Below is the Institute for Religion and Democracy’s take on the votes this morning for United Methodist Church Judicial Council slots. It’s a slightly different twist on the Good News email published earlier today.

Good News from General Conference

Some good news today!

3 of the 4 persons supported by our Reform & Renewal Coalition for Judicial Council won!

Remember that the Judicial Council is United Methodism’s highest court and often adjudicates cases about our church’s teaching on homosexuality.

Slots previously held by 3 liberal and 1 orthodox person are now filled by 3 orthodox and one liberal, creating a positive shift in the 8-member Judicial Council. Most significantly, 2 of these new Judicial Council members are from Africa, including a Liberian lawyer and a Congolese female pastor.

Previously, no council members were African, even though over one third of our church members now live in Africa.

More good news. 3 of the 4 persons we supported for the University Senate were also elected, including a Congolese university president and well known orthodox Methodist theologian Billy Abraham. A professor from Asbury, Bill Arnold, was the third. The University Senate is supposed to oversee our 13 official seminaries.

The enlarged African representation at this General Conference is flexing its muscle for the betterment of our church.

They represent much of our future, for which we give thanks.

Representing the old, dying American liberalism is the General Board of Church and Society and other liberal church agencies and caucuses, which continue to try to manipulate the General Conference, about which Bart Gingerich blogged. [“…what could I expect from such a vested interest? These folks are paid for lobbying, advocating, and making political statements.”]

Please continue to pray that the Lord will hasten His work of reclaiming our church!

With appreciation,

Mark Tooley
IRD President
Director, UMAction

P.S. Please remember we rely on YOUR support for our ministry. So please donate online today. Thank you!

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In an article by Charles Butts of OneNewsNow on linked on the IRD website, it is claimed that the “homosexual activist groups have targeted Episcopalians, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Methodist Church” over the last decade and spent “anywhere from $3 [million] to $6 million from outside organizations that have been targeted towards changing the stance of these mainline denominations on homosexuality in order to mainstream the homosexual lifestyle.”

This research is attributed to Pastor Stephen Sparks of Indianola, Mississippi.

“The good news, he says, is that committee reports for the Saturday deadline do not call for a major change to the denomination’s biblically based stance on homosexuality, though activists and liberals could force a vote before the General Conference,” the article says.

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Other articles that may be of interest:

• 4/24/12 Methodist Convention This Week in Tampa – Unity Not on the Agenda
• 4/27/12 The Disconnect Between American Liberals and Africans in Tampa’s Methodist Convention
• 4/28/12 Conservative Methodists Making Headway in World Conference, Big Fight on Homosexuality in Offing
• 4/29/12 Update from United Methodist Church General Conference in Tampa – Conservatives Winning Most Votes, Setbacks for Abortion & Israeli Divestment Supporters
• 4/30/12 Good News Reports Most Endorsed Candidates for Methodist “Supreme Court,” University Senate Win
• 4/30/12 Conservatives Take Three of Four Vacancies on Methodist Judicial Council, Vote on Homosexuality Imminent
• 5/2/12 Methodists Vote Almost 3-1 Against Ending Investments (Divestment) in Motorola and CAT, Proportional Representation for Africans on Ruling Bodies, Preacher Tenure Ended
• 5/3/12 53% Reject Homosexual Liberalization at Tampa World Methodist Conference
• 5/3/12 Homosexuals Take over Methodist Tampa Convention Floor after Losing Vote
• 5/4/12 Coverage of Conservative Methodists’ Victory over Homosexual Activists Missing