I don't think I can carry on at my church with integrity

[hopeforhappiness]

This was the first week of Lent at my local methodist church. It seems that the work of Christ in atonement and salvation has almost completely given way to calls for social justice activism.
SJ hymns like "In an Age of Twisted Values" (which we sang) just make me very uncomfortable indeed. Where is the cost to God the Father in giving up His Son, who took on Himself the sin of mankind? Are our leaders embarrassed by religion, by the supernatural? We are told we are ALL on a journey, implying there is no point of finally giving in and acknowledging that we are sinners, deserving of eternal separation from a good, but Holy God and needing the indwelling Christ? Nor can it be said that the people know these truths but just need to be moved to good deeds. One lady said she never understood who the Holy Spirt is after years of attending.
I am very exercised. My wife and I feel very isolated theologically although we have made friends, but who just seem to go along with whatever is offered to them on a Sunday.

 

[jas3]

I felt the same when I was attending my last UMC church. The pastor increasingly started talking about how we need to "love the person in front of us" hinting that that meant embracing the ordination of people in disordered relationships and even began outright calling for the removal of the part of the Book of Discipline that bars them from ordination. And I was just as shocked as you when in one small group study I was a part of, nobody else in the group had heard that the Holy Spirit is a Person of the Trinity, instead of a poetic way to refer to God's will or activity.
Have you looked into the Global Methodists or one of the other Methodist denominations?

 

[Aussie Pete]

This was the first week of Lent at my local methodist church. It seems that the work of Christ in atonement and salvation has almost completely given way to calls for social justice activism.
SJ hymns like "In an Age of Twisted Values" (which we sang) just make me very uncomfortable indeed. Where is the cost to God the Father in giving up His Son, who took on Himself the sin of mankind? Are our leaders embarrassed by religion, by the supernatural? We are told we are ALL on a journey, implying there is no point of finally giving in and acknowledging that we are sinners, deserving of eternal separation from a good, but Holy God and needing the indwelling Christ? Nor can it be said that the people know these truths but just need to be moved to good deeds. One lady said she never understood who the Holy Spirt is after years of attending.
I am very exercised. My wife and I feel very isolated theologically although we have made friends, but who just seem to go along with whatever is offered to them on a Sunday.

The local Uniting (formerly Methodist) church has a large sign, "Justice for refugees" on the side. Even if every "refugee" was given a million dollars and allowed to settle in this country, the kingdom of God would still not be advanced one iota. It's a good thing that the Wesley brothers are oblivious to all this. It would break their hearts to see what they worked and suffered for so trivialised and so corrupted by the world system.

 

[Joseph G]

This isn't surprising to me. I grew up in the UMC and all I remember is a brief "reading of the word", slamming it shut, and preaching a sermon worthy of an Ann Landers column.

It wasn't till years later, after genuinely accepting Christ (amazingly outside of church), that I bought a study Bible and learned about the Holy Spirit and the nature of sin, the deception of worldliness, ect. that should have been taught in the UMC. I confess that I felt some bitterness that they felt so little concern for their flock's eternal security.

 

[Pioneer3mm]

Methodism started..as the 'Revival Movement' in England..
- during the 18th century.
- John Wesley, George Whitfield..
--
'The original vision, commitment & fervor' were lost..
- many years ago.
--
I was involved in UMC..
- 1970's.
--
*Many agencies promoting Christian work (including social reform)
started..as a result of the 18th century Revival in England.

 

[hopeforhappiness]

The local Uniting (formerly Methodist) church has a large sign, "Justice for refugees" on the side. Even if every "refugee" was given a million dollars and allowed to settle in this country, the kingdom of God would still not be advanced one iota. It's a good thing that the Wesley brothers are oblivious to all this. It would break their hearts to see what they worked and suffered for so trivialised and so corrupted by the world system.

And yet, the hierarchy has posited that the Methodism is "going back to its roots". Oh yeah? When there is no call to repentance, when God's only character is one of love, that Christ's death means nothing more than an accident.

 

[hopeforhappiness]

And yet, the hierarchy has posited that the Methodism is "going back to its roots". Oh yeah? When there is no call to repentance, when God's only character is one of love, that Christ's death means nothing more than an accident.

This is what they want Methodism to be...

In an age of twisted values
we have lost the truth we need;
in sophisticated language
we have justified our greed;
by our struggle for possessions
we have robbed the poor and weak –
hear our cry and heal our nation:
your forgiveness, Lord, we seek.

2. We have built discrimination
on our prejudice and fear;
hatred swiftly turns to cruelty
if we hold resentments dear.
For communities divided
by the walls of class and race
hear our cry and heal our nation:
show us, Lord, your love and grace.

3. When our families are broken;
when our homes are full of strife;
when our children are bewildered,
when they lose their way in life;
when we fail to give the aged
all the care we know we should –
hear our cry and heal our nation
with your tender fatherhood.

4. We who hear your word so often
choose so rarely to obey;
turn us from our wilful blindness,
give us truth to light our way.
In the power of your Spirit
come to cleanse us, make us new:
hear our cry and heal our nation
till our nation honours you.

The wonder and glory and sacrifice of Christ is nowhere.

 

[RileyG]

Are you looking for another Wesleyan denomination like the Church of the Nazarene?

 

[hopeforhappiness]

Are you looking for another Wesleyan denomination like the Church of the Nazarene?

Well, we moved to a village and we really wanted not to have to travel. I said to my wife that I would have preferred to go to the Anglican church. After all, there is a liturgy which is used that is at least historically orthodox. But to do that now would be very awkward. The two leaders have a close relationship.

 

[RileyG]

Well, we moved to a village and we really wanted not to have to travel. I said to my wife that I would have preferred to go to the Anglican church. After all, there is a liturgy which is used that is at least historically orthodox. But to do that now would be very awkward. The two leaders have a close relationship.

I would talk with the Anglican priest then and see where you fall theologically and liturgically. Methodism started from Anglicanism.

Blessings

 

[Aussie Pete]

And yet, the hierarchy has posited that the Methodism is "going back to its roots". Oh yeah? When there is no call to repentance, when God's only character is one of love, that Christ's death means nothing more than an accident.

Wesley's Christianity was indeed practical, but certainly not the social justice do-goodism that too many churches subscribe to these days. The local Sikhs have a food van for the homeless. Not wrong, but hardly Christian. Many "Christians" think that Jesus was a good example to follow - as long as you don't mention sin, salvation and the Kingdom of God. I call it "Christianism". The Bible says that they have a form of godliness but deny its power. It is incredibly deceptive. The followers of this philosophy are deceived and end up deceiving others.

 

[SWIll]

Which is why we left the UMC after 50+ years.

 

[jas3]

@SWIll out of curiosity, where did you end up?

 

[VolRaider]

And yet, the hierarchy has posited that the Methodism is "going back to its roots". Oh yeah? When there is no call to repentance, when God's only character is one of love, that Christ's death means nothing more than an accident.

Going back to its roots - baloney! The UMC is a shell of its former self.

 

[Kokavkrystallos]

Having read quite a lot of George Whitefield, and some of Wesley, along with some lesser well known Methodists of the old time (1700s & 1800s), and then having attended a Methodist church in 1998-2000, what I experienced in church was nothing like the original Methodists. This was long before the whole social justice and woke thing that seemed to pop up right after the Covid lockdown.

I heard way too many testimonies that people returned to church that had been fairly grounded in the Word only to hear talk about them being racist, white privilege, social justice, critical race theory, etc. All the stuff that was part of the chaos in 2020 during the Antifa & Black Lives Matter riots. Oh, I know they were called "mostly peaceful demonstrations" but we all know what they were. It was war.

How can any church support those who create scenes that look more like something in Ukraine?

Then there is "Word & Way" Magazine and website, that took up all the "woke" issues, and were even saying back then people who didn't wear masks were guilty of rebellion against authority, not loving your neighbor, and may have been the ones who said it was murder. While it claims to be a Baptist organization, they regularly run pro woke articles that often include what the UMC and other Methodists are doing.
They regularly run news articles such as these:

 

[bèlla]

I went to a Methodist church years ago when I was looking for answers. I liked the church but I ended up leaving over their decision on homosexuality. If memory serves it was related to gay clergy. They voted at the annual meeting Methodists have. We were told at a gathering and I asked a question that basically said, how did you agree to this in light of the scripture. He talked around the issue but I knew it was wrong and never returned.

This was a long time ago and I might have been confused but I wasn't easily deceived. I learned how to research a church and dig into their teachings. I've learned to look at their website before visiting so I'm not caught off guard. I'm surrounded by places of worship and the majority have compromised.

I can't sit under certain teachings and leaving is difficult and you have my sympathy. I'd rather have church at home than live a lie or transgress my convictions. May the Lord give you wisdom and peace as you decide what comes next.

~bella