 | | Lambrecht |
"In a clever maneuver, retired Bishop Melvin Talbert provocatively called for the violation of the Book of Discipline, but he never followed through to violate it himself," observed the Rev. Thomas A. Lambrecht, vice president of Good News, an evangelical renewal group within The United Methodist Church. "His purely symbolic action was without any authority or standing."
During an evening worship service at the Reconciling Ministries Network's latest gathering on September 1, Talbert offered a blessing (complete with the phrase, "Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder") to all the same-sex couples in attendance. "Interestingly, however, he chose not to participate in two different same-sex unions during the event - something that is actually prohibited and could have attracted a complaint within The United Methodist Church," said Lambrecht.
Good News laments the fact that, once again, leaders in our church are advocating for disobedience to our United Methodist covenant, without any public rebuke or accountability from the bishops, who are charged to "guard the faith, order, liturgy, doctrine, and discipline of the Church" (�403.1). Bishops are called "to teach and uphold the theological traditions of The United Methodist Church" (�414.5). Good News is mystified as to why bishops who seek to undermine our church's theological traditions are given free voice, while bishops who would uphold our church's theological traditions remain silent.
"It's not surprising that Bishop Talbert feels free to become ever more
 | | Renfroe |
provocative," said the Rev. Rob Renfroe, president and publisher of Good News. "In July, 2012, dozens of pastors sent the Council of Bishops (COB) a letter after Bishop Talbert called upon pastors to disobey the Book of Discipline and begin marrying gay couples while speaking at the conclusion of the 2012 General Conference - a call he reissued as he preached the ordination service for the California-Pacific Annual Conference one month later. The letter from the clergy leaders to the Council of Bishops went unanswered for seven months and was only answered then after a follow-up communication was sent.
"The response evidenced little concern about Talbert's encouragement of disobedience and what it would do to our covenant and our connection," said Renfroe. "Now, empowered by the COB's apathetic response, he has moved to the next level of provocation. Our church needs our episcopal leaders to step forward. Otherwise the crisis that is likely to develop as Bishop Talbert becomes ever more provocative in his words and actions will be laid squarely at the COB's feet."
As we wait for our episcopal leadership to act, Good News calls upon all faithful clergy and laity to pray for the unity and integrity of The United Methodist Church, to stand firm in the doctrines and discipline to which they have pledged their loyalty and obedience, and to exercise godly and loving accountability over those who serve in ministry among us and over us.
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#### Upcoming Events United Theological Seminary and the Evangelical Fellowship of West Ohio would like to invite you to hear William J. Abraham and David F. Watson speak about the collapse of doctrine within the UM Church, the importance of its recovery, and why they wrote a catechism for their recent book, Key United Methodist Beliefs.
October 26, 2013
9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Eastern
United Theological Seminary in Dayton Ohio
My Hope with Billy Graham (November 2013)
It's not too late to get on board in support of My Hope with Billy Graham. This evangelistic event is not being held in a stadium, but in living rooms around the world. Christians are encouraged to cultivate friendships with unchurched neighbors and co-workers, then invite them to view a video message from Dr. Graham. You will have the opportunity to share with your friends what makes Jesus Christ so important in your life and invite them to make the same decision you did.
Complete information and training materials are available at MyHopeWithBillyGraham.org or 1-877-7MY-HOPE (877-769-4673).
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Getting the magazine.
While most of you who receive Perspective also get the magazine sent to your home or church, there are many of our Perspective readers who do not. We want to take this opportunity to invite you to order Good News magazine and get the latest full coverage of what is happening in The United Methodist Church. You can order the magazine by calling 800-487-7784.
If you would like to receive an introductory issue of Good News free of charge, please request it at [email protected].
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Thank You Thank you for your prayers and the financial support that sustain this ministry. Your support and participation make it possible for Good News to be your advocate for Scriptural Christianity within the United Methodist Church and beyond. If you would like to subscribe to Perspective, click HERE.
If you would like to support the work of Good News with an online gift, click HERE If you would like to be a part of Good News' prayer ministry and receive monthly prayer updates, please email [email protected]
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