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Archive for the ‘Judicial Council’

Conservatives Take Three of Four Vacancies on Methodist Judicial Council, Vote on Homosexuality Imminent

April 30, 2012 By: Cal Skinner Category: Convention, First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake, General Conference, Homosexual Agenda, Homosexuals, Institute on Religion and Democracy, Judicial Council, Methodist Church, Supreme Court, Tampa, United Methodist Church, University Senate

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."]

The symbol of the United Methodist Church's General Conference in Tampa.

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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Good News Reports Most Endorsed Candidates for Methodist “Supreme Court,” University Senate Win

April 30, 2012 By: Cal Skinner Category: Bill Arnold, Conference, Convention, Dennis Blackwell, First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake, General Conference, Good News, Judicial Council, Kabamba Kiboko, Methodist Church, Supreme Court, Tampa, University Senate, William Abraham

The stated theme for the Methodists' convention in Tampa.

Four years ago conservatives got caught napping at the every-four-year General Conference of the United Methodist Church.

There was insufficient communication with the new influx of African delegates. (Delegates are selected on more or less of a one member, one vote basis and Africa’s representatives were new to the process.)

The liberals won the election.

This year when elections for what is called the Judicial Council took place in Tampa, it appears that conservatives won.

At least that is what I read from the email I just received from Good News, one of the five conservative groups that I have identified working to stop to slide of the Methodist Church in the direction that the American Episcopal Church has taken.

Unlike the Episcopal Church, Methodists are organized on a worldwide basis.

If Methodists were organized on a national basis, as Episcopalian are in the United States, Methodist policy on homosexuality, abortion and other social issues would mirror that of the Anglican Church.

Liberal Methodists outnumber conservatives in the United States, but liberal churches in the denomination are generally in decline while conservatives are growing. The balance of power is shifting because of the massive number of Christian conversions being made by the burgeoning African Methodist Church.

At least 30% of the members in the church that John Wesley founded in England are now Africans.

Below is the Good News email:

Monday Morning Elections

Election of Judicial Council nominees was just completed. The clergy candidates with the highest vote tally were the Rev. Dr. Kabamba Kiboko and Rev. Dennis Blackwell. The lay candidates with highest vote tally were Oswald Tweh and Beth Capen.

The Renewal and Reform Coalition is very happy to announce that Rev. Kiboko and Rev. Blackwell, as well as Oswald Tweh were candidates listed on our recommendation slate.

The election for University Senate nominees was also just completed. In the category of University CEO’s, Dr. Jan Love and Dr. Thimbang Owan Kasap received the highest number of votes. In the category of Other Relevant Positions, Dr. William Abraham and Bill Arnold received the highest number of votes.

The Renewal and Reform Coalition is pleased to announce that Dr. Thimbang Owan Kasap, Dr. William Abraham, and Dr. Bill Arnold were candidates listed on our recommendation slate.

The Renewal and Reform Coalition congratulates all of the candidates and will be praying that their terms are fruitful, faithful, and productive.

If you would like to receive an introductory issue of Good News free of charge, please request it at info@goodnewsmag.org.

Thank You
Thank you for your prayers and the financial support that sustain this ministry. Your support and participation make it possible for Good News to be your advocate for Scriptural Christianity within the United Methodist Church and beyond.

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