Ethics Considered

As of January 1, 2025, deacons in the UMC will have full sacramental authority. General Conference voted 65% in favor of this change (May 2, 2024, Calendar item 554). This petition emerged from GBHEM’s ministry study (2020 ADCA, pp. 1003ff), which made several recommendations to General Conference regarding deacons. https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/general-conference-2020-advance-daily-christian-advocate. A new day for ordained … Read more

General Conference begins tomorrow. United Methodists from around the world will convene their much anticipated and multiply delayed legislative assembly, postponed since 2020. This gathering will not be business as usual. The end is near for The United Methodist Church, at least as we have known it.   I offer these prayers on the eve … Read more

Now available in paperback! Reckoning Methodism: Mission and Division in the Public Church is a timely appraisal of White church and society in the United States. This book seeks historical clarity, collective repentance, charismatic learning, and institutional courage as United Methodists reckon with inherited animosities, divisions, and racism. Reckoning Methodism is available at Amazon, B&N, … Read more

It is Black History Month, and The United Methodist Church still has a lot of work to do. The current Social Principles document includes a robust statement against racism. The section, “Rights of Racial and Ethnic Persons,” clearly defines personal and systemic racism, “recognize[s] racism as sin,” encourages “oppressed people . . . to demand … Read more

What are the United Methodist Social Principles? What is the nature of Methodist social witness? John Hill and I discuss these questions as guests on the Un-Tied Methodism podcast: “The UMC and Social Witness: A Legacy to Carry Into Our Future.” Episode Description The United Methodist Church has a legacy of social witness. Join Dr. … Read more

Just received word today . . . I have been accepted as a full member of the 2024 Oxford Institute of Methodist Studies! This conference includes select Methodist scholars from around the world and is only held every 5–6 years. I will present my research on “A Wesleyan Ethic of Response to the Trauma of … Read more

“Global governance is dead,” declared Mark Holland, Executive Director of Mainstream UMC, in a recent blog post. He described a 30-year experiment in global governance within The United Methodist Church (UMC) and called for its end. Mainstream UMC is rightly concerned about the politics of globalization in the UMC. The history of this situation, however, … Read more

Elizabeth Soto Albrecht, my good colleague, you are making your mark in Anabaptist theology. Our book, Liberating the Politics of Jesus, is cited no less than three times in the St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. Thank you to Jamie Pitts and Luis Tapia Rubio for their work in writing this article on Anabaptist Theology. The … Read more

Methodism and American Empire investigates historical trajectories and theological developments that connect American imperialism since World War II to the Methodist tradition as a global movement. Gathering voices and perspectives from around the world, this volume tells a tale of complex negotiations happening between United Methodists across different national, cultural, and ecclesial contexts and sets up … Read more

Diakonia is a strange Greek word. It is often translated as service. But diakonia means much more than simply doing things for others. It is an essential part of Christian identity and discipleship. It is about who we are and what we do as followers of Christ. Through baptism, we join not only the “priesthood of … Read more