PlainSpoken

Articles of Faith - Panel 3 (Republished w/ Missing Half)

On Friday, April 24, I hosted Chris Lohrstorfer, Richie Clark, Tim Prather, and Daniel Rickman for another panel on the recent Articles of Faith document.Unfortunately a storm happened to be rolling through at the same time. Lightning struck early into the panel, and the Internet connection cut out afterwards, ending the live stream. However, the panel continued without me, and I was able to join them again a couple of minutes later through my phone's tethering function. I recorded the rest of the session, which a lot of you are going to find very interesting. The two primary topics unique to this conversation, which the other panels haven't covered, dealt with sacramental theology around baptism, and the unpardonable sin. Richie Clark led the way mostly, with good thoughts from the other three. Chris made good points dealing with replicating Wesley's emphasis when dealing with the problem of sin. Tim brought us, multiple times, to the primary concern of how we are inculcating the next generation of believers. Daniel did a great job helping us to focus on the function of this document.I hope you enjoy this. It was a worthy time that I hope adds to the richness of the conversation going on right now in the Wesleyan expression of the Christian faith.——————————— If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe [https://plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Recent Legal Victories & Christian Therapy - A Conversation with Debra Baty

In the Chiles v. Salazar US Supreme Court case, the First Amendment was put on trial. Can therapists be constrained to only allow one ideology in their sessions? Can they be restricted from articulating the Christian worldview? A recent decision has reasserted the prerogative of therapists to determine how to help their own clients. But is therapy as helpful as we often think? I'm not so sure. Debra and I spend a while talking about these things for your benefit. Consider her voice as you continue to try to navigate our culture's very strange and often harmful ideologies around sexual orientation and gender identity. She is a mature and capable voice who will continue to help us to grow up. For the list of questions for higher education, consider her resource: https://resources4redemption.substack.com/p/alignment-questions-for-christian?utm_source=publication-search For the Stop It skit with Bob Newhart (my recommendation), check out: ——————————— If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter! If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com. If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe [https://plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

God's Provision for the GMC in Wilmington - A Conversation with Timothy Reaves

Timothy Reaves is the head pastor at Pine Valley Methodist Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. He is the Presiding Elder of his district and a delegate to the upcoming General Conference of the Global Methodist Church. He is engaged on the ground floor and in the higher levels of Global Methodist ministry.Tim has had the joy of overseeing an area in which there is a good deal of dynamism and growth. His vantage point gives him an informed perspective on what God is doing with the people called Methodist.In our conversation, we talk about his background in the church, his means of assessing fruitfulness, those practices and beliefs that have borne fruit in his midst, and what he is praying about as General Conference approaches. To check out Tim's church, go to https://www.pvmc.life/ ——————————— If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe [https://plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Crisis of Authority - A Conversation with Kendall Meek

When I published my interview with James Lambert of the Asbury Connection, several others found themselves in this question of authority. What gave Asbury Church in Tulsa the authority to go its own way, do its own ordinations, have its own sacraments? Why is it wrong for them to do this, while the GMC pats itself on the back for having created our own church out of the UMC? Kendell Meek is an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church, which is a covenant body of churches sharing authority, finance, and doctrine (otherwise known as a denomination). It is a global body of more than 7,000 local churches, many of which were never part of the the United Methodist expression of the Wesleyan tradition. We are proud to serve in this body, even as we aren’t sure if this body knows from whence it draws its authority. In this conversation, we talk about some of the issues underpinning a loss of authority in modern churches, the ability to bind consciences, the overt nature of hierarchy. Kendall is an interesting guy with a lot going on. You should consider his work and join in my prayers with him for a reclamation of the primitive church. Here is where you can follow him:Substack - www.thefoundrypress.orgOther Substack - www.truelightmedia.substack.com Consider just going here to see his latest and greatest work - https://kendallmeek.substack.com/p/heavenly-order-and-wesleyan-ecclesiology If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter! If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com. If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe [https://plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

New Wesleyan Networks & Connections - A Conversation with James Lambert

A trend since disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church has been that many churches are electing to start new denominational bodies. Some are staying independent, but many are forming new cooperative ministries between churches with varying levels of commitment and accountability. In this segment my friend, Rev. James Lambert, spends some time explaining his church's own "Asbury Connection" that is coming together alongside the "Antioch Connection" and many other cooperatives aimed at paving the way forward in the Wesleyan tradition. He talks a good deal about the doctrinal and ecclesial concerns of this new body, as well as the particular issues at play in deciding covenantal affiliations for his church. The Asbury Connection is welcoming denominations to consider affiliating with them for the sake of bearing fruit for the Kingdom. You might consider spending some time with James to consider how it is that your own local church is bearing fruit, and if your covenant relationships might do well to be revisited for the sake of pruning and bearing more fruit (John 15:2). My Analysis I have always liked and respected James. He was good to take this interview, knowing on the front end that I’m somewhat of a partisan for denominations. Andrew Forrest was good to give his consent, as I have a reputation of publicly criticizing people and movements. I think our interaction here is an honest reflection, both of our love of the tradition and mutual respect for one another, while also being at a place of disagreement. While I appreciate James’ exhortation to join a larger covenant body, and his insistence that to be Methodist is to be connectional, this still seems like a net loss of connectionalism. The primary claim seems to be that larger denominational bodies don’t seem to be able or willing to acknowledge that larger churches bear more fruit, nor are they inclined to adopt the ethos or practices of larger, fruit-bearing bodies. Rather, they seem content to use the monetary and reputational credit that such churches afford while somewhat sidelining them in leadership. Rev. Lambert’s claim that large churches are growing while small churches are shrinking is indeed true. ---------------------------- If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe [https://plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]