[Magdalen] Spiltsville.

[Roger Stokes]

David,

Do you know if there were any similarities in "churchmanship" between 
the three strands of Methodism in the US and the three in the UK which 
came together in 1932? Race and slavery were not such an issue over here 
in the Old Country but it was not unusual to have two Methodist chapels 
literally across the road from each other. I recall when visiting 
Cornwall as a child that each village generally two chapels, each 
capable of holding the entire population. Some villages also had a 
(smaller) Church of England church.

Over here the main branches were the Wesleyans, the Primitive and the 
Bible Christians. I think neither of the others liked how "high" the 
Wesleyans were and preferred a "hell fire and brimstone" approach with 
more influence on lay ministry. There were also historic personal links 
with the Calvinistic Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion and there are 
still some Independent Methodist Churches. Christians can be so 
fissiparous when they organize.

Roger

On 06/01/2020 15:25, cantor03--- via Magdalen wrote:
> The three USA main divisions of Methodism joined together in 1939
> to form the Methodist Church (USA).  They had split into the threegroups secondary to the slavery issue and the role of the laity, duringthe 19th century.
>
> My Aunt Lulu, a sort of "professional Methodist," was a delegate to theUniting Conference , and regarded the public signing of the articles of unionby a Methodist bishop from each uniting group as one of the formative eventsof her life.  I still have her special Conference Methodist Hymnal embossedwith her name as a delegate, in my library.
>   
>
> Aunt Lulu would be unhappy that the Methodist denomination (USA) is beingrent asunder by the divisive issue of marriage and ordination of GLBT persons.The split is heavily geographic with the North USA being liberal and pro
> inclusion of GLBT marriages and ordinations, and the South USA
> conservative on those issues.
>
> I don't know any conservative Methodists, and those I do know are really quiteopen to complete acceptance of GLBT persons, so this division surprisesme.
>
> I have the feeling that the USA Methodists are setting themselves up for yet
> another "Uniting Conference" (maybe in 2039?)
>
> David Strang.