Schism among the Methodists

Premier Christian Newscast

It’s not just British denominations which are splintering under the weight of their divisions. The United Methodist Church in the United States has also gone through a painful five years of divorce, with up to one in four congregations choosing to leave. The crisis was, inevitably, precipitated by deep disagreements over LGBT issues including same-sex marriage. When a crunch vote in their assembly came, the conservatives won and yet it is the conservative churches which have left, some to a brand-new breakaway denomination. In some ways the split has been amicable and orderly, and yet it has also caused huge pain for others on both sides. What does the future hold, both for the conservative churches which have left and for those who remained? And is the path of mutually agreed separation a good model for other denominations experiencing similar fractures? Guests this week: - Tom Berlin, UMC bishop in Florida - Gregory Palmer, UMC bishop in Ohio - Timothy Tennent, president of Asbury Theological Seminary - Heather Hahn, assistant news editor for United Methodist News - Megan Fowler, religion journalist and contributing writer at Christianity Today