United States. Through those leaders, decisions were made, changes to individual church pastors, and other actions taken that positioned the chess pieces in such a way that the general conference that is winding down in Charlotte, North Carolina has done what it has done. It is my belief that in a decade or two, historians will look back on this general conference and say that is where the end of the “United” Methodist Church denomination was sealed. It began long before.
As you can probably tell, I am in the Traditionalist camp. Two years ago the Traditionalists decided enough was enough. We had been working in good faith with the Progressive camp to split the church amicably and fairly. Those efforts were, at every turn, stymied by the UM leadership or skewed to favor only their side. Two years ago, the Global Methodist Church was stood up as a formal denomination and alternative to the “United” Methodist Church.
The beginning of the Global Methodist Church was done without the use of assets or funds held by the “United” Methodist Church. It was done by the faithful donations and giving of the Traditionalists who saw the need, and filled it. In many cases, churches that wished to disaffiliate were allowed to. But in many, many cases, churches never even held an open discussion among the laity to see what the congregational opinion was. In many cases, again, churches were purposefully kept in the dark about the events, hoping it would be “too late” for the people of those churches to do anything about it. The UM leadership will discover that’s not the case, I think.
You may have noticed I’ve been typing united in quotation marks whenever I type the full name of “United” Methodist Church. That’s because it is no longer united. With the split, many of the Traditionalists have left the UM churches and joined the Global Methodist Churches springing up around the world. I will likely begin simply typing UMC rather than beating that horse to death. I have to use that term because the UMC still operates under that official title, while the new denomination operates as the GMC.
So, why is this split a good thing? It’s simple, as this piece is titled and I led with, I could be wrong. But, wrong about what?
It is my belief that the Progressive camp of the “United” Methodist Church is walking away from God’s Holy Word. It is my belief that as the leadership of the UMC currently enacts their dream list of changes to the Book of Discipline, which is the guiding set of principles set out by Man for how God’s people are to behave based on His Word, they are actively moving away from God. It is my belief that God will not prosper this denomination as it embraces what I consider to be ungodly principles, twisting scripture (where it is used at all) to support their positions.
But I could be wrong.
I could be wrong on a part, some, or all of it.
But I could be right, too.
That’s the hard part. Before you get angry with me because you think I’ve pointed a finger at you because you support the actions of the UM leadership at the current general conference, consider this. I could be right.
Both camps, the Progressives and the Traditionalists, think they are right. In both camps, I am certain there are people who walk in the flesh doing these things for Worldly reasons. But, in both camps, I am just as certain there are people who believe their views on what God wants His people to do are right, and the other people are wrong. How do we tell the difference? How do we figure out who is right and who is wrong? We don’t. We let God figure that out, but there’s a third option I’ll get to in a minute.
30“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,
31because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:30–31 (NASB95)
The judgment belongs to God. He gets to decide. It is God alone who says what is or is not righteous. Our opinion is not taken into account in setting this bar of judgment. It is God’s alone.
18Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, And sin as if with cart ropes;
19Who say, “Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near And come to pass, that we may know it!”
20Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!
22Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
23Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!
24Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 5:18–24 (NASB95)
There is good news, though, concerning God’s judgment. It is good news to everyone, not just one camp or the other, or even just the UMC or GMC, but all people. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people. The salvation of Jesus Christ is for everyone, Progressive and Traditionalist alike, as well as the unbeliever. All are able to repent and turn to God through faith in Jesus and receive His gracious pardon. But the good news doesn’t end there. Our cup runneth over with good news beyond the salvation of Jesus.
God gave us His Word to explain what His righteousness looks like, how we should understand it, and how we should implement it. Unfortunately, that is also the bad news. That bad news is where the title of this essay comes from.
I could be wrong, and so could you.
“But I read the Bible, and it clearly says…” and you could be 100% wrong about how you are interpreting that passage of scripture, whatever passage being read, and so could I. We collectively could be wrong about how we’ve read His Word. Oh, but the bad news gets even worse, and it gets even more confusing.
We could both be right.
Wait, what? How can both the Progressives and the Traditionalists be right? They hold nearly diametrically opposed views on several key issues of scripture. How can what looks like total opposites both be right?
Because God can do anything. Because the Body of Christ, the Church Universal, is not a single denomination that gets it right, and all others are going to Hell. Because God’s Children are irrespective of lines on maps or names on worldly legal documents. Because in the body of Christ, not everyone is a foot, or an eye, or a hand, or an ear, or a finger, or a toe, or a lung, or a heart, but it is all needed to keep the body alive, moving, and useful. The Progressives could be the heart of God’s children, while the Traditionalists are the brain in the church of all God’s people that eventually meet in the Kingdom of Heaven in His glory.
So, why is the split a good thing if we could both be right or one side or the other could be right or wrong? Because as the two denominations now go their separate ways we will see who prospers and from where. God will not prosper people who are walking away from Him, but the world might. If one denomination begins to grow, build, and thrive while the other shrinks, withers and dies, we will know who God favors. If both survive and thrive again, we will know God’s plan. Whatever the outcome, if we pay attention, we will see God’s judgment unfold before our very eyes. It might be swift, or it might take decades or even generations, but God’s judgment will be had.
Remember, I could be wrong, but so could you.
So, what do we do if we are willing to admit we might be wrong?
First of all, have an opinion. Base that opinion on scripture. But, base that opinion on your principles (which should also be based on scripture.) This ensures you have made a decision about what is right and what is wrong. Remember, there is no sitting on the fence where judgment is concerned.
30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
33“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
Matthew 12:30–33 (NASB95)
Second, be willing to adjust that opinion. Adjust only on what you learn and read from scripture. But, when you learn and read, make sure you are doing that by inviting the Holy Spirit into your heart. The Spirit leads where God desires us to be and no other place as long as it is His Holy Spirit. We call this discernment.
1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
1 John 4:1–3 (NASB95)
But those other spirits can often look and sound just like the Holy Spirit.
39They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.
40“But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.
41“You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”
42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.
43“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
44“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45“But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.
46“Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?
47“He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
John 8:39–47 (NASB95)
Judge those spirits and those people by their fruits. See if they are truthful. See if they have done what they say they will do in the past. If they’ve said one thing to convince people and then gone back on it, they are not of God but the Adversary. Don’t believe them.
But what does this all have to do with moving forward with two denominations and the possibility of my being wrong?
It means we need to stay in God’s Word. It means we need to be constantly studying what He has given us through His Word, His Spirit, and the experiences of our lives. It means we need to actively be looking for His answers because the consequences of merely going through life with blinders on will not be accepted as an excuse for why we got it wrong if we got it wrong.
14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
Revelation 3:14–22 (NASB95)
The idea that there is an eternity with a Heaven and a Hell and that I might end up spending my eternal existence in Hell terrifies me. It is my number one motivation to dig into scripture, which is selfish and greedy, but it is real. I don’t want to spend eternity in torment. You all are not responsible for me. I am responsible for the disposition of my soul in eternity, just as you are responsible for your place.
That’s the reality of not pointing fingers at other people in judgment because what they are doing has no bearing on our standing, with one exception. Those under your authority or mine need to be guided in the ways we have been led in that God shows us are right, good, and true. Where they stray, we are empowered to correct them because God has placed us in a position of authority over them. Beyond that, no one’s actions have an effect or can be affected as pertains to my or their place in Heaven. We each bear the burdens for our own actions when it comes to judgment.
1Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
2And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.
3But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
4Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
5But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6who will render to each person according to his deeds:
7to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
8but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
Romans 2:1–8 (NASB95)
So, I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. If we each go our separate ways, not just denominationally but in life, we can look to see who God prospers, who God chastises, and who God lets wither. If we pay attention, we can discern God’s judgment in this life on the actions of ourselves and others. If we are truly wise, we then look inward to adjust what we are doing so we walk more closely in line with what God wants for our lives. As I said, I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. But because I could be wrong, I don’t want to compound my error by causing those who are walking God’s path for their lives to stumble. It would be an egregious conversation to have to discover not only was I wrong, but I was hindering those who were right.
11For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
Romans 14:11–13 (NASB95)