Reconciling Ministries Network director responds to the Council of Bishops Executive Committee

October 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

In a statement released on RMNBlog (the blog site for the Reconciling Ministries Network(RMN))  Matt Barryman, RMN Executive Director expressed disappointment with the October 23 letter from the United Methodist Council of Bishops Executive Committee asking Bishop Melvin G. Talbert to refrain from performing a same-sex wedding ceremony this Saturday.

Berryman focused particularly on the bishops’ concerns regarding the breaking of the ministerial covenant by Bishop Talbert in disobeying the United Methodist Book of Discipline:

We are concerned that the covenant shared among the bishops does not allow room for critique and seems to require allegiance at the expense of the gospel for which it was created to support and embody.  As expressed in the letter, the bishops’ covenant is structured in such a way that censures dissenting parties and silences the voice of the prophet.  We cannot imagine how a covenant of this kind serves the church since the unity and peace it seeks to preserve is bereft of justice and therefore not true peace at all.

Click here to read the full text of Berryman’s statement.

Recently Read

Recently Read

Recently Read posts are stories the editors of The United Methodist Reporter have found interesting from other sites and wanted to share with our readers. The editors do not necessarily endorse the opinions shared in these stories, and referral here should not imply endorsement of that content.

Tagged With: , , , ,

Leave a Reply

applications-education-miscellaneous.png
The United Methodist Reporter wants to encourage lively conversation about The United Methodist Church and our articles in the belief that Christian conversation (what Wesley would call conferencing) is a means of grace. While we support passionate debate, we cannot allow language that demeans or demonizes others, and we reserve the right to delete any comment we believe to be harmful or inappropriate. We encourage all to remember that we are all broken and in need of Christ's grace, and that we all see through the glass darkly until that time we when reach full perfection in love. May your speech here be tempered with love, and reflection of the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. After all, "There is no law against things like this." (Galatians 5:22-23)
 
avatar
  Subscribe  
Notify of
Google+
%d bloggers like this: