Meanwhile, What Are Other “Christian” Groups Doing?
The New Testament defines Jesus as the head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23), and it proclaims that “the church is subject to Christ” (Eph. 5:24), Who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). We know that our mission is to proclaim the gospel to the lost (Matt. 28:19-20) and to continue in the truth (John 8:31-32; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Thess. 2:10). The Lord’s church must constantly strive to meet these goals. But various religious denominations are not the church. They do not teach the gospel as taught in the New Testament (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Acts 8:35-39). They do not worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). And many do not stand for Biblical morality, either.
One such group, referring to itself as “Christian,” is the United Methodist Church (UMC), but they have departed from the New Testament teaching in significant ways. Marvin Weir comments on various matters in his May 12, 2024 Reno Record.
Steve Jordahl and Billy Davis report that at their General Conference “rainbow flag-waving United Methodists claim they are freeing their denomination from sexual sins in the name of tolerance and progress.” With many religious groups “tolerance and progress” are much more important than Christ and His Word! They voted 692-51 to “strip a rule about practicing homosexuals from the Book of Discipline.” In 1968, the UMC gave the green light to women preachers. In 2019, they showcased their first openly lesbian bishop. In 2023, “one in four congregations had voted to disaffiliate from the 30,000-congregation UMC.” Mark Tooley, a UMC member, says, “Not only did the General Conference cast votes to approve of homosexual activity but also adultery and extramarital sex.”
Marvin’s response was: “They have been greasing the slippery slope for a long time. The UMC now approves of natural and unnatural sex. What a disgrace and a trampling underfoot the Word of God (Rom. 1:25-32; Gal. 5:19-21)! And, of course, he is right. Some things in the Bible might be interpreted in different ways. A few passages might have a bit of obscurity about them. However, this is not the case as it pertains to fornication, adultery, or homosexuality. All three of these sins (which the United Methodist Church now allows) are clearly and plainly condemned. All three of these are condemned in 1 Corinthians 6:9; the command to flee fornication appears just a few verses later (v. 18). Adultery was one of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:14). Both are condemned over and over again (Heb. 13:4). Homosexuality has been wrong under every covenant (Gen. 19; Lev. 20:13; Rom. 1:24-27; Jude 7). The UMC violates the New Testament.