I stand by my definition of a "Christian Centrist" in that they are theologically orthodox, typically labeled moderate to conservative somewhere on the spectrum between fundamentalism and liberalism. They hold a high view of Scripture, the work of Christ (incarnation, substitutionary death/atonement and resurrection), salvation through Christ alone and God's redemptive mission.
Several people have commented that I was wrong to use "the contra of liberalism is fundamentalism." So let's put in the current language of the church "they are on the spectrum between fundamentalism and progressivism."
However, I know what you are thinking what made you write what you did? I have spent a few months speaking with friends on both sides of the current conflict, probably more time speaking to both sides than our own bishops. I have met in coffeeshops, local breweries, I have met with members of the LGBTQIA+ community, I have met with churched and unchurched people, believers and unbelievers, Conservative Catholics, liberal Catholics, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Americans and people from other countries. And what I have learned is there is a lot of people who are conflicted. People who know exactly what the Bible says, and they truly believe it, but they are conflicted because they have gotten to know the people who have gotten married to their life partners and they realize sometimes better than we do, that they can tolerate and not celebrate same-sex marriage.
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| House of Commons, House of Parliament |
The current discussions in the UMC and the forums on Facebook, I have found that many of us, will not step across the red line to the middle and have a civilized conversations because we are so dug in to our positions. We have become like the House of Commons in England, we can't cross the lines that have been drawn to speak to our opponents. Instead we are standing at our benches and will yell at the other side instead of daring to cross over. My post provides a voice to those who have dared to step across those lines, who have said, "I am conflicted." It gives a voice to those don't feel they have a voice, because neither side will listen to them.
So for all the rude comments I have gotten, I am a traditionalist, and I believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. For everyone who has said "If you were a traditionalist you wouldn't have written this piece." I am also a journalist, and for the first time I have been allowed to write my own articles and through God's grace I have been given this ministry of a blog for my own editorials. My goal is to write my own beliefs primarily as well as give a voice to the many people that I speak to.
So a little bit about how I feel about the issues facing the UMC; a split is inevitable, I don't like it, but it's coming. I will fall on the traditional side. I am a graduate of Liberty University, a candidate in the UMC for Pastoral Ordination (which was shot down by my dCom).
Three of my best friends are homosexual. After the 2019 Annual Conference of the Western NC Conf.-UMC one of their first words to me were "I am so sorry things didn't turn out for you as you thought it would. Followed by a hug!" They knew it didn't turn out the way I wanted, they knew that the progressives in the Western NC group had stacked against the traditionalists.
I stand up and give a voice to those that don’t have one based on our very own book of discipline--"We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God." (Section 161).
While I know that my recent article wasn't well accepted, except by a few, it is a voice that you otherwise would never have heard and for taking the time to read it, I am grateful.
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