I'm an Anglican who is getting a little tired of the blatant teachings contrary to the Bible on homosexuality, abortion, premarital sex, etc from the Episcopal clergy. I was actually raised Methodist but I don't how things have changed. Can a conservative find a home in Methodism? What do they say about things like abortion and premarital sex? (I know the easy answer is Southern Baptist or MegaChurch or whatever but I can't seem to wean myself away from the Mainline--I like the traditions and liturgy).
2007-01-01 03:22:47 · 6 answers · asked by YourMom 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Methodists aren't as uniform as you seem to think. They are sometimes on the forefront of social issues, sometimes not. But really, you sound like you care more about issues than the name on the sign so just ask that question and leave the sect out of it (besides, Baptist IS mainline).
2007-01-01 03:37:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We've actually made the switch from Anglicanism for the reasons you describe and because the Anglican Church in the Bahamas is so ultra-high and, in some ways, heretical, as to be impossible to go along with. The Methodist Church is faithful to the teachings of the Bible, and while its adherents are not in all cases faithful to the teaching they hear from the pulpit, that teaching is firmly against premarital sex and adultery and recognises the sacredness of human life. Methodist worship seems to vary somewhat according to where in the world you find yourself, but it is very close to the Evangelical form of Anglican worship, by which I mean Book of Common Prayer adapted to modern times with no trimmings. It seems a logical step for an Anglican who is disaffected with the current state of the Anglican Church to take. John Wesley, after all, remained an Anglican clergyman all his life!
If there is a Methodist Church near you running a Discipleship course, this would be an excellent way for you to test the water and see whether this is the right church for you. The Discipleship course is aimed at reading the entire Bible in eight months and discussing many aspects of Christian doctrine in the process. Hard work, but rewarding.
2007-01-01 03:48:12 · answer #2 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Methodist have always had a policy of "open pulpits". which means there is very little censorship from the denomination on what a minister teaches. So you will find a wide range of teachings with individual Methodist churches. So if you want to stay "main frame", it might be worth visiting a few to see if you can find one that fits. But as a denomination, they have become more and more liberal over the last 20-30 years.
2007-01-01 03:32:07 · answer #3 · answered by dewcoons 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Methodist are very liberal and do not follow the bible even as much as the Baptist, which Baptists are fare from scripture, but closer then the Methodists.
I have known Faithful Methodist who atted church regularly who live together without being married, are homosexuals, and a lot don't even beleive the bible at all. It is the Methodist who try and get rid of songs in their hymn books about being soldiers in God's kindom, some even want to change God from being he to a She.
I am pagan, but know the scriopture. If you want a fellowship that follows the bible as close as humanly possible try the church of Christ, but be careful there also, because thanks to Max lacuda they have gotten pretty liberal, but if you look, you can still find some uncorrupted churches.
2007-01-01 03:38:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you like tradition and liturgy, come to the Catholic Church. It is very conservative and you will notice very little difference in the liturgy from teh Episcopal church
2007-01-01 03:36:16 · answer #5 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Church of the Nazarene is a good conservative alternative to the Methodist.
The Lutheren Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) is a good conservative liturgical church.
2007-01-01 03:35:40 · answer #6 · answered by Daniel P 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋