tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post8876442333955261698..comments2024-03-22T08:29:51.173-05:00Comments on UM & Global: LYNC response to African bishopsDavid W. Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17024204453848260271noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post-57313568063503108792016-02-18T19:49:20.733-06:002016-02-18T19:49:20.733-06:00As significant as their contributions may be to th...As significant as their contributions may be to the ongoing dialogue about human sexuality, member groups of LYNC are not to be identified as "official parts of the UMC infrastructure" as defined by the Book of Discipline. Most caucus groups wish to protect their autonomy and the freedom it provides to remain unaccountable to church authority. Robert Harmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14846547721123021765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post-46772421510523392052016-02-17T08:55:17.445-06:002016-02-17T08:55:17.445-06:00The open letter does not speak for the mainstream ...The open letter does not speak for the mainstream in the UMC or take the full substance of the African bishops' letter seriously. For example, we cannot simply talk about unfettered abortion as a reproductive rights and the right of a woman to have control of her own body. Such language represents a historical and social context that is not tenable with the scriptures or the expressed desires of the letter "to set the captives free." Over 11,000 abortions of viable humans happens in America. These are people who can live outside the womb. Most are not done on the basis of medical need. The Love They Neighbor coalition has fallen into the same gross error as those who argued with Jesus about "who is my neighbor." Jesus will not allow us to draw a line in the sand and privilege one group of humans as the neighbor for whom we have an obligation while ignoring the other. In this case, the babies are our neighbor. They demand to be heard and set free. We must love them. Like all genocides, one must dehumanize the victim before you can justify the atrocity. The language of the open letter works in that direction by its used of hackneyed language that is more suitable for a protest rally than a theological discussion. <br /><br />The other issues in the letter have already been addressed by others. Suffice it to say, you cannot make a sustainable moral argument by referring to a canon within a canon. The living out of the kingdom in the NT includes a total surrender to the lordship of God and a willingness to die to oneself in order to enter in. It also includes multitudes of warnings to those who reject the kingdom or turn from it. Those warning are laced with "punishment" (destruction) language. Holiness is required. God obligates the UMC to give faithful and true witness to the entire NT and not to pick selected, decontextualized verses to promote a political theology. The open letter represents why the American connection needs to listen with humility to the prophetic critique of the African bishops.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14141558221519018805noreply@blogger.com