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Worshippers switching congregations amid United Methodist split over LGBTQ issues

The Associated Press The Rev. Bill Farmer reached the point where he couldn’t stay in the United Methodist Church anymore — but the congregation he attended was staying. Michael Hahn always wanted to stay in the UMC — but his congregation was leaving it. Each has found new church homes, and they’re not alone. Thousands of United Methodist congregations have been voting on whether to stay or quit one of the nation’s largest denominations amid intractable debates over theology and the role of LGBTQ people. There are sharp differences over recognizing same-sex marriage and ...

Comparing Bible verses

Church Growth – VI For when one says, I am of Paul, and another, of Apollos, are you not carnal? I Corinthians 3:4 One of the reasons people believe the KJV is the only Bible that should be used, is because they feel all the other versions of the Bible have been corrupted or changed. So let’s do a little comparison with John 3:16; many people believe it is the entire gospel message in a nutshell. So here it is in the King James Version of 1769 (I think). 1. KJV - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, ...

A 2023 commencement theme on the meaning of life

While making copies at one of the local Columbus, Ohio, library branches last week, I overheard an intriguing conversation that would be an excellent commencement theme for this year's high school and college graduates. The conversation was between a teenage student and a reference librarian regarding budgeting for monthly living expenses. I could not determine if the student was researching this information for a class project or if she was taking this initiative on her own. She was looking at the average monthly rent for one-bedroom apartments in Columbus and calculating the costs ...

Farewell service at First Baptist Church in Mifflintown

MIFFLINTOWN — First Baptist Church of Juniata County, Rte. 35 in Mifflintown, will be having a farewell service for Pastor Ron Shupe on Sunday, June 25 at 9:30 a.m. Shupe has been preaching for 54 years and has been a pastor for 47 years, 31 of those years at First Baptist. Shupe and his wife, Rita, thank God he was called to Mifflintown and for all the blessings of 31 years. Shupe broadcast devotional sound bytes on WJUN-FM for many years and, most recently, was on the Internet radio ministry. The farewell service will be a time to thank God for the Lord’s faithfulness and ...

‘Animism’ recognizes animals and places have power over humans

The Conversation A movement known as “new animism,” which seeks to secure personhood rights for nonhuman beings through legal means, is gaining a following around the globe. New animist environmental activists are not the only ones using the term. Animism itself has become fashionable. Some spirituality bloggers talk about animism as a way to deepen one’s spiritual relationship to nature. Scholars – from anthropologists to philosophers – have taken a renewed interest in the concept. Most of these people are using animism in a very general, and inaccurate, way, to mean the ...

Robots performing Hindu rituals, some devotees fear they’ll replace worshippers

The Conversation It isn’t just artists and teachers who are losing sleep over advances in automation and artificial intelligence. Robots are being brought into Hinduism’s holiest rituals – and not all worshippers are happy about it. In 2017, a technology firm in India introduced a robotic arm to perform “aarti,” a ritual in which a devotee offers an oil lamp to the deity to symbolize the removal of darkness. This particular robot was unveiled at the Ganpati festival, a yearly gathering of millions of people in which an icon of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, is taken out ...