No Post Tonight But Three Interesting Links To Explore and Debate

These zinnias were among the first flowers to bloom in space. NASA/CREW #4

“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton


 

We are vacationing in the 30A/Miramar Beach area of Florida. Thankfully, we have house sitters to care for the pugs, hummingbirds, bluebirds, and all of my flowers. It is a full-time job!

The internet has gone out three times today in our condo. We also had some business to conduct today, which took up most of the day. When we returned to the condo, the internet was out again, and I spent so much time trying to get it fixed, without success, that I ruined more time.

Will you all forgive me for taking tonight off with my family? I will be back in the saddle ASAP. There are many stories to be told and so many people I have put on hold until my return.

In the meantime, here are a few stories you might find of interest.

ARC-Linked Colorado Pastor Sues Former Staff & Members, Claims Defamation

EXCLUSIVE: Plaintiff in Class-Action Lawsuit Accuses Liberty U of ‘Retraumatizing’ & ‘Insulting’ Jane Does

Conservative Methodists Launch Global Methodist Church

Love you guys!

Comments

No Post Tonight But Three Interesting Links To Explore and Debate — 49 Comments

  1. PRAYER REQUEST:

    Ole Max will be having eye surgery on Friday and will be out of the blogosphere for awhile. I would appreciate your prayers, Wartburgers.

  2. Praying for you, Max!

    The craziest thing about the Rez.Church link is that the two pastors mentioned show up in the comments to defend themselves! In my limited experience with lawyers I can’t imagine either one of these guys’ lawyers encouraging that kind of behavior. So weird!

  3. I read about the Methodist changes the other day. I went to their new website. It is going be a long process for those congregations choosing to move.

  4. *shrug* Just going to remind people that the Global Methodist Church is starting up because people can’t treat LGBTQIA people like me as human beings, but as notorious sinners who aren’t worthy of being able to live the same lives as the “righteous.” I’m not OK with that. Sorry not sorry.

  5. Self-publicisers grabbed the pulpits (including travelling ones) when television became big, but around 1979 in supposed reaction to Jim Jones the preaching machine proclaimed hyper capitalism (with its contempt for mental capital) as guardian of humane values.

    Has this been shown up for what it is? Did “churches” decide we should be taught not to pray for them, nor anybody / anything else? Has self reference become so extreme there is nothing to refer to?

    What little of “resurrection” their poor lips can pronounce is supposedly a chic name, but is a superstition without Another Comforter – whom the world shall look to us for – and gifts differing, distributed to you and me without the veto of these hijackers.

    How can we call for prayer? Shall we start by praying for a call for prayer? Austria was saved from seizure by the USSR by alertness followed by nine days’ prayer, which many people played a part in getting into motion quickly.

    Respect for thought goes hand in hand with beseeching God for the safety of children’s (including agnostics’) integrity. Megaphoning, countermanoeuvring and finger pointing – at those who don’t know as well as we do – doesn’t.

  6. Michael in UK,

    I’m not criticising the Methodists’ deal: to cease shackling ourselves and others organisationally is a good move. Ecumenism should be personal, private and non-sacramental.

  7. The only good news will have been that we upheld the world when it was in need. Not, partisanly, to the nasty god of the nasty god projectors, but to the forgotten All kindly One.

  8. The ARC website features a book about relationahips by Jonathan Wiggins:
    “In this book, Jonathan Wiggins explains the heart of God for rich, strong, healing relationships. He teaches from a compelling biblical perspective, and each chapter is full of illustrative stories and practical suggestions.”

    I wonder if it has a chapter on how to love people by taking them to court.

  9. Actually there is quite a bit more to the Methodist split. As a bit of a backtrack, Wesleyan theology holds all human beings of as of infinite worth, including you Muslin. But the same theology holds a belief in both entire and progressive sanctification. So as many, especially but not exclusively, read the Bible in that tradition, homosexual activity is sinful. No more so nor no less so that any other sexual activity forbidden by the Bible, or lying, or robbing, or not honoring our parents, etc.

    But Methodism is deeply connectional and deeply rooted in the Holy Convocation, where as a group the people and the clergy decide matters of faith, which are then codified in the Book of Discipline. That book CAN be changed, but the agreement is to live by it UNLESS and UNTIL it is changed.

    What has happened time and again as the vote goes against changing the Discipline. But those that don’t like it simply do as they wish and then cry foul when called on the carpet for breaking oaths they made voluntarily to abide by those rules.

    The conservatives have had enough. There is no sense in rules of an organization if they are not enforced. Hagar’s No Rules Football could come back to bite.

    So they want to form a connection and have a convocation where they come together and set rules and folks in the group abide by them. If you don’t like the Global Methodist Church rules, don’t join. Be UMC. They would bid you godspeed. The divide has gotten so vast they really are not united, so need to admit it and everyone move on.

    It is possible, you know, to say a person believes homosexual activity is sinful and not hate anyone.

  10. I forgot what ARC stands for. Another Royal Catastrophe? Association of Reprehensible Con-men? It’s difficult to keep track of all the acronymns.

  11. linda: Actually there is quite a bit more to the Methodist split.

    When we left our SBC church a number of years ago we started attending a UMC church because one of my wife’s friends goes there. It’s a very large and vibrant church. It’s been safe so far, but I have not been able to get excited about it because of the upcoming denominational split. No matter what side one is on, it’s not fun to go through a church split. The pandemic delayed things, but I fear the split is inevitable.

  12. I hope and pray your surgery goes well Max.

    linda:

    It is possible, you know, to say a person believes homosexual activity is sinful and not hate anyone.

    I am not gay, but I would hazard a guess that very few (if any) LGBTQ folks have ever experienced that. If for no other reason than all the conservatives fighting laws that allow partners to marry, denying them the ability to receive benefits from their partner, and a whole host of other experiences that I am completely ignorant of.

    In theory possible. In practice, with the megaphones of conservative leaders blasting out their messages, unlikely.

  13. Afterburne: megaphones of conservative leaders

    This is the thing you see. Instead of seeking God’s wisdom, at the very time children of my generation had been weaponised (and instead of praying for us), religious authorities were forming a worldly and fleshly counter pincer movement in order to deceive hyper capitalism into thinking religion is its ticket to dominance.

    Religion got stolen from us the same way “sexuality” got stolen from us. God wanted a lot of things to be got right before any “gospel” would catch on.

    As to GMC / UMC, St Paul wasn’t against anyone having their own church, as long as they didn’t interfere. In the case of church properties forward planning will enable them to divide these thoughtfully.

  14. Christians didn’t season civilisation by staring imperiously. Some quietly asked God to carry on sending His good angels everywhere. People of all sorts, whether artists, professionals, business people, did well (enough). Some of the self-important dissected and reduced grace by some sort of chymical universal acid, into something grudging.

    It’s no wonder they are “evil” (TM) because they are “sinners” (TM) unlike us few who have “truth” (TM) who are therefore going to remain triumphally unaffected by poverty, maladministration, engineering mistakes etc, IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE.

    But the reality is, in the good days, we did what we were asked by the All kindly One and we didn’t endlessly grade people and forget their (and our) good.

  15. The bosses of “gaiety” and the bosses of religion use movable definitions of the h- and g- words and all the other apparently non-equivalent apparent non-synonyms. I actually DON’T want anyone to say what they “mean” by “any” of this because the substance of it is personal and too much of that was shoved at me since I was 14 – yes, young innit. My God is the only Person who is able to personalise without getting ad hominem.

  16. Max on Wed May 11, 2022 at 07:07 PM said:
    PRAYER REQUEST:

    Ole Max will be having eye surgery on Friday and will be out of the blogosphere for awhile. I would appreciate your prayers, Wartburgers.
    +++++++++++++++++

    Sure, Max. I’ll pray my best prayer of faith

    (as opposed to using one of 3 wishes from a genie. I’m starting The-Renaissance-but-God-Jesus-HolySpirit-prayer-related. Locus: me)

  17. Interesting Links To Explore and Debate
    +++++++++++++

    well, i’d like to discuss the theological significance of aliens and UFOs as future human beings making use of the eventual discovery of time travel.

  18. With all due respect, I would suggest to people that you really can’t tell other people over and over that who we are is sinful without it hurting. And it does hurt. And hearing it over and over and over again for decades, *shakes head*. All I’m suggesting is to think differently.

    With that out of the way, I hope Max had successful surgery! I always hated taking my dad in for eye injections, not because he had a problem with it, but because I practically had to be strapped down when the doc was doing it!

  19. elastigirl: well, i’d like to discuss the theological significance of aliens and UFOs as future human beings

    Be prepared for:
    1) Aliens – “There are no ‘Aliens’, only Fallen Ones come to deceive us. No I am not a Conspiracy Crackhead.”
    2) UFOs – See (1) above.
    3) Future – “There Is No Future, The World Ends Tomorrow and It’s All Gonna Burn! Scripture! Scripture! Scripture! Rapture! Rapture! Rapture!”

  20. Headless Unicorn Guy on Sat May 14, 2022 at 11:03 AM said:

    i’m counting on better things from TWW folks

  21. Dear Wartburgers,

    Thanks to all for praying. My vision is gradually improving after surgery on Friday. Having a bit of trouble viewing screen right now, so will be limiting my time on the computer for awhile. Just wanted to let you know how grateful I am that you prayed for me.

    I’ll be back in the blogosphere fighting devils before you know it! I’m not done yet. Signing off for now.

    Your brother,
    Max

  22. Muslin, fka Dee Holmes,

    Muslin,

    Almost all churches including the well thought of ones – even those well thought of by most “watch bloggers” – are cynical (Mr J’s well chosen word) because they bought into the William James “pragmatic” fallacy.

    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    What about the ones that are opposite? As long as they keep us passive. (I understand “pincer movement”.)

    You and I and Mr J are the only three of us that saw that “gifts” were fake ones and not the genuine ones. Macarthur is not honest about this.

  23. Michael in UK: worldly and fleshly counter pincer movement in order to deceive hyper capitalism into thinking religion is its ticket to dominance

    In case you were wondering, this problem was not solved 18 months ago because it applies across the whole gamut of almost all the political parties.

  24. elastigirl on Fri May 13, 2022 at 05:18 PM said:
    “well, i’d like to discuss the theological significance of aliens and UFOs as future human beings making use of the eventual discovery of time travel.”

    Well, theology is the study of “God” right?
    In my opinion, God created the aliens (or whatever they are) too, with the ability to construct ships that can manipulate space as easily as we use the principles of lift to make airplanes work as they do.