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Well, that Didn’t Take Long

Written by R. Albert Mohler Jr. |
Thursday, May 9, 2024

What was left of the United Methodist Church, freed from those conservative congregations, rushed headlong in Charlotte to abandon historic Christianity and join the LGBTQ revolution. They wasted no time. Speaker after speaker introduced themselves at microphones with the obligatory language of name, sexual and gender identity, and preferred pronouns. It was just what the activists hoped and just what the conservatives feared. In one moment, the official stance of the denomination was transformed.

The United Methodist Church committed theological treason yesterday, leaving Biblical Christianity behind in a headlong rush to join the LGBTQ revolution. In the view of the progressives, they were making up for lost time. In the long view of Christian history, they were marching off the map of orthodox Christianity.

By a vote of 692 to 51, and without a word of formal debate, the United Methodist General Conference voted to overturn the church’s historic discipline and doctrine on homosexuality. Yesterday’s vote took place in Charlotte, N.C., but the impact will be felt worldwide.

John Wesley never intended to establish a church. His goal, aided by his brother Charles, was to lead a holiness movement within the Church of England. They were eventually dubbed “Methodists” as a term of derision, simply because of the methodical approach taken by Wesley’s devotional societies. Methodism quickly made its way to the Colonies, and Wesley himself came to Savannah, Ga., in 1735. The Methodist movement was made for the American moment. Wesley was a loyal British citizen and was also loyal to the Church of England. With the War of Independence, the Americans were left to establish their own church. The Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1784 in Baltimore and the movement spread like wildfire. Before long, the Methodists would be the largest single denominational movement in America and remained strong well into the 20th century.

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