Misinformation? Disinformation? These Concepts Undermine the UMC

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Misinformation? Disinformation?

How have these two concepts undermined the UMC?

I have some thoughts that I hope are helpful….

Misinformation is false information and often is the result of gossip, hearsay, or simply inaccuracy—a misunderstanding of the facts. I would say that “miss-information” CAN happen accidentally or inadvertently because someone was mislead by, or had wrong information, or was persuaded that something was true that was not true, or passed along information they believed to be true but for which they actually had no real proof. We are human, and it happens.

I think what happened in our UMC is a step beyond “misinformation”. It would more appropriately be called “dis-information”.

Disinformation is lying intentionally—literally making things up to further a cause or an agenda. The conservative wing of our church has been working on “disinforming” and deconstructing our UMC for 30-40 years. Chipping away at our beliefs in a reverence for scripture, our love for all people, our heart for the vulnerable, multiculturalism, ecuminicism, our UMC connection, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral and covertly attacking groups that support social change, social responsibility and action.

Disinformation is lying intentionally—literally making things up to further a cause or an agenda.

When Rob Renfro (leader of the Good News movement and father of the GMC, on staff at Woodlands UMC in Houston) wanted to deconstruct the United Methodist Church, he and others who agreed with his fundamentalist ideology carefully constructed lies about our UMC theology, our core beliefs (in things like the reality of the Resurrection, Trinity, Divinity of Jesus, Virgin Birth) and falsely described how United Methodists were going to abandon morality, excuse sin, intentionally misinterpret scripture and install unqualified and sexually promiscuous gay and trans pastors in UMC pulpits!! None of this was true. But the decision to use these sort of scare tactics and disinformation has frightened well meaning, “salt of the earth” types of people in our churches across the country, and pushed them to leave the UMC in favor of a church that “really loves Jesus”. Because we in the UMC aren’t going to love Jesus anymore? This alone was an outrageous and unfounded accusation, but it didn’t stop there.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

There had to be a catalyst. And the catalyst was the LGBTQ issue. There was already plenty of cultural unrest, disagreement, animosity and fear surrounding these issues—-and it was enough to leach fear into the church, too. When the Supreme Court began to wobble on some of bedrock decisions and rulings about gay marriage, the timing was right to use that spirit of fear to divide the church. Plain and simple, it was an opportunistic strategy by people whose ultimate purpose was to destroy United Methodism.

In the larger political realm, an organization called the Institute of Religion and Democracy (a Washington DC based political think tank and politically motivated big money group) has spent millions to destroy mainline churches like the Presbyterian, Episcopal, United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church.

Why would they do that?

Because together, we have worked ecumenically to bring broad social changes—like Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, Environmental stewardship, advocacy for the poor—-and other wide reforms that the IRD deplores. Their mission is to implode the entire mainline church institutionally. And sadly, they have been pretty successful when you think of the turmoil that has happened within these sister denominations.

We have been attacked from the inside and the outside. If you feel that a larger force is at work against us, it is not your imagination.

So there has certainly been misinformation circulated among the members of our churches across the country, but the presence of “disinformation” has been the more destructive element. I like to call it the “unseen hand” behind this entire disaffiliation process. We have been attacked from the inside and the outside. If you feel that a larger force is at work against us, it is not your imagination.

The truth is that our UMC theology is secure and unchanged.

These foundational and doctrinal statements are bedrock—part of our Book of Discipline and can only be changed by voting to change them in a General Conference session with a huge majority. That has not happened and there is absolutely no indication that it will happen. While language about homosexuality may be removed from the Book of Discipline, that does not mean that our churches will be overrun or taken over by our gay sisters and brothers. It simply means we will be free to be more inviting, loving, and non-judgmental in regard to all people, regardless of their sexual status. In other words, we will be free to accept and love as Jesus does and did. Free to refrain from excluding and discriminating against those persons who orient differently than us.

If you have been wondering about these terms of misinformation and disinformation, I hope this information helps you to understand why this season of “disaffiliation” has been so dishonest, painful and fraught with chaos. It was literally manufactured and then co-opted by people of ill will. And it has been a long-term strategy.

I believe this entire Disaffiliation process has been a travesty, and that it (not only) is not of God, but that it has been used for doing evil, splitting and dividing our UMC church, and derailing our mission to be disciples who seek to transform the world for Christ.

It is enough to make Baby Jesus cry. Me, too.

Karen Alford House Morrison is a member of First United Methodist Church in Katy, Texas, a community 29 miles east of Houston in the Texas Annual Conference. This post is republished with the author's permission from the Stay UMC Facebook group.