According to common belief, the Protestant Reformation began five hundred years ago when, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed a list of ninety-five theses to the cathedral… read more

The Wesleys formed the Holy Club at Oxford as a protest against spiritual mediocrity. The protest did not contest doctrines or theology of the Anglican Church. Rather, it was… read more

The UMC faces an uncertain future. Membership is declining in the USA and Western Europe. It is growing in Africa and to a lesser extent in Eastern Europe. The declines in the… read more

“[Schism] is evil in itself. To separate ourselves from a body of living Christians, with whom we were before united, is a grievous breach of the law of love. . . . It is… read more

We rode along in the 1976 Ford pickup making small talk, eating wheat crackers and trying not to cry. The daily trip was two hours to the hospital in Springfield, Missouri, where… read more

Theological and ethical diversity has been a characteristic of the UMC since its formation in 1968; this was also true to a lesser extent of some of its predecessor denominations. … read more