Associated Press correspondent Tom Breen reports:

When Chad Holtz lost his old belief in hell, he also lost his job.

The pastor of a rural United Methodist church in North Carolina wrote a note on his Facebook page supporting a new book by Rob Bell, a prominent young evangelical pastor and critic of the traditional view of hell as a place of eternal torment for billions of damned souls.

Two days later, Holtz was told complaints from church members prompted his dismissal from Marrow's Chapel in Henderson.

"I think justice comes and judgment will happen, but I don't think that means an eternity of torment," Holtz said. "But I can understand why people in my church aren't ready to leave that behind. It's something I'm still grappling with myself."

The debate over Bell's new book "Love Wins" has quickly spread across the evangelical precincts of the Internet, in part because of an eye-catching promotional video posted on YouTube.

Bell, the pastor of the 10,000-member Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., lays out the premise of his book while the video cuts away to an artist's hand mixing oil paints and pastels and applying them to a blank canvas.

He describes going to a Christian art show where one of the pieces featured a quote by Mohandas Gandhi. Someone attached a note saying: "Reality check: He's in hell."

"Gandhi's in hell? He is? And someone knows this for sure?" Bell asks in the video.

Continue reading "Who's in Hell? Pastor's book sparks eternal debate" »

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The Associated Press reports:

Regional leaders of the United Methodist Church have sued an Eastern Oregon congregation that split from the denomination.

The Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, which oversees Methodist congregations in the region, claims in its lawsuit that members of the Ontario Community Church took property, funds and documents held in trust for the Methodist mission and ministry.

Leaders of the breakaway church, formerly the Ontario Community United Methodist Church, said their attorney advised them not to comment on the complaint, which was filed this month in Malheur County Circuit Court.

Congregations in California and Alabama have left the Methodist denomination in recent years, sparking legal battles over the United Methodist Church's trust clause, which holds that local congregations own property in trust for the entire denomination.

Greg Tollefson of Boise, chairman of the conference board of trustees, said in a statement, that the denomination has a duty to protect its property.

Greg Nelson, a spokesman for the Oregon-Idaho conference, said the national church does not keep track of how many churches have left the denomination. But, he added, in most legal disputes, the trust clause has been upheld.

Continue reading "Methodists sue breakaway congregation" »

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It's the conundrum Protestant denominations with declining memberships and shrinking budgets are desperate to solve: How to stem the decades-long losses and attract new worshippers.

As the Associated Press reports, the United Methodist Church, the third largest denomination in the country, thinks it could be closer to finding the answer. It commissioned an ambitious survey of nearly all its 33,000 U.S. churches to find out what its growing memberships are doing to keep congregations thriving.

Of those churches, the four key factors of vitality stood out as "crystal clear findings that are actionable," according to the survey:

• Small groups and programs, such as Bible study and activities geared toward youth.

• An active lay leadership.

• Inspirational pastors who have served lengthy tenures at churches.

• A mix of traditional and contemporary worship services.

One of the successful churches is St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, which has seen its membership steadily grow over the years to nearly 6,200.

The church's senior pastor, the Rev. Kent Millard, said it has offered both traditional and contemporary worship services for years. At a contemporary service, congregants kick back with doughnuts and coffee, a live band plays music and clips from Hollywood movies are shown to illustrate Gospel messages.

"Worship is like going to a mall," Millard said. "There are all kinds of stores. Some people like specialty shops. Some like department stores. When you have variety, people can go where they like."

Continue reading "Methodists aim to stop membership decline" »

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The highest court in the United Methodist Church will review its 2005 ruling that allowed a clergyman to bar a noncelibate gay man from joining a congregation, the Associated Press reports.

The Judicial Council will take up the issue when it convenes in October in New Orleans, according to United Methodist News Service.

The ruling five years ago came in the case of the Rev. Ed Johnson, who was senior pastor at South Hill United Methodist Church in Virginia. He had refused to allow a gay man, who said he was not celibate, to become a member of the congregation. Like many other Christian groups, Methodists are divided over how to interpret what the Bible says about same-sex relationships.

At the time, the Judicial Council effectively ruled for Johnson. The court said a pastor in charge of a local church has the authority to decide whether a layman is ready for membership.

Continue reading "Methodists to revisit 2005 ruling on gay member" »

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Associated Press religion writer Rachel Zoll has a story about the faith elements of the upcoming wedding and marriage of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky.

Clinton has a Christian background; Mezvinsky is Jewish. Zoll writes about the interfaith issues ahead, beginning with the wedding:

The bride and groom have a range of choices, including conversion or a melding their two traditions into one ceremony.

The talk has been strongest in the Jewish community. There has been more rejoicing than lamenting about this interfaith union that brings a former first daughter a step closer to the fold.

Still, they wonder: Has Chelsea been searching for a rabbi along with her gown?

"If they had a Jewish wedding officiated by a rabbi, I think that would be something really positive," said Ed Case, president of InterfaithFamily.com, which supports Jewish outreach to interfaith couples. "It's so important for the Jewish community to have interfaith couples engaging in Jewish life."

Chelsea Clinton grew up attending Methodist church with her mother. Bill Clinton has been close to his pastor in Arkansas, but the Southern Baptist Convention rebuked him years ago over his support for gay relationships and abortion rights.

Last year, Chelsea, a graduate student at Columbia University's School of Public Health, was seen attending Yom Kippur services with Marc at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the flagship for Conservative Judaism, according to news reports.

Continue reading "A Jewish wedding for Chelsea Clinton?" »

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In the months since we started In Good Faith, we've attracted readers and commenters from all over the world. Ties to the Baltimore area will be helpful in spotting some familiar faces in the video above (the list appears at the end).

I wanted to take a moment to say a sincere thank you to all who have stopped by, and particularly to those who have joined in the spirited debate taking shape on these pages. During this holiday season, we wish the very best to everyone of every faith, and no faith at all.

I expect to be posting only lightly over the next few days as I take time off to spend with my family. As my father would say: Talk amongst yourselves.

Best,
Matt

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With the Senate working on the healthcare overhaul, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin enlisted a group of liberal faith leaders Tuesday to discuss what he called the “moral imperative” of providing coverage to every American.

“We are fortunate to live in the wealthiest nation in the world that has been a beacon of hope and human rights for millions,” the Maryland Democrat said. “Our objective in health care reform is to bring down escalating costs; provide affordable, quality health care for every American; and to do so in a fiscally responsible way. But America is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide health care to its citizens. The leader of the free world should provide universal health coverage to every American. This is a moral imperative and that’s what this bill does.”

“Our traditions demand better,” said Rabbi Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism. “Our nation seeks better. God's children deserve better. This Congress can do better. Dr. King’s call of the fierce urgency of now should animate the decisions each senator will make in ensuring universal health coverage. We pray and advocate that they will do better – for all Americans and for our nation’s future.”

“Authentic health care reform has been delayed by insurance companies seeking to protect vast profits and grotesquely inflated executive salaries,” said James Winkler, General Secretary of United Methodist Church. “Health care is a human right. It cannot and should not be denied in favor of profit. Now is the moment of decision. Now is the time for moral courage in the face of money and power.”

“We call on our representatives solve the immoral situation in our country where people go without health insurance,” said Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. “This is a faith and civic challenge: we need accessible, quality, affordable healthcare for all.”

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Which religious denomination has the best slogan? According to a vote of nonprofit professionals, it's the United Methodist Church.

The United Methodists took home the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Award in the category of Religion & Spiritual Development with an eight-year-old slogan: "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors."

From the award citation:

The work of religious organizations often operates on several planes at once — a challenge for any organization and its messaging. Here, The United Methodist Church delivers a tagline trinity that supports its applied faith mission and is warm, enthusiastic and embracing.

“Our tagline embodies who we are as United Methodists,” the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of the communications agency responsible for overseeing the advertising ministry for the 11.5 million-member denomination, said in a statement. “The characteristics it celebrates are perceived positively by the people we are trying to reach.”

Among the other winners were "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste®," the 38-year-old slogan of the United Negro College Fund, and "Nothing Stops A Bullet Like A Job," the tagline for Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries.

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Members of a Baltimore County church are looking for a place to worship on Sunday after a two-alarm fire early Friday destroyed their sanctuary.

Fire investigators say a lightning strike could have caused the fire at the Sharp Street United Methodist Church in Chase, Sun colleague Brent Jones reports. Ten-foot-high stained glass windows were shattered, the outer structure of the building was charred, and a smoky smell remained in the air for hours as church members steadily came by to observe the damage.

Lewis Foust was one of the men who built the sanctuary in 1972.

"That's really the hurtful part -- to see what you have done just gone," he told Jones.

Founded 145 years ago, the church was widely considered the oldest in Chase. If a lightning strike is confirmed, it would be the third such case involving a local historic church over the past two years.

The 140-year-old First Mount Olive Free Will Baptist Church in West Baltimore was destroyed by a fire sparked by lightning in July 2007, and Baltimore's Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Druid Hill Avenue was hit by lightning last month. The Bethel congregation is set to return to its church Sunday.

Read the rest of the story at baltimoresun.com.

Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun

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Categories: Methodism