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Why Becoming a Church was the Worst Thing That Could Have Happened to Methodism
This is the fourth in a series of posts about following Jesus in the UMC. I am looking back to John Wesley’s three-tiered structure of discipleship for suggestions and hints of how Methodists ought...
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Down the Drain Together
Russ Douthat and Diana Butler Bass, and everyone else with a blog or a website, has shot an arrow across the bow of the American religious liberal/conservative divide in the last 48 hours. “Can...
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It’s a New Day
This morning, I sent out the following statement to members of First Rowlett UMC: Dear First Rowlett Family, After four and a half years of great ministry at First Rowlett, the time is drawing near for...
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Our Adam Hamilton Obsession
This blog post is primarily for United Methodist Church geeks. I’m afraid it won’t make much sense to some of my new Muslim readers or to Christians who are part of a different tradition. In case...
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Changing the Methodist Narrative
The overwhelming consensus about the United Methodist Church right now seems to be that we are “dying.” Thus, we speak of “death tsunamis,” and “declining memberships.” Charts show us plummeting...
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Getting the Band Back Together
This is the fifth in a series of posts about following Jesus in the UMC. I am looking back to John Wesley’s three-tiered structure of discipleship for suggestions and hints of how Methodists ought to...
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And Are We Yet Connected?
Ever since I became a United Methodist about twenty years ago, I’ve been told repeatedly that one of the best – and most unique — things about the church is our “connection.” We are a “connectional...
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Why I Doubt the UMC Can Handle Innovation
A few weeks ago, a friend, Rob Rynders, posted a rousing call to innovation in the United Methodist Church. Along with the other members of the Missional Wisdom Foundation, I co-wrote a response to...
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Noel Moules’ Manifesto is My Favorite Book of 2012
I read a lot of books during the year, but there always seems to be one that stands out, that I continue to go back to again and again. Last year, my favorite read was Samir Selmanovic’s It’s Really...
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Getting Justice Right
In the North Texas Conference, I am the chair of something called the Board of Church and Society. This is a fancy, United Methodist term for “Committee for Social Justice Issues.” (Or as the Good News...
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