PlainSpoken

A trend since disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church has been that many churches are electing to start new denominational bodies. Some are staying independent, but many are forming new cooperative ministries between churches with varying levels of commitment and accountability. In this segment my friend, Rev. James Lambert, spends some time explaining his church's own "Asbury Connection" that is coming together alongside the "Antioch Connection" and many other cooperatives aimed at paving the way forward in the Wesleyan tradition. He talks a good deal about the doctrinal and ecclesial concerns of this new body, as well as the particular issues at play in deciding covenantal affiliations for his church.The Asbury Connection is welcoming denominations to consider affiliating with them for the sake of bearing fruit for the Kingdom. You might consider spending some time with James to consider how it is that your own local church is bearing fruit, and if your covenant relationships might do well to be revisited for the sake of pruning and bearing more fruit (John 15:2).My AnalysisI have always liked and respected James. He was good to take this interview, knowing on the front end that I’m somewhat of a partisan for denominations. Andrew Forrest was good to give his consent, as I have a reputation of publicly criticizing people and movements. I think our interaction here is an honest reflection, both of our love of the tradition and mutual respect for one another, while also being at a place of disagreement.While I appreciate James’ exhortation to join a larger covenant body, and his insistence that to be Methodist is to be connectional, this still seems like a net loss of connectionalism.The primary claim seems to be that larger denominational bodies don’t seem to be able or willing to acknowledge that larger churches bear more fruit, nor are they inclined to adopt the ethos or practices of larger, fruit-bearing bodies. Rather, they seem content to use the monetary and reputational credit that such churches afford while somewhat sidelining them in leadership.Rev. Lambert’s claim that large churches are growing while small churches are shrinking is indeed true. ----------------------------If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Of the different expressions of the Christian faith, the charismatic strand has been most prolific across the globe. It is outpacing every other strand of the Christian faith in making disciples in myriad cultures. Charismatic Christianity largely came out of my own tradition, Methodism, when we grew too lukewarm. Yet as it revived the concern for the Holy Ghost, it also left behind a good deal of liturgy and doctrine behind. For that reason, I and many others have felt concern as Methodism in the Global Methodist expression has worked to grow closer in resemblance to the Charismatic tradition.In this conversation, Dr. Anderson of Regent University, a systematic theologian and lifelong Charismatic Christian, helps me to reckon with the excesses of a tradition that clearly has a lot of gifts to offer. He's a good conversation partner for me: humble and charitable in disposition. If you have been interested in the same topic, spend some time with us!———————————If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Ken Ham is renown for his Ark Encounter and Answers in Genesis. He is a critic of the uncritical adoption of modern “scientific” convictions around evolution, intelligent design, the age of our world, and other topics that call the historicity of Genesis 1-11 into question. He doesn’t fit a caricature of an ignoramus. Rather, he is well-attested as conversant with modern science, its flaws and assumptions.In this conversation, my brother, Daniel Rickman, and I spend some time familiarizing ourselves with his basic offering to the contemporary church: That the authority of the bible is such that modern scientific consensus can be rightly critiqued. Mr. Ham makes several points that are not easily dismissed. It is hard to dismiss his concerns. Rather, for folks like me, it calls into question the relative comfort with which I have accepted worldly counter-narratives that create distance between me and the authority of my scriptures.I want to thank Charles Sexton for having arranged this interview. And thanks to all of you who choose to spend this time with us! I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments after you have rightly considered him on his terms.To follow Ken’s work, go to https://answersingenesis.org/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

When Samuel Sey used the example of Global Methodist Liberian brother Jerry Kulah to make a point about racial assumptions around sin issues, I reached out to see if he would bear with me to search out how to rightly do pastoral ministry around race. Black American Christianity is still largely segregated from white expressions of the faith. The Global Methodists have already allowed for racial separation in the US by having a Korean conference. It seems like issues around race aren’t going away, and perhaps we need to figure out how to talk around these things a bit better.Samuel helped me to make distinctions around making safe assumptions and pre-judging individuals. He helped me to think through what it means to not treat people with partiality, how to balance individual fairness and congregational holiness. There’s also a bit here to equip us for the next round of racial tension in American public life, as Fuentes and groypers are poking the bear. We don’t have to perpetuate stereotypes. We can and should let people be individuals.Anyway, consider Samuel’s words. If you want to read his remarks on the particular concerns of Brian Sauvé, the article we referenced can be found at - https://slowtowrite.com/should-black-christians-repent-from-being-black/Also find Samuel on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@UC3EMVxIue9qLR5YON-Wr19A Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Mark Maddox is representative of people who were raised outside of the Christian faith, but who was converted by encountering God through his Word and the Holy Ghost. A Navy veteran and successful worker in business, Mark answered a sincere calling and entered the Lord’s service through the Methodist tradition. When it came time to leave comfortable moorings and enter into the wilderness, Mark answered in faith.Superintendent Maddox is based in the heart of Sin City, making the case for Christ to people very much like who he used to be. With a passion for discipleship, accountability, and church planting, he is leading his conference into a bold future in the Global Methodist communion. In this conversation, we cover many features of his story, how he came to Christ, how the Lord is leading his conference, and the ways in which he is faithfully stewarding that which the Lord has entrusted to him. How do we do ministry in a post-Christian context? How is the GMC benefiting him and the churches in his area? Link to the Western States Conference Website - https://westernstatesgmc.com/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

American Christians have a problem: We don’t have a right approach to guilt, shame, grief, confession, or repentance. We want all the pleasant, sweet stuff. We shirk the hard work of sanctification, starting at the very beginning of faith. We need to reclaim foundational unpleasant practices rather than continuing to build upon the false foundation of sugar.But we don’t magically know how to do that. It takes people in this generation doing the hard work of connecting us to those previous generations of Christians who knew how to activate these many scriptures around atonement for guilt. Ideally, all clergy can do this, but very few really can. We need leaders to painstakingly make the case that we have largely jettisoned something essential, equipping us to reclaim such life-giving practices.In this conversation, Kelly McCuaig talks about his new book, “Good Guilt,” in which he does exactly what is required for this present moment. We talk about how fraught our general situation is, what the scriptures say about confession of sin, how the church should be centered around these practices, and important things to meditate upon if we wish to reclaim the form and power of righteousness.Link to Purchase ‘Good Guilt’ - https://www.inviteministries.org/store/view/good-guilt/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Stephen Rankin has a heart for small town churches and beautiful ideas. Or rather, he has answered a call to help people faithfully navigate a world of beliefs that don’t all fit together. He has done so as the chaplain of a major denominational academic institution, and now as a Texan United Methodist clergyman living in Kansas. His ministry is called the ‘Spiritual Maturity Project.’ I’m not sure how mature I am, personally. I know I struggle with what I routinely perceive to be subtle apathy on the part of spiritual shepherds. Disaffiliation from the UMC exposed, to my mind, just how far the discernment of leadership has fallen. So in this segment I rail a bit against what I’m pretty sure are forces of darkness that we should have clarity about, asking Dr. Rankin to show me the way forward.And he does, patiently. I won’t say that everything is figured out at the tail end of this thing. But I’ll tell you that it was a rewarding conversation for me, and many of you will enjoy it quite a bit.Links:Steve’s Substack - https://substack.com/@UClKEyHgztMvlsCG5DqnjwmASpiritual Maturity Project - https://www.spiritualmaturityproject.org Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

John D. Scott is a Methodist missionary working to benefit the people of Zimbabwe through a ministry called OneChild. As a missionary in the American and Irish contexts, he is now joyfully dedicating himself to the Lord’s movement among the people in southern Africa.In this conversation, John talks about the work of OneChild, how it is that Christians around the world can make a lasting difference in such contexts, and how the Lord is weaving a tapestry right now for the good of his people. Resolve to have some optimism about the work God is doing, and pray with us that He will see fit to build us into a worthy edifice together!Links:AIM Missionary Page - https://aim2020.com/missions/Linktree Page - https://linktr.ee/hopeforzimbabweOneChild Page - https://onechild.org/OneChild Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/onechildglobal Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Jeremy Barbee is a Global Methodist elder serving in New Home, TX. He is a normal, small town pastor. I wanted to hear the story of how it is that he came to be a part of my same covenant tradition and how it is that he is understanding God to be working at this moment in time. I really didn’t know him at all before this conversation.I have, a few times, spoken with sample clergy in various contexts because I think leadership can be someone siloed and disconnected from the grassroots level of the church. It is important for me to feel the camaraderie of ministry that is so often lacking in the lives of clergy. And I want to facilitate that feeling of connection that was once to be found in Methodist clergy, in particular.And because of this time spent, I now feel a brotherhood with another man who grew up in the church, whose journey in Christ led him to the Boston area, then to the Midwest. I met a man who has said ‘yes’ to Jesus even when that brought him into a lukewarm mainline tradition, and then when the GMC was born. I think a lot of you are going to like Rev. Barbee, his humility, his hunger for serving God rightly, his efforts at building up the GMC by attending General Conference. I hope he is an encouragement to you.Links:Jeremy’s Blog - https://jeremybarbee.wordpress.comFaith Global Methodist’s Website - https://faithgmc.org Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Lonnie and Odell have a lot of thoughts about what the widespread adoption of the constitutional amendments from last year’s UMC General Conference means for the future of the denomination. One might recall that Odell in particular was skeptical about the likelihood of such an event. What does it mean? Are Africans just tired of dealing with Americans? Have they been successfully cowed by their bishops, who have been successfully cowed by Americans?Also, what are the implications of such an action if American progressives actually cannot tolerate being connected in any sense to an African wing that is bigoted according to progressive standards? What happens if Obergfell is actually overturned in the US and all of this division was for naught? These and many other angles are considered in this episode of Considering Charlotte. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe