Why I have left the "United" Methodist Church, Part 1

Proper 23: Psalm 90:12–17; Hebrews 4:12–16; Mark 10:17–31

New American Standard Bible (Psalm 90)

12 So teach us to number our days,

That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

13 Do return, LORD; how long will it be?

And be sorry for Your servants.

14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness,

That we may sing for joy and rejoice all our days.

15 Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,

And the years we have seen evil.

16 Let Your work appear to Your servants

And Your majesty to their children.

17 May the kindness of the Lord our God be upon us;

And confirm for us the work of our hands;

Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

When we approach the Bible simply to prove what we already believe, we are not beginning with the fear of the Lord - Craig Keener, Spirit Hermeneutics

Scripture is where we should start, we don’t use it out of context to support our ideas, bending it to our purposes. It’s hard to take a church seriously that no longer takes the Bible seriously, like the UMC. Our practices should never contradict Scripture, nor should the Bible be ignored when discussing modern issues, claiming it talks about something else. When we don’t take the Bible seriously, we no longer take God seriously, and “faith” means nothing. We are to seek truth, not make our own “truth.” We can’t force the Bible to tell us what it was never intended to teach us. We read it carefully and closely in order to gain higher levels of faith and obedience.

The writer of Hebrews teaches us:

New American Standard Bible Chapter 4

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.

In our weakness, we turn from God and try to do things on our own. We stop reading God’s Word and listen to those around us instead, seeking the favor of whomever is popular at the time. Standing firm in God’s teachings is increasingly difficult in a culture that no longer takes Him seriously. We think of “mammon” as wealth, knowing that we cannot serve it and God, but the broader term is “idolatry”, and we live in a time when there is an abundance of things to idolize: wealth, fame, possessions, people, control. We place our “faith” in such things even though they are temporary and can’t give us what God can. We too seek rest in God, sometimes, but in the midst of trials and temptations, we seek short-term gratifications. We fail to “hold firmly to our confession” and chase after false gods and idols.

Scripture is the yardstick by which we measure all things. But if the Bible is not read in church, most church-goers will never hear it. A dear friend likes to say that “you are the only Bible some people will ever hear” but ignorance is dangerous. Most have tried to read it, but give up, saying it is hard to understand. But you can’t read it like you would a novel, it takes effort and prayer. We learn to read the Bible, as we learn the ways of God from it. We do not understand it through our own efforts, but through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. We don’t search for quotes to support our arguments or practices, we search to learn about God and what He wants us to do here. We ignore it at our own peril.

The “last straw” for me with the UMC came during Annual Conference two years ago, via Zoom. As usual, we were required to vote on approving the closure of churches in our Conference. Some do close, others re-purpose. One church had arraigned to pass on their property to a non-UMC church. Some wished to stop the closure of the church, regardless of its situation, because they didn’t agree with the conservative practices of the other church, especially on their stance on gays in the church. Bickering began in the chat. One pastor called the church taking over the property “bigoted.” Another objected to this, asking for respectful dialogue, noting that they were merely upholding their denomination’s interpretation of the Bible. The response was “hate is still hate”, which not only attacks the motives of the other church and the opposing colleague seeking respectful dialogue via chat, but totally misses the point. We may not agree with someone in practice, but we should still respect their efforts to remain faithful to Scripture. It’s nothing “personal” except in their relationship with God and His Word. We should focus on our own relationship with God instead, seeking to remain faithful to Scripture, seeking His rest, and not become a stumbling block for others just because they seek to remain faithful differently. I would rather serve with those who honor God’s word higher than their own self-righteousness, even if we don’t agree on everything.

Our Gospel passage for today says:

New American Standard Bible Chapter 10

23 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were even more astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and have followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

This reminds me of the Book of Job! Have you read it lately?

The Bible is difficult to understand, but so is living faithfully to what it teaches. We don’t try once and give up, we keep searching the Bible, seeking understanding as the Spirit enables it, growing in faith and gaining more responsibility from God as we adapt ourselves to His will, fighting our own self-righteousness, idolatry, and laziness.

We won’t like some things the Bible says. I don’t like what it says about those who engage in same-sex relations, but that doesn’t mean I will ignore those passages. Nor does it mean that I hate queer folk. I love them and will seek to help them experience the love of Jesus like everybody else. But I will not ignore Scripture. I will try not to judge others, and only judge myself in regards to my faithfulness. I have sought to leave all hindrances behind to follow Jesus, but that does not mean I will leave the Bible behind, as many have, either by not reading it or ignoring what they don’t agree with. I don’t remember ever picking up a sword, but I know enough to be wary of its sharpness. Just because we have created other ways to kill each other doesn’t make it any less deadly. I will still respect Scripture, too.