Tuesday, June 4, 2024

IN the NEWS - Over 1,000,000 Leave United Methodist in one day

You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. 
Exodus 23:2

"The United Methodist Church in the Ivory Coast voted on May 28 to exit the denomination in response to the church’s decision to approve gay pastors and same-sex marriage at its governing General Conference earlier this month.

In 2022, this conference reportedly had over 1.2 million members. So, its departure means over one tenth of
United Methodism has—in one day—left the denomination.

For reasons of conscience before God and His word, the supreme authority in matters of faith and life,” the annual conference of the
United Methodist Church of Ivory Coast (EMUCI, Eglise Méthodiste Unie Côte d’Ivoire), gathered for an extraordinary session on May 28 in Abidjan, and decided “to leave the United Methodist Church denomination.

The annual conference of EMUCI, through a statement from its president, Bishop Benjamin Boni, declared that “the United Methodist Church now rests on socio-cultural values that have consumed its doctrinal and disciplinary integrity.

The decision follows the early May 3 vote at the United Methodist Church General Conference in the United States to lift the ban on ordaining gay pastors and officiating same-sex marriages. 
For EMUCI, which joined the United Methodist Church in 2002, this now apostate church “deviates from the Holy Scriptures” and prefers “to sacrifice its honor and integrity to honor the LGBTQ community.” 
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