tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19077083.post740439185427612758..comments2023-07-01T07:00:39.337-04:00Comments on A Journeyman's Catalog: A House DividedMatt Lipanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17528815536523518798noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19077083.post-52409264861464935142012-08-07T14:02:45.557-04:002012-08-07T14:02:45.557-04:00Hmmm ... I know that the word 'schism' was...Hmmm ... I know that the word 'schism' was bandied about frequently during GC2012 with relation to the homosexuality questions. It was all very emotional and reactionary.<br />People being scared of the church splitting was also a factor back in the 60s when the UMC began ordaining women. There was no split then, over a very heavy issue.<br />There are other things worth exploring, such as the idea of making the US it's own Central Conference. It might speed progress along, without splitting the church.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062927125161896061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19077083.post-85273439954219109292012-07-27T15:12:00.306-04:002012-07-27T15:12:00.306-04:00It may be possible that the branch that is United ...It may be possible that the branch that is United Methodism needs pruning before it can grow again.John Wesley Leekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18424587406465161537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19077083.post-4377228947204965532012-07-26T17:40:49.175-04:002012-07-26T17:40:49.175-04:00I'm personally of the opinion that unity shoul...I'm personally of the opinion that unity should not be equated with uniformity. We can be truly grace-full if we learn to live with and love those with whom we disagree even on some of the most divisive of issues. I don't know if you've ever read Wendy Gritter's blog (btgproject.blogspot.com), but she writes about a concept called "generous spaciousness"--allowing space for people to grow in their faith, allowing space for disagreement between sincere believers, acknowledging that we can be wrong and we're all making our best (but ultimately imperfect) effort to apply the wisdom of the scriptures to our daily lives. She specifically writes about the possibility of same-sex marriage being considered a disputable matter like eating meat sacrificed to idols Romans 14 (see the tag "disputable matter" on the sidebar of her blog).<br /><br />Realistically, I acknowledge that this is a difficult ideal to achieve--but the thing is, the only church that could possibly have truly homogeneous beliefs is a church of one. Any more, and we have to live with at least some disagreement. What does it look like to live as the unified Body of Christ, disagreements and all?Emily Hopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923389701099184778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19077083.post-41091954154358882182012-07-26T16:55:31.052-04:002012-07-26T16:55:31.052-04:00great piece on a possible pathway forward toward a...great piece on a possible pathway forward toward an inevitable future for the un-United Methodist Church. There are so many hurdles and most revolve around money and buildings -- typical church stuff...looking forward to hearing the rest of the conversation...jon thornsburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06195311003058180325noreply@blogger.com