The World Goes On While the UMC Splinters

Crisis Watch April 24, 2023

April 24, 2023

3:49 PM

Crime

This column has been on an unintentional hiatus for several weeks, partly because of the news demands of the disaffiliation wave coursing through the United Methodist Church and partly because of a new focus among UM activists for accountability and transparency in church governance.

While the UMC has been in the throes of a nasty break-up combined with concerns about current institutional injustices and future governance, the world has rocketed on, still needing the love of Christ in every moment. Following is a compilation from several newsletters that Insight receives. Each item offers a situation and reflection questions that could benefit from the attention of United Methodists, whether individuals or congregations. Take a look and perhaps find something that you and or your church could address with God's unconditional love.

A wealth of criminal justice needs

From The Marshall Project April 24:

"Knocking on the wrong door can be fatal. Blame an “increased fear of crime and an attendant surge in gun ownership, increasingly extreme political messaging on firearms, fear mongering in the media and marketing campaigns by the gun industry that portray the suburban front door as a fortified barrier against a violent world.” THE NEW YORK TIMES Related Commentary: Americans are terrible at owning guns. SLATE Rising paranoia is to blame. BLOOMBERG" What are you or your church doing to counteract the fear and distrust that lie behind so many gun-related incidents?

"Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation on Friday to formally end capital punishment in the state. Calling it racist and arbitrary, the state Supreme Court unanimously struck down the death penalty in 2018. The last execution in Washington took place in 2010. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The new law also eliminated a measure that allowed sterilization as a form of criminal punishment. CNN" What does your congregation know that The United Methodist Church officially opposes the death penalty because it forecloses the opportunity for God to bring redemption to anyone?

"Stop preying on poor people with exorbitant court fines and fees. The Justice Department sent out a letter last week reminding local judges and officials that imposing fines and fees without accounting for a person’s ability to pay them could be 'cruel and unusual' punishment under the Eighth Amendment. THE NEW YORK TIMES" What are the fines and fees imposed on people in your local courts? How do they affect poor people in your community?

Considering these criminal justice issues, do you and your congregation know what the United Methodist Church believes about how justice should be applied in society? Check out the "Faith and Facts" card available on the General Board of Church and Society website.

More persecution of LGBTQ persons

Families and friends of LGBTQ persons are actively working in the United States against the more than 400 anti-transgender laws now making their way through state legislatures. Bills in Texas and Florida, where their respective governors are trying to position themselves for a 2024 presidentiaal run, appear to be the worst, but situations beyond the USA are equally dire.

The United Methodist Church has congregations in Uganda, where a new, extremely harsh law has just gone into effect. Does your church know what affects United Methodists outside the United States? What ties does your congregation have to churches beyond the USA?

From Reuters News Service

"At a shelter for lesbian women in Uganda's capital Kampala, gone are the days when the residents, having fled abuse and stigma at home, could breathe easy and be themselves.

"That came to an end a month ago when parliament passed some of the world's strictest anti-LGBTQ legislation, which would criminalize the "promotion" of homosexuality and impose the death penalty for certain crimes involving gay sex.

"LGBTQ Ugandans interviewed by Reuters say nothing could have prepared them for the past few weeks as the bill's passage sent homophobic abuse into overdrive."

And one for climate justice ...

... Comes this note from veteran environmentalist Bill McKibben, a United Methodist layman, from his Substack blog, "The Crucial Years:"

"+Good Lord it’s been hot in Asia. Thailand just set a new all-time high temperature record of 114 F (and it’s not a dry heat…)"

What is your congregation doing to care for God's creation? How will you adapt to the iinevitable changes aa warming climaate will bring to your church's physical plant aand to the environment of your members? And while you're at it, subscribe to Bill's blog so we can keep his vital messages on the environment going.

Media Mentions as of March 24, 2023

In East Tennessee, United Methodist split is now official | Chattanooga Times Free Press

St. Luke's, other churches, to exit United Methodists over same-sex marriage, gay clergy

264 United Methodist churches leave Holston Conference | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather

Amid national wave, 264 East Tennessee and Virginia churches leave UMC following vote – Knoxville News Sentinel

Letter to the editor: Reasons for Methodist disaffiliation | TribLIVE.com – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Holston United Methodists Finalize Departure Of 264 Congregations, Including Several Locally – Chattanoogan.com

Edmonds church stands up to hate after vile flyers in reaction to 'Stand For Love' vigil – KIRO 7

Tennessee Baptists and Methodists join in call for gun legislation – Baptist News Global

Manatee students walkout to protest new Florida rule banning LGBTQ content in schools – Yahoo News

Greater Buffalo Run Valley UMC breaks ground for new church building - Lockhaven.com

Relaunching Strategy Revitalizes Dying Churches - Religion Unplugged