February 13, 2024 By Rev. Dr. Scott Field I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. A mainline church near our home has a large but, thankfully in my opinion, temporary banner on the front lawn: “Ashes to Go”. It;s an example of the recent trend for some clergy to show up at subway stations and bus …
“Ashes to Go”: A caution for UMC General Conference Delegates, Activists, and Observers? Read More »
February 6, 2024 By Rev. Dr. Scott Field “We’ve learned this is not as much about human sexuality as we thought. This is about power, control and money.” So said Bishop Thomas Bickerton, President of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, quoted recently in a New York Times article (December 18, 2023) as he provided …
January 30, 2024 By Rev. Dr. Scott Field Which will it be at the upcoming UMC General Conference: Door # 1, Door # 2, or Door # 3? The long-running daytime TV gameshow, Let’s Make a Deal, is famous for its three-door challenge. Behind one door is a fabulous prize. Behind another is a “Zonk” …
The Dar es Salaam Dilemma: Progressive United Methodists have a choice to make. Read More »
January 23, 2024 By Rev. Dr. Scott Field Ah, the diminutive preposition! Such a small literary fragment, so easily overlooked, and carrying such distinctive meaning. A preposition is a word governing a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause. The power of prepositions came to mind recently concerning the …
Africa and the UMC General Conference: Prepositions Make All the Difference Read More »
January 17, 2024 By Rev. Dr. Scott Field, President A recent round of conversations with various regional leaders of the Wesleyan Covenant Association as well as the monthly meeting of the WCA Global Council highlighted the present disaffiliation disarray among many Methodists. While “official disaffiliation” in the US under paragraph 2553 of the Book of …
Disaffiliation Disarray: Our Street-Level Response Read More »
January 9, 2024 By Rev. Dr. Scott N. Field After a recent WCA Outlook, one questioning reader added a Facebook reply: “I thought the Wesleyan Covenant Association had left the United Methodist Church. Why are they posting things?” There is, indeed, a lot of dust in the air when it comes to all things Methodist …
January 2, 2024 By Rev. Dr. Scott N. Field Despite the Time magazine recognition as Person of the Year, Taylor Swift was not actually # 1 in 2023. She was # 12, at least according to searches on Wikipedia. Taylor had 19.4 million searches. The Cricket World Cup, at # 3, had 38.2 million searches …
December 26, 2023 By Rev. Dr. Scott N. Field “…and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 NLT). Blessings to you, friends, in the Matchless Name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer! Still bleary-eyed from your Christmas Day celebration, gifts, and feasting? Exhausted from a too-long To-Do …
December 19, 2023 By Rev. Dr. Scott N. Field Dear Friends and Frequent WCA Outlook Readers, My apologies for this blog piece. I wanted to write something more Christmas-y, but since several of our constituents noted that one of the unofficial UMC refereeshad called me and the WCA out not once but twicerecently, I’ve chosen …
I thought I was clear but apparently I need to explain a few things for Brother Holland Read More »
December 12, 2023 By Rev. Dr. Scott N. Field A Christmas Carol… beyond the story penned by Charles Dickens. The familiar story of the three ghosts visiting Ebenezer Scrooge during the night before Christmas describes the possibility that our decisions of the past will continue to determine our future…unless we make a change. An astute reader …
