Letter: Methodists' emotions mixed after split

Guy Martin
·1 min read

Marc Ramirez’s piece (in USA Today) suffers from double engine failure.

First, the UMC — not the gay issue — caused the Methodist split. Years ago, a Methodist bishop said if Methodists knew how radical the UMC had become, it would be “[L]ike the year 500 A.D. and somebody told [them] the world was round." Here’s what he saw:

  • UMC theologians determined to remove concepts like divinity, miracles and the Holy Ghost from the Bible. ‘Sensitivity readers’ adding pagan chants to the hymnal, and removing offensive words. E.g., “Thou your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,” became "Wash me now, Lord, wash me now” — “white” being a hate word.

  • Moneys steered to woke causes (e.g., CRT, LGBTQ+).

  • “Pronoun police” operating at UMC conferences.

  • Doors to churches trying to disaffiliate padlocked, their pastors fired. While a UMC minister went viral supporting the polyamorous relationship (he and his wife share a girlfriend).

  • Nadia Bolz-Weber (“[E]very church needs a drag queen; don’t worry about the Golden Rule or other Christian rules — they make you feel guilty”) called “one of [his] favorite authors” by a leading Montgomery pastor.

That’s what did it for most Methodists, including moderates and more than a few liberals and gays, who became fire-breathing zealots voting to leave the UMC.

Second, Ramirez overlooked an amazing feat. The UMC’s masterful job accumulating a massive war chest: cash churches paid to disaffiliate, and church campuses and reserves of churches the UMC blocked from disaffiliating (with proven tactics–misinformation, cancel culture, and dirty tricks) worth millions more.

Guy Martin, Montgomery

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Letter: Methodists' emotions mixed after split