Professor Andrew Walls (1928-2021) was my “doctor father” which means he was one of my mentors in my doctoral program at the University of Edinburgh.  I had the privilege of studying under him from 1995-1998 in Scotland.  He passed away this week and I am mourning his loss.  Those who have been in my office […]

Words are important.  Words are what we use to communicate.  Words communicate meaning.  I love the way every “world” has its own set of specialized words.  If, for example, you enter into the equestrian world you must learn the difference between a trot, a canter and a gallop.  You learn that a “saddle” is made […]

Most people who are familiar with renewal movements within the United Methodist Church will know the name of Ira Gallaway.  He was either the founder, organizer, or leading cheerleader for most, if not all, of them.  Although he passed away back in 2015, I often think of him, and he continues to be an inspiration […]

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints, declares Psalm 116:15.   This is a verse which surprises us with a different understanding of death than what we typically think of.  For us, death is not normally described as “precious.”  We often use words like “sad” or “tragic,” but not a […]

By now most United Methodists have heard about the tragic disruption of the thriving ministry at Mt. Bethel UMC.  Mt. Bethel, by their own public declaration, has decided to disaffiliate with the United Methodist Church due to long standing episcopal hostility towards evangelical churches who stand in opposition to the so-called “progressive” future many of […]

This article is about the Free Methodist Church, not the United Methodist Church. For those who may not know your brothers and sisters in the larger Wesleyan family, the Free Methodist church traces its history back to 1860. It was founded out of the mainline Methodist Church (then known as the Methodist Episcopal Church) for […]

I am one of those cradle Methodists. I will also soon be approaching forty years of ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. For those of us who have been in the denomination that long, we have had front row seats to the slow and tortuous decline of the UMC. We have watched our beloved […]

One of the key features of the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation (hereafter referred to as the Protocol) is the suspension of the Trust Clause, which is permitted within the current Discipline of the church. The Trust Clause is a provision in the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church which states […]

As we prepare for Holy Week, we should remember that the early church boldly decided to include in even the early eucharistic liturgies the phrase, “on the night in which he was betrayed.” They are, of course, following the apostle Paul who uses the phrase in 1 Corinthians 11:23 as he gives us that earliest […]

Like many United Methodists around the world, the Council of Bishops’ decision to delay, yet again, the General Conference and consideration of the Protocol until August or September 2022 was met with great disappointment. COVID-19 is, of course, the cause of the multiple delays, first from May 2020 to August 2021 and now to 2022. […]