re: 47 Louisiana churches have left United Methodist Church over gay marriage, LGBTQ issues

'We are not enemies': Florida Methodists' cohesion tested by lawsuit

From your linked article:

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The dispute, which has built for years, centers on disagreements over the denomination’s approach toward same-sex weddings and the role LGBTQ leaders. The lawsuit accuses Carter of flouting the conference’s official doctrine by allowing a lesbian bishop to serve and not disciplining a St. Petersburg pastor whose Pinellas County church focuses on such issues as “LGBTQ liberation,” USA TODAY-Florida Network reported. The United Methodist Church has not changed its official doctrine, confirmed 50 years ago, that declares homosexuality to be “incompatible with Christian teaching.” But tolerance of churches that conduct same-sex weddings, along with discussions of potential changes to doctrine, have led some more conservative churches to seek separation.

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The lawsuit says differences arose between Grace United Methodist and the conference over its “conscious and significant theological change.” Most of the churches seeking to leave reportedly wish to join the newly formed Global Methodist Church. The leadership approved the departure of 14 churches during its annual state gathering, held last month at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. In a “frequently asked questions” section on its website, the Florida Conference says that it is not aware of any official votes for departure held by the congregations of the 106 churches involved in the lawsuit.

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The trustees or councils of the 106 churches passed joint resolutions, and their corporate officers signed litigation agreements, Bailee said. "The Bishop and the Trustees are demanding sums of money as a precondition to leaving the Conference that are not required by The Discipline, not supported by any audited financials, and are far in excess of what the smaller churches could possibly pay," a statement from the NCLL says. "This tactic is designed to make it impossible for these churches to leave the Conference. Bishop Carter and the Conference have flatly rejected every alternative method of resolution offered by the churches, further evidencing the oppressive purpose of these actions."

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The lawsuit symbolizes the difficulties of preserving a mainline Protestant denomination with a widely diverse array of member churches. The Florida Conference includes small churches in conservative, rural areas, as well as large congregations in more progressive cities. Another mainline denomination, the Presbyterian Church, has also seen splintering over the decades. At least two churches in Polk County left the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the main denomination, to join the more conservative ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, in 2017.

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Without discussing the details mentioned in the lawsuit, Carter said he has not abandoned church doctrines during his decade as leader of the Florida denomination. “I have also, as a bishop, sought to strengthen churches across the labels of conservative or centrist or liberal,” he said. “And I don't like the labels, but I've sought to be fair across the spectrum of kinds of churches. And while I believe in our traditional, orthodox faith that's rooted in the Scriptures, I also have always believed that we have to adapt our doctrine and our Scriptures to changing life circumstances that people have.”

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Carter made it clear that he sets inclusiveness and openness to all as priorities for the Florida Conference and its churches. He said the denomination is “on a journey” toward being more accepting of what he called the LGBTQIA community – an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual. “This is not so much ideological as it is about the families in a local church,” Carter said. “It is about the kids in a youth group. And so, this is what our church and every church denominational and nondenominational, every church is seeking to do this very thing. And it's not abandoning our historic faith. It is applying that faith to the real lives of people in our churches. And that's our present work. And I believe we can we can do that together. We do not need to separate in order to do that.”

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Bishop Carter is following the same playbook as the rest of the progressive left: indoctrinate the children as a means to subvert and corrupt the system.

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How does a normal person with a nuclear family take advice from a practicing gay man? Lol I mean that is a strange advisor. Clown world.

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Could say the same thing about Catholis and the pedo priests

You must not have strong faith my friend. Follow Jesus’ teachings, not the man who attempts to tell you His teachings. THAT is what Catholics believe.

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Bishop Carter is following the same playbook as the rest of the progressive left: indoctrinate the children as a means to subvert and corrupt the system

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I have heard him talk three times now ... And each time it was about anecdotes about himself...

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You must not have strong faith my friend. Follow Jesus’ teachings, not the man who attempts to tell you His teachings. THAT is what Catholics believe.

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So what do you need the Pope for?

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This would be the same as saying you're a Christian yet worshiping the devil.

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Homosexuality is an abomination… conducted by a reprobate mind that has refused truth and been given over to their lusts… they are on a highway to hell and God doesn’t change his holiness bc man decides too.

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First it was slavery, then segregation, and now you 'crites only have homosexuality. Tough times being a Christian these days!

Right. Where are the restrictions on fornication or adultery then?

C-H-E-R-R-Y P-I-C-K-I-N-G.

Ignorance and malevolence confirmed.