The United Methodist Church is holding its General Conference,
which is where the second-largest Protestant denomination sets its
official policies every four years. Liberal Methodists are up in arms that organizations from the
theologically conservative renewal movement gave cell phones to
African and Filipino delegates. They are charging vote-buying and
comparing it to colonialism. In reality, the non-U.S. elements of
the church tend to be more theologically orthodox anyway and the
cell phones will be useful in coordinating. But the Methodists'
progressive caucus must think the African and Filipino delegates
are poor, uneducated, and easy to command. Why else would their
votes on abortion, homosexuality, and the authority of Scripture be
so easily swayed?
topics:
Abortion, Africa
