Volume 1, Number 3 July 2003
NIC VOICE is a growing
network of concerned laity whose purpose is to provide balanced information
and dialog within the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC).
NOTE: NIC VOICE is not an official publication of the Northern Illinois Conference or
the
REVISED
NIC
VOICE Watershed Moment presentation
is AVAILABLE on-line!
You may view or download the
presentation at
http://www.nicvoice.org/presentation.htm.
This presentation (June update) includes several updates to the
notes, as well as the following new or updated sections:
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More information about “Renewal” Groups within the UMC (Slides 19 – 22)
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New slide on “Progressive” Groups within the UMC (Slides 24 – 26)
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New Slide on Status of the Response Team’s Recommendations (Slide 101)
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New slides on the
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New Section: Action (Slide 125) and Resources (Slide 126).
Presentation Notes, Slide 127:
“Our
confession of Christ together according to the Scriptures is the centre-point
of our unity. We should therefore be speaking about our "diversity in
unity" rather than "unity in diversity". We are celebrating
Christ – not our diversity or inclusiveness.”
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-- Diversity
in Unity: Confessing Christ in a |
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News and Press Mentions - NIC VOICE
From Volume 1, Number 7 (June 17)
Online Forum –
A New
Connection Shaping Christ's Church in the 21st Century – NIC VOICE
provides a needed new voice for the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) of the
United Methodist Church (UMC)
The following was included in the
New Connection newsletter, Volume 1, Number 7:
NIC VOICE is a growing network of concerned United Methodist Church (UMC) Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) lay persons whose purpose is to provide balanced information and dialog about Doctrinal Issues raised by the Bishop Sprague Complaint & Dismissal.
The purpose is to educate laity and promote dialog
regarding these important doctrinal issues by providing a comparison between
the progressive interpretation based on Bishop Sprague's book and speech,
related doctrinal statements from the United Methodist Church Book of
Discipline, and scriptures from the Bible. The presentation includes various
views offered by three UMC bishops regarding these doctrinal issues, as well
as a section including comments by the Response Team in their dismissal and
Bishop Sprague's statement.
Other Press --
Methodist teaching and Northern IL Methodist Conference at odds
In the article, NIC VOICE is
highlighted in several paragraphs, including:
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The Crystal Laker, along with a network
of other concerned laity in the Conference, then developed the web site
www.NICVOICE.org, where people all over the country and the world are said
to have downloaded the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation for use in local
Bible groups, Sunday school classes and other church meetings. "It’s a
shame that people don’t seem to be just as concerned with the Bishop’s
doctrinal dissension from Methodism’s founder John Wesley and with the
Bible, as we point out on NICVOICE.org," Klockenga said. |
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Opening power point slide from Mrs.
Klockenga’s presentation, downloadable at www.NICVOICE.org (click on
slide to see enlarged view) |
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NIC VOICE informs laity
regarding Northern Illinois Annual Conference
For a
complete report of the Northern Illinois Conference Annual Conference (and links to UMNS and UMR reports on all
of the Annual Conferences), you can go to the NIC
VOICE Web Site:
NIC Annual
Conference Information
”Open
to All Statement” includes a list of the clergy and laity that signed
this statement which has nine values listed, including, "We believe that all people, without regard to sexual orientation,
race, gender, age, economic status, disabilities or ethnic origin should be
able to be in full connection in the church without barriers to ordination,
consecration, church membership or any ministry of the church."
NIC Annual Conference Agenda
Press
Reports on NIC Annual Conference which include links
to the UMNS and the NIC Conference web sites for in-depth articles, and
including this Press Release:
Institute
for Religion & Democracy Press Release:
Chicago-Area Methodists Advocate Homosexuality, Left-Wing Politics
Resolutions which is an unofficial listing of all of the
resolutions and the vote, including commentary on some of the resolutions
from the NIC web site article.
Resolutions of Concern which lists three resolutions,
including:
Resolution 700-23 Reflecting the Love of God
Resolution 700-30 Supporting the Ministry of Bishop C.
Joseph Sprague
Resolution 900-10 Making the Discipline More Inclusive
Election Results for information on both laity and clergy
delegates elected to General and Jurisdictional Conference (official results
are on in the UMNS and NIC reports); this listing on the NIC
VOICE site notes the various endorsements for the delegates,
Sermons and Addresses which contains one sermon; Bishop
Sprague's sermons are located
Bishop
Sprague's Conference Addresses and Sermons
Upcoming NIC VOICE
Presentations
NIC VOICE will be presenting “Watershed Moment” at the Downer’s Grove public
library on Tuesday, August 12, at
NIC VOICE has been invited to speak at the Forum for Evangelical Theology at Garrett Seminary in the
coming fall semester. The purpose of the Forum for Evangelical Theology (FET)
is to engage in conversation about the Christian faith from an evangelical
perspective. You can discover more about the Forum at
www.wesleyanforum.org/fet/.
NIC VOICE Web Site Updates:
www.nicvoice.org
June web site updates include:
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NIC VOICE Around the World
NIC VOICE was announced in April within the
Northern Illinois Conference to a small group of laity.
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Argentina Australia Belgium Brazil Canada Chile |
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NIC VOICE COMMENTS
From Clergy and Laity
However, the
question is not whether the church supports my efforts or yours, but the
length to it is willing stand up for what is right. [Read More
(Anthony)]
Paul
says in Galatians 1, if any preach any other gospel than the one delivered to
the saints, let them be accursed. We must learn to understand how we can be
filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love and gentleness, and yet not
tolerate apostasy in the church. [Read More]
So those who dismiss the Bible as guide to our belief and
practice and/or deny that Jesus Christ is God, cannot truthfully argue that
Methodists have the authority of John Wesley to do so by saying, "we
think and let think." [Read
More]
Thanks for the ray of hope you offer for our church. [Read More]
I have read with dismay and some anger
at the comments of Bishop Sprague as he takes exception with the orthodox
theology of the Christian Church . . . I believe that Bishop Sprague has his
own version of scripture, call it "BS speak" (Bishop Sprague, of
course). [Read More]
It was Martin Luther who said: "I would rather be divided
by truth than united by error." The same ought to be true for the
remnant in the church. We must be determined. [
Read More]
Yours is a WONDERFUL
Website! … Your website is, indeed, sophisticated, as Sprague acknowledges,
and chock-full of solid scripture. The contempt Sprague wants to heap upon it
is simply testimony to your effectiveness. You are a splendid answer to that
ancient question, 'What can one person do?" [Read More (Cooke)] [Read
More]
Thank you for providing the forum for lay people to be informed
about these issues. I appreciate the way that you are presenting the issues .
. . I think it's time for the laity to be informed about the theological
stance of our church leaders and research the information for themselves so
they may be able to better communicate their own positions. [Read More]
Wesley on Authority of Scripture
"My ground is the Bible. Yea, I am a Bible bigot. I follow
it in all things, both great and small."
—(John Wesley the
Methodist, The Methodist Book Concern, 1903)
"The general rule of interpreting Scripture is this: the
literal sense of every text is to be taken, if it be not contrary to some
other texts. But in that case, the obscure text is to be interpreted
by those which speak more plainly."
—(Letter to Samuel Furly,
"Try all things by the written word, and let all bow down before
it. You are in danger of [fanaticism] every hour, if you depart ever so
little from Scripture; yea, or from the plain, literal meaning of an text,
taken in connection with the context."
—(Works, 11:429)
"Nay, if there be any mistakes in the Bible, there may as
well be a thousand. If there be one falsehood in that book, it did not come
from the God of truth"
—(John Wesley, Journal,
"Nay, will not the allowing there is any error in
Scripture, shake the authority of the whole?"
—(Works,
—[John Wesley, "On Faith," Sermon #106, I.8].
Bishop Sprague Denies that
salvation comes only through Christ, alone:
s
"Having
so affirmed Jesus as God’s unique and normative revelation, I must dissent
from Christocentric exclusives which hold that Jesus is the only way to God’s
gift of salvation. Such an arrogant claim stands over and against the
inclusive Jesus of the synoptics and limits God in ways that humans cannot
and must not." From transcript of
Sprague's speech at Illif in
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts
"… The offering of Christ once made, is that perfect redemption,
propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both
original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that
alone…" Article XX
What can we do?
Learn More About Jesus'
Resurrection and Gift of Salvation
Individual and Corporate Prayer
Send Expression of Concern to UMC
Bishops
Send petitions for accountability
to General Conference
Continue to stay informed
Schedule a presentation of
"Watershed Moment" using the downloaded PowerPoint presentation at
your church or at a public facility to invite churches in your area
Network
to inform laity and with other laity and laity/clergy led groups by sending
the NIC VOICE newsletter or Press Release!
Hold a small group series or summer adult education
study using the resources you will find at NIC VOICE and focus on the key
doctrinal issues
WATERSHED MOMENT
It is important that we not allow the passing of what Bishop Ough’s Supervisory Team has characterized as a “Watershed Moment” without examining their dismissal of recent charges brought against Bishop Sprague. More importantly, presentations and discussions such as this forum will allow United Methodists throughout the Northern Illinois Conference and beyond an opportunity to decide for themselves what they believe to be the Biblical Truth about the doctrines that are at the root of this controversy.
The charges in the complaint against Bishop Sprague state that his positions are contrary to the Statement of Faith in the United Methodist Book of Discipline. This controversy became public when a transcript of Bishop Sprague’s speech at Iliff Seminary was released in the summer of 2002. Subsequent to that, Chapter 4 of his book, “Affirmations of a Dissenter” was released by Bishop Sprague on the NIC web site.
In the fall of 2002, the UMReporter published a series of articles contrasting excerpts from Chapter 4 of Bishop Sprague’s book with the published response of Bishop Whitaker.
In addition, various renewal groups officially within the UMC, as well
as other groups not officially connected, have covered various aspects of
this controversy on their web sites. They have published
information and opinions about the complaint that was made by a group of
laity and clergy late in 2002, and the subsequent dismissal in February of
2003. These groups provide a forum for this and other issues of concern
within the UMC.
NIC VOICE is a growing
network of concerned laity whose purpose is to provide balanced information
and dialog within the Northern Illinois Conference of the UMC about Doctrinal
Issues raised by the Bishop Sprague Complaint & Dismissal.
Questions or comments about NIC VOICE may be directed to:
nicvoice@nicvoice.org.
NIC VOICE offers the laity within NIC churches an opportunity to
become more INFORMED:
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Upon invitation from a NIC church or group, NIC VOICE will provide a speaker to conduct a presentation entitled "Discussion of Theological and Doctrinal Issues in the UMC Raised by the Bishop Sprague Complaint & Dismissal", or
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You may choose to conduct the presentation 'in-house', using the NIC VOICE Watershed Moment Presentation, at a single meeting or in a series of studies on these key doctrinal issues of:
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Christology (Trinity, Virgin Birth, Deity of Jesus)
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Resurrection of Jesus Christ
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Salvation through Jesus Christ Alone
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The Atonement of Jesus Christ
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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To subscribe/unsubscribe, go to http://www.nicvoice.org/newsletter.htm.
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If you don't have Web access, send your name and email address to:nicvoice@nicvoice.org or contact us:
NIC VOICE
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For past issues, visit our archives at http://www.nicvoice.org/newsletter.htm.
Tell a friend about NIC VOICE. It's free! If they do not have e-mail access, you can
print this newsletter and distribute it (see REPRINT
AND FORWARD POLICY below.)
DISCLAIMER
NIC VOICE is sponsored by a laity-led network in the Northern Illinois Conference
of the United Methodist Church dedicated to providing balanced
information and dialog about issues of concern relating to the Bishop Sprague
Complaint & Dismissal. This group has sole responsibility for the
content of this letter.
NIC
VOICE provides original
content on our web site and may distribute information from other sources. NIC VOICE exercises no
more editorial control over such information from other sources than does a
typical public library, bookstore, or newsstand. The views and opinions
expressed in such information do not necessarily reflect those of NIC VOICE.
Copyright (c) 2003, NIC VOICE. All rights reserved.
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