[Magdalen] Full Communion with the USA Methodists?

[Charles Wohlers]

My understanding of this issue is a bit different. The Methodist Church, 
unlike the Anglican Communion, doesn't have independent provinces and so 
doctrine must be the same everywhere in the world. Thus, not surprisingly, 
African Methodists are dead set against any recognition of gays, same-sex 
marriage, etc., and thus prevent US Methodists from changing doctrine on 
this matter.

I only have experience with Methodist churches in suburban Boston, so I 
can't say anything about Methodists in the South being more conservative. 
Those I know are not more conservative than Episcopalians, and likely have 
similar views re sexuality, etc. As in the Episcopal Church many, if not 
most, are ex-RC.

The Methodist church I'm familiar with is basically low-church Episcopal. 
Clergy wear albs, maybe with a stole, communion is at least once a month 
(but with grape juice, of course). The sticking points, I would guess, 
include apostolic succession, position of bishops, nature of the eucharist, 
baptism, and other stuff which regular parishioners generally don't care a 
whole lot about.

Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, VT USA
chadwohl at satucket.com



-----Original Message----- 
From: Cantor03--- via Magdalen
Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2017 9:26 PM
To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
Cc: Cantor03 at aol.com
Subject: [Magdalen] Full Communion with the USA Methodists?



Re: Full communion TEC and UMC.

There was a lengthy article in this week's USA weekly,
The Living Church.  This featured the most up-to-date status of  the
discussions between TEC and the UMC (United Methodist Church)
which shows that there is broad agreement on the Eucharist,
and they are aiming for agreement on what to do with the differing
concept of Orders and the Historic Episcopacy.

However, the fly in the ointment is the large Methodist contingent
of Evangelical members, especially in the USA South.  The
many black Methodist congregations tend to be conservative, too.

Episcopalians are viewed by these conservative groups as
too liberal on the issues of sexuality, in particular,  and conservatives
keep throwing up road blocks.

Nonetheless, they are still aiming for 2020-2024 for implementation
of full communion between TEC and the UMC.

Is it really just a pipe-dream?




David S.