I am excited to be a part of the United Methodist Church and to keep serving in this denomination. But I have always believed that if we keep Jesus as our center, around which all other loyalties orbit, we can remain a United Methodist family even when we have significant disagreements. Is it easy to be a part of the United Methodist Church? Of course not. It doesn’t mean anything goes…it simply recognizes that in 2,000 of Christianity, we have often found ourselves in different places on theological issues. We often land in different places on some theological positions. The United Methodist Church has always been a big-tent church.
I am a United Methodist who is compatible on many issues where United Methodists have historically disagreed, such as divorce and remarriage, women in ministry, and the many changing cultural and social positions the church takes. In every United Methodist I’ve encountered, I’ve seen the same deep passion for Jesus, a desire to impact the community, and a belief that grace is at work in broken lives.
As an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church since 1992, I’ve served churches in both the South Georgia and Texas Conferences of the United Methodist Church. I have a high view of Scripture – it guides my daily personal life and the congregations I serve and have served. I am an evangelical Christian – which means I believe a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the central aspect of our Christian faith. I am an orthodox Christian – which has been defined by the history of the Church as one who aligns with the historic creeds and affirmations of the Church. He passes the test by refusing to be limited by the false dilemmas presented to Him. Jesus refused to be limited to only one way of affirming His identity. The devil challenges Jesus’ identity with, “If you are the Son of God, then…”. A great biblical example is Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.
A false dilemma says, “If A is true, then B must be true” or “If A is true, you must respond in this particular way.” If you do not respond in the way another feels is appropriate in their original “A” statement, then you must not be “A” – it only limits your options because the other person chooses to limit your options. A false dilemma is an informal fallacy based on an assumption that if the first part of something is true, your options are limited to a single course of action or a single result. My friend presented me with a ‘false dilemma’. From the way the rest of the conversation went, I think he felt like I was a flawed Christian. He could not imagine that a Christian could end up thinking differently. My faith in God, connection to Christ, and reading of holy scripture led me to a different conclusion. so I know you agree with me on this.” In fact, I did not agree with his stand and did not share his conclusion. He felt like he had to take this stand because he was a Christian. Several years ago, a friend was extolling the virtues of a particular social issue on which he felt he needed to take a stand in his daily life.
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