One Church Plan is 'Formula for Chaos'

by

LANCASTER, Pa. — The Rev. Joseph F. DiPaolo, a 2019 General Conference delegate, argues that the One Church Plan will merely shift denominational conflict over homosexuality to local churches. He sees other major problems with the plan. “It is a formula for chaos, conflict and accelerated decline,” he writes in an essay posted by the Wesleyan Covenant Association.

Tags

by

Comments (2)

Comment Feed

It is all about legitamizing progreessive theology

While appearing to be 'inclusive". Many of the American Bishops who endorse the One Church Plan are progressives who want the church to move in a progressive direction. As other mainline denominations have shown, local options are only the first step in moving the denomination in a progressive direction. And it does not matter that it has been proven time and again that once a church has embraced progressive theology that there are no progressives waiting outside the door to come in and balance the accelerated exodus of traditionals. And if you want proof from within the UMC, just look at the Western Jurisdiction where the election of a lesbian to the post of bishop did nothing to stave off a numerical and financial decline in the area where she was sent to serve. Embracing progressive thinking will not reverse the 50+ years of numerical decline; it will only exacerbate it. And why UMC Bishops persist in being blind to that already established reality is beyond my comprehension.

betsy more than 2 years ago

Amen, Brother DiPaolo.

Anyone who has ever served on a church board will attest to the "minutia ad nauseum" of decision making therein, but the One Church Plan will put it on steroids. Battle lines will be drawn, allegiances established so that every meeting will be a confrontation.
.
Exacerbating the turmoil will be the propensity of humans to seek "exceptions". For example, what if the homosexual daughter or son of a significant contributor in a traditional church wants to have their wedding in that traditional church? Would that significant contributor take a simple "no" for an answer? I don't think so... Or, the homosexual bishop wants to "open the hearts and minds" of a traditional church by sending a homosexual pastor there. What could go wrong?
.
Do they somehow remove common sense from UMC upper management? Maybe they just exclude it by holding closed meetings...

Reese more than 2 years ago

Notable Quotes 

"When one’s power, authority, or position is derived from demarcating and defending orthodoxy, then singling out more heretics is always necessary. The status one holds depends on maintaining loyalties and passing purity tests."

– Baptist pastor Brian Kaylor, "The Tragedy of Russell Moore" in Religion & Politics.

  

"The choice before every theologian and church leader is clear: either the tradition of the church tells us who we are, or we read the Scriptures in light of who we understand ourselves to be."

– Robert A. Hunt, Perkins School of Theology, in a Facebook post on Catholic bishops proposing to deny communion to President Joe Biden over his support for legal abortion.

We Appreciate Your Support

     As we face challenging times, United Methodist Insight welcomes your financial support to bring you news and views of The United Methodist Church in a world seeking a new future.

     TEXT your contribution to 84-321 with "(amt) Insight" via your smartphone or go to https://ststephenumctx.churchcenter.com/giving/to/um-insight Your additional contribution of the 2.2% processing fee will make your donation go farther.

     Make CHECKS payable to our sponsoring congregation, St. Stephen UMC, and write "UM Insight" on the memo line. Then mail to United Methodist Insight, c/o St. Stephen United Methodist Church, 2520 Oates Drive, Mesquite, TX 75150. Thank you!