United Methodist Church Preaching Another Gospel
Yesterday I mentioned having attended two services at a "progressive" United Methodist Church. This is more than a random church I was visiting, this is the church I grew up in.
After attending Sunday school and church services at this church for 18 years, I did not know the meaning of the words "born again" (John 3:3). I did not know that I was a sinner in need of a savior (Romans 3:23). I did not know that salvation was only through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). In other words I had never heard the gospel.
This past Sunday during the service the pastor briefly said something along the lines of, "This is what the gospel is..." I remember that at the time it struck me as not being the gospel presented in the Bible, but later that day I could not remember what she said. So I called her and asked her to tell me what the gospel is.
She was concerned that the answer to this question was too complicated to discuss on the phone. But she gave it a try. Her answer was that the gospel was very involved and included a wide breath of theology. That in addition to the individual gospel there is a corporate gospel. The gospel is not "all about us individually". The gospel also tells us that we need to do good works. We have to make the world a better place. The gospel is a social gospel.
That's not what I remember reading in the Bible. I thought the gospel is so simple that anyone can understand it. Here's what the Bible says. Paul defines the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
"Now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain."
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also..."
Notice that Paul starts out by making it very clear that what he is about to write is THE GOSPEL. It is the gospel that saves. It is the foundation on which we stand. To believe anything else means we are believing in vain.
The Gospel is not complicated and difficult to explain. It is very simple. Christ died for our sins. He was buried and rose from the dead on the third day. He was then seen alive again by many people, demonstrating that there is life after death.
In Galatians Paul makes it very clear, that if anyone else preaches a different gospel, no matter who that person is, that person deserves to be eternally condemned.
"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned." -- Galatians 1:8
Then in verse 9 Paul repeats what he just said again: "As we have already said, so now I say again, If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other that what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned."
This must be a very important point for Paul to have repeated it. He wants to make his point clear. The gospel he is preaching (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) is the ONLY gospel. How did he know the gospel he preached is correct and is the only gospel?
In verse 11 Paul goes on to explain: "I want you to know brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ."
The gospel Paul preached came directly from Jesus Christ.
Yes, as Christians we should be doing good works and be striving to create a better world (James chapter 2.). But our good works are a result of our faith, coming from our love that originates in God. Good works are not a part of the gospel message they are the result of the gospel and God's saving grace.
I urge this pastor to keep in mind Proverbs 30:5,6
"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."
Labels: gospel, scripture, united methodist church
9 Comments:
I had a similar experience several years ago when visiting Boston. I happened to be there on Easter Sunday and thought that attending Easter services in a historic church would be a memorable experience.
The church was packed and the pastor noticed the much larger than normal attendance. She had a special message for those who attend only on Easter and Christmas. Her message was that we all must go out and do good works.
Here was a opportunity to share the gospel that saves us from eternal hell with hundreds of unbelievers. She never mentioned it! She never preached the good news!
Dear Brick Balloon,
Thank you for leaning on the Word of God in this slippery world.
I too have only just discovered the Methodist Church is preaching another gospel, here in SW Colorado. Our Pastor explained in a sermon: "We used to embrace the beliefs of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, who said man is basically evil. But now we have accepted the teachings of Karl Barth, who believed man is basically good.
I talked with him after the service, sputtering incoherently something about John Wesley doing double-back-flips in his grave. My friendly, affable pastor said: "Well, I could change my mind. I might do that some day."
I had a chance to ask the Methodist Pastor from the town north of us if HE thought man was basically good? He said "Yes. John Wesley was headed that way. The Methodist Church teaches 3 kinds of grace: Justifying grace or when you believe in Jesus as your Savior, Sanctifying grace as you perfect your walk with Him, and Prevenient Grace, which is the knowledge of Himself through His creation that God places into the hearts of all people. It is this third grace that causes people to be basically good."
First, please allow me to quote from scripture where Jesus is talking to His followers (believers) as evidenced by "your Father": "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him."
But that's the problem, as you point out, isn't it? Methodists do NOT believe in the inerrency of scripture as John Wesley most certainly did: ("If there is even one error in the Bible, then there must be a thousand.") And John Wesley was most certainly NOT "headed that way," (towards man "being basically good.") His last sermon, 8 days before he died was "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found."
As you point out, the Discipline renounces the truth of Scripture, i.e. absolute truth. Once you do that, all else must inevitably follow in dreary succession. The UMC is nothing if not consistent. In my church too, just last week, the youth gathered the babies for children's time and said: "You are made in the image of God, so we are all His children."
Continuing on...God is love, Jesus is love so He takes us all to heaven. We are basically good, so everyone goes to heaven. We are so special that Christ died for us so we will all go to heaven. (Have you ever heard a UMC pastor preach on hell?)
Karl Barth believed everyone goes to heaven and quoted (only) the first part of John 3:16: "For God so loved the WORLD..." He said the Bible is whatever you need it to be. Barring a miracle, Karl Barth is in hell and God help us; how many Methodists are headed that way too?
BTW, the reason I didn't catch on to UMC teaching sooner? Because my gregarious Pastor is inclusive: he happily believes in EVERYthing. When I asked him if he was for abortion he said and I quote: "I am against abortion and for choice."
Sadly, at the end of this month I will leave the Methodist Church forever in search of absolutes.
MICHAL SAD AND LEAVING
Michael, thank you for telling us your story. I am sad to hear about someone who is leaving a church for the reasons you are. Both for you and for the church. It means this church as turned its back on God.
I too have experienced the movement of the UMC church away from the Gospel and God's Absolute Truth. I grew up my entire life in the United Methodist Church, I am now 22, and I had never even heard of being born again till I was 19 in 2007. I'd fallen out of church during a huge part of my adolescence, which I now attribute to the UMC church never truly grabbing my heart, and I was led to believe by my parents that if I was going to be religious, I'd better be Methodist.
Eventually I moved down to North Carolina. I was at the lowest point of my life, I'd strayed so far from God I thought He'd never want to accept me. As it so happens, when I went to North Carolina, I ended up with my aunt, who always used to take me to church. That first Sunday I went to a UMC church. I sat there wondering, "Why am I here? God must have given up on me by now, this is useless." As we all know, God can use any church at anytime, and he used this church to speak to me. The entire message was on God's forgiveness, and how as long as we seek genuine repentance and have accepted Christ as our Savior, nothing can separate us from Him.
I soon migrated from the Methodist church to a local Southern Baptist Church, and this is when I truly first heard of the inerrancy for the Scripture. It was where I first heard about being born again. Eventually I moved back to NY, and I was again without a church.
So I decided I'd visit the old UMC I'd grown up in. As I sat down, and I could already feel the emptiness of the church. I could feel the absence of God. As it turned out, that also ended up being the day that the sermon was on how homosexuality was acceptable to God, and the day was also the vote on whether to allow homosexuals into the UMC clergy.
After being to a true God-fearing, Scripture abiding church, this all made me very uncomfortable. Never before had I been made to feel physically ill and frightened as I had that day at a church.
After that experience I again fell away from church as a whole. I eventually moved to a new area, and again gave the local UMC a chance.
I'd been avoiding a call to ministry for a very long time, I was afraid, and had convinced myself that God must be wrong and picked the wrong guy. I got up the courage to speak to the UMC pastor about my call, and she got very excited. She went on to say how she was so excited that God was giving her the chance to minister to a possible future pastor.
It struck me, that not once in our conversations did she talk about being excited that I'd had the courage to let God truly lead my life. It always invariably centered back to how blessed she was by this opportunity.
Needless to say, I eventually left that church and once again let myself avoid my call.
Recently I have found a wonderful Non-Denominational church that focuses on the inerrancy of Scripture, and leans mostly towards Baptist ideology.
Due to the wonderful people at this church, and the pastor's ability to be straight-forward and not afraid to step on toes when needed, I have enrolled in a local bible college and am starting a closer walk with God, as I wait to see where He lead me.
It saddens me to see what has happened to the UMC...and at times I shudder thinking what might have happened to me if I had simply given in and not searched for a better church. I would have avoided my call to ministry, and I might have jeprodized my very soul.
I am currently wrestling with the prevalent Methodist position on the subjective interpretation of The Bible. I am also awakening to realize that the UMC is largely not an evangelical institution. I don't think that I want to leave the UMC yet because somehow, some way I was exposed to the true doctrines of John Wesley and I don't want to see yet another church go marching whole heartedly down the road to full blown hedonism and actively leading people away from God's salvation for us through Jesus Christ when they think that they are serving God. I am troubled by UMC leadership resenting the existence of conservatives in the UMC, but I believe that they (progressive leadership) should go form their own church based on their honest and stated beliefs, and see how and if God blesses their ministry. They should not be able to take (steal) an established church away from its long standing positions and essentially corrupt it from the top down. At some point someone has to take a stand. I pray that God will lead me where he wants me to be when he wants me to be there and will give me the courage to stand.
Thank you for your comment Native Son. And thank you for taking a stand for the righteousness of God's Word and His church.
Hello, I am a member of a UMC in Ocean Springs, Ms.
I never hear the Gospel! Everything is about Tithes, Ministries etc. Some of the sermons are about Charlie Brown and Lucy, others at Christmas are about some of the well known Christmas movies, Re; Miracle on 34th Street.
There has been a mass exodus in our church over the last 5 years. The Church is financially strapped, People are still leaving, but nothing has changed.
I read an article in the paper about Methodist Laypersons, preachers, etc. Coming out. That it will be socially acceptable, and accepted by the church, to be openly gay, or lesbian, and hold office in the Methodist church.
This will be the straw that breaks the camels' back for me.
I am considering moving my support to a non Denominational Church .
The Methodist Church no longer resembles what beliefs I grew up with in the Methodist Church.
I am heart broken! Jude Howell, St Paul United Methodist Church, Ocean Springs, Ms.
Hello, I am a member of a UMC in Ocean Springs, Ms.
I never hear the Gospel! Everything is about Tithes, Ministries etc. Some of the sermons are about Charlie Brown and Lucy, others at Christmas are about some of the well known Christmas movies, Re; Miracle on 34th Street.
There has been a mass exodus in our church over the last 5 years. The Church is financially strapped, People are still leaving, but nothing has changed.
I read an article in the paper about Methodist Laypersons, preachers, etc. Coming out. That it will be socially acceptable, and accepted by the church, to be openly gay, or lesbian, and hold office in the Methodist church.
This will be the straw that breaks the camels' back for me.
I am considering moving my support to a non Denominational Church .
The Methodist Church no longer resembles what beliefs I grew up with in the Methodist Church.
I am heart broken!
Stephen, thank you for your comment. The original post was written in 2007, and I'm writing this in 2016. If anything has changed, it has gotten worse. The church I described in the post has continued to shrink, merge with other congregations, and shrink more. Not all UMC churches have left the teaching of scripture, but many have and continue to do so. I think they shrink because anyone who truly believes in the Bible does not want to attend, and anyone who does not believe in the Bible has no reason to attend a church.
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