November 28, 2012

  • My Denomination

    I posted a blog a little over a month ago promising to answer some of your questions via vlog. I decided against that to answer the questions in a more traditional manner, as I’ve found, I really have no time to make a vlog at the moment. This is how this is going to work: I am going to answer these questions one post at a time in the order that they were received. So my first question came from @flapper_femme_fatale. She asked:

    What denomination do you belong to?  I find that we are similar in political thought, and if i were to ever explore Christianity again, I’d want a similar place.


    I’m very happy to answer this question because I don’t really talk about it all that much. I am a Methodist. I am absolutely head over heals for the United Methodist Church. It started with a small group of men (Particular John Wesley and his brother Charles) in the 18th century in England. While John was a pastor in the Anglican church, he came across a problem- many Christians were Christians by name only. In other words, they said they believed in the teachings of Jesus, but lived lives that were contrary to his teachings. John decided that these people needed a method to help them grow in their understanding about Jesus and his purpose and even their own purpose. What started as a movement eventually became a denomination when John Wesley introduced this method to the United States. He never intended on it becoming a denomination, as he was Anglican through and through. Eventually, for the most part, the method (which involved a life devoted to fasting, praying, giving to the poor, humility, and daily communion) has been lost over time, but what we are seeing in the United Methodist Church, is a shift back to its life-changing roots. It takes time, but with proper leading in the church, it will happen again.

    John Wesley in bobblehead form. He would not like this idea at all, but I do own one!


    Needless to say I am very proud of my denomination. As far as politics goes though, I’m not sure that my denomination has much of anything to do with my political leanings. The United Methodist Church is a very moderate denomination. They don’t lean too far right or too far left, but with almost everything, they take the middle of the road. I like this because it allows others to make up their own minds when it comes to their political leanings. None of the UM pastors are allowed to make political endorsements on behalf of their church. Nothing in this world is more divisive than politics. However, the church is very strong in its social convictions- but the church realizes that social justice can come in many different forms.

    That said, if a person is looking to start going to a new church because they are tired of all the politics interlaced within it, I do believe that the United Methodist Church is a good place to look into simply because it’s so moderate and very hands off when it comes to an individual’s political leanings. I mean, my pastor is very progressive in a church that’s, for the most part, conservative, and here I am along with my wife, considering ourselves to be anarchists. It’s a very diverse denomination. :)

Comments (25)

  • I know that Nazarenes are very similar to Methodists. Do you know what the differences are?

  • @musterion99 - From what I understand (and I don’t know much about the Nazarene denomination) is that the United Methodist Church is strictly a Wesleyan tradition and that Nazarene are a mix of the American Holiness movement and Wesleyan tradition. I once applied for a Youth ministry position at a Nazarene church once. The pastor’s wife claimed that she was “sanctified” and believed she was incapable of sinning. I, being a Methodist, don’t believe in that exact idea of sanctification. She got on me about my tattoos and piercings, saying that they were against scripture. I wonder how she would have felt if I would’ve pointed out that she also had her ears pierced… Anyway, that’s all I really know. They are certainly cousins. It’s amazing to see the impact that John Wesley had on Christianity.

  • Do you view your denomination as a place where you generally agree with those around you but dissent on certain theological issues, or do you think you should all be “of one mind”?

  • @kk_grayfox - Definitely a place where we generally agree but dissent on certain theological issues. However, the church does try to be of one mind while allowing diversity of opinions. It’s obviously a very difficult task. Haha. But I know theologically conservative Methodists and theologically progressive Methodists. That’s sort of the nature of the UMC.

  • @jmallory - I went to a Nazarene church for a little while, and I know they’re big on sanctification.

  • @musterion99 - I went to a Nazarene college and attended a Nazarene church for more than a decade. The Church of the Nazarene was formed during the holiness movement of the late 19th century when four holiness denominations decided to merge. As a descendant of the Methodist church, most of its core theology is the same. It maintained the culture of the holiness tradition for many years, although many Nazarenes would say that the denomination has mostly abandoned its holiness roots. A major distinction of the Church of the Nazarene is its emphasis on entire sanctification, which is actually not that different from the Methodist doctrine of Christian perfection, although Nazarenes tend to put a lot more emphasis on it. Exactly what constitutes entire sanctification is debated among Nazarenes even today, but what is agreed is that it is second work of God that occurs after salvation that involves release from the control of sin and total submission to God.

  • @Crono09 - Do you believe you can get to the point where you will never sin in this life here on earth? 

  • @musterion99 - When I was a Nazarene, no, I didn’t believe this. I don’t think that most Nazarenes these days do, although this belief was common in the denomination’s early days, and some older members still hold to it. The more common interpretation of entire sanctification is that it means that the person will no longer make conscious, willful choices to sin, but because they still exist in physical bodies in a fallen world, they may still make sinful errors. Progressive sanctification continues to take place both before and after the work of entire sanctification.

    I grew up in a Baptist church, and it frequently talked about “getting right with God” or “dedicating your life to Christ.” In practice, I think that this is the same as the Nazarene take on entire sanctification, although the underlying theology behind it is different.

  • I was raised in the United Methodist denomination.  Unfortunately my mom was badly wounded in the Methodist church.  Perhaps her favorite pastor was attacked and maligned by “progressives” who denied the most basic teachings of Scripture.  The pastor left in disgust, and not long after the progressives left as well.  

    I currently attend a Calvary Chapel in South Carolina.  I consider myself a quiet Pentecostal.  I doubt I’d return to the Methodist Church, but I like the majority of it’s doctrines.  I am certainly an Arminian, and had it not been for my Methodist influenced upbringing I think I’d have struggled greatly with the God of Reformed soteriology.   I doubt my faith could have withstood Calvinism, so I owe a great debt to my Methodist roots.  I would like to be part of a movement which ordains and recognizes God’s call on women to all levels of ministry office.  Eventually I’ll likely break off from Calvary Chapel, because I am convicted that the Church doesn’t hear rightly from God, because the Church doesn’t accept God’s call of women.

  • @Crono09 -

      The more common interpretation of entire sanctification is that it means that the person will no longer make conscious, willful choices to sin, but because they still exist in physical bodies in a fallen world, they may still make sinful errors.

    That sounds like double talk to me. If we’re not making conscious willful choices, then we no longer have freewill. Is the devil controlling us and making us sin against our will?

  • Interesting. Good to know =]

  • @musterion99 - Think of it this way. One type of sin is to know fully well that something is wrong but choose to do it anyway. Another type of sin is to act in the moment and realize after the fact that it wasn’t the right thing to do. An entirely sanctified person will not longer do the former but may still commit the latter.

  • @Crono09 - 

     Another type of sin is to act in the moment and realize after the fact that it wasn’t the right thing to do.

    I don’t believe in that. I believe we are willfully conscious of what we’re doing. It’s not like we’re hypnotized. We may later on feel more convicted than when we chose to commit the sin. 

  • Okay, Jimmy, I want a John Wesley bobblehead.  Where did you find such a useless, wonderful thing?   I’ll use the John Wesley bobblehead to scare off Calvinists!! 

  • @musterion99 - ”We may later on feel more convicted than when we chose to commit the sin.”

    I think we’re actually on the same page here, and I’m just failing to vocalize it properly. I’m not saying that the person is not in control of his actions. Trust me, Nazarenes are VERY BIG on free will. Rather, I’m saying that the person is not thinking of the sinfulness of the act at the time that it is done and is convicted of it after the fact. This is in contrast to planning to do something in full conviction that it is a sin but choosing to do it anyway.

  • @Crono09 - Yeah, it sounds like we’re pretty close in agreement. Thanks for the discussion.

  • I was born and raised in the United Methodist denomination.  In the early ’70′s a revival broke out in the church and half of the congregation claimed to have become born again in just one week. 

    Sadly, the pastor became angry at this revival (which he had nothing to do with) declaring that he was not himself born again and thought the very idea was absurd (he adhered to a social gospel–salvation was not needed, only that people follow the golden rule).  Of the 400 members half left to find what they called “Bible believing” churches. 

    Even though I was one of those who had become born again (along with most of my family) I stayed for another year, having too many friends in the youth group there.  But eventually I too left for a Grace Brethren church (very much a Baptist style denomination).  It is still with fondness I remember my years at the old church.

  • @jmallory - I tried Cokesbury. com but no bobblehead.   Any other ideas.  I very much want a John Wesley bobblehead…I’m sure Wesley is spinning in his grave, but as Gollum says it, “we wants it…”

  • @Such_are_you - Well, if you are comfortable enough with giving me your information via personal message, the store I work in will ship it to you. The bobble heads are 19.95 plus shipping and tax

  • @craigwbooth - That was a good era for the UMC. Thanks for sharing your story. 

  • Howdy dudes! Wonderful stuff protects it up.
    Tips by Mojtama

  • Job fit done guys, wellborn content.
    Full Moon Website

  • This is really an excellent blog as well as its content.J Hang Art Advice

Post a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *