Kenny Rogers' Advice to the WCA
Coming out of St. Louis, the WCA was riding high. Even without 30 delegates from Africa held up with visa issues, they were able to begin the process of pushing through their vision for the UMC. The traditionalist majority, which would only grow with escalating church membership in Africa, would eventually accomplish what the Southern Baptist "moral majority" did back in the 1980's, pushing the UMC to the "hard right". It appeared to them that a total victory was within hand in a quadrennium or two.
But with the memory of Adam Hamilton raging, protesters crying, and disparaging comments about gays and lesbians made by delegates from places in Eurasia and Africa ringing in their ears, UM centrist and progressives from across the country came unglued. Rainbow banners and flags were raised. Newspaper ads were purchased. Apportionments were withheld. Meetings were held. Confirmands decided against membership. And plans to resist the Book of Discipline were crafted in Minneapolis and Kansas City.
...Now, with even some stalwart annual conferences in the Southeast Jurisdiction standing up to WCA interests, the "Full House" the WCA pretended to be holding, is turning out to be little more than a pair of "nines". What's more, with the resistance growing across the connection, they could well find themselves in Minneapolis holding little more than what my grandfather used to call a "Polish Straight".
Read the whole blog article, by Bryan Bucher - "father, pastor, son, brother, friend, and disciple of Jesus" - from Lima, Ohio.