*** July Special Edition 2003***

Volume 1, Number 4

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 United Methodist Church.  See our Disclaimer below.

****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR YOUR SCHEDULE****

UPCOMING NIC VOICE Moody Broadcast Network – WMBI 90.1 Interview

 ***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR YOUR SCHEDULE***

 NIC VOICE was interviewed recently by Roy Patterson, Community Relations Director at WMBI Chicago, part of the Moody Broadcasting Network.

 The interview is scheduled to air in the Chicago area on WMBI 90.1 FM on Monday, July 21 at 6:12 AM as part of the Morning Show in the segment “God at Work: with Roy Patterson”.

 For those outside the listening area, you can listen on-line at:  Listen Live to WMBI in Chicago.  You may need to allow for time to download software so you may want to do this in advance.

 ****WMBI 90.1 FM, Monday, July 21, 6:12 AM****

Upcoming NIC VOICE Presentations

NIC VOICE will be presenting “Watershed Moment” at the Downer’s Grove public library on Tuesday, August 12, at 6:30 PM.  This is an opportunity for you to invite someone who would be interested.  For additional information, contact Joe Royston at joelroydton@hotmail.com or at (630) 663-1087.

NIC VOICE will be presenting “Watershed Moment” at the Wedron United Methodist Church on Tuesday, September 16, at 7:00 PM.  This is an opportunity for you to invite someone who would be interested.  For additional information, contact Karen Michelini at karenmichelini@yahoo.com or at (815) 638-2090

NIC VOICE has been invited to speak at the Forum for Evangelical Theology at Garrett Seminary on October 7th at 12:30 PM. The topic is “Contending for the Faith."  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

July web site updates include: 

Deconstructing Liberal Tolerance by Dr. Francis Beckwith

 “…Liberal tolerance is a sham. Although portrayed by its advocates as an open, tolerant, and neutral perspective, it is a dogma whose proponents tolerate no rivals. Those of us who are concerned with presenting and defending our faith in a post-Christian culture must be aware of this sort of challenge, one that masquerades as open, tolerant, and liberating, but in reality is dogmatic, partisan, and coercive.”

“…This is why Bishop C. Joseph Sprague (of United Methodist Church’s Northern Illinois Conference) can say of the Southern Baptists’ plans for evangelism in Chicago: “I’m always fearful when we in the Christian community move beyond the rightful claim that Jesus is decisive for us, to the presupposition that non-Christians...are outside God’s plan of salvation. That smacks of a kind of non-Jesus-like arrogance.”[i][vii] Of course, if Jesus’ disciples had followed the Bishop’s advice rather than their Lord’s Great Commission, there would have been no Christianity as we know it today, if at all, and hence no Methodist bishops calling for the revocation of the Great Commission….” Read More

Francis J. Beckwith is Associate Director of the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies, and Associate Professor of Church-State Studies, Baylor University. He is a graduate of Fordham University (Ph.D.) and the Washington University School of Law, St. Louis (M.J.S.). His website is http://francisbeckwith.com

(UMC) Bishop Talbert Assails IRD, UM Action 

In an address at a June 2003 luncheon of the “left-wing” Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) of Northern Illinois  in Lakeside, Ohio, Bishop Talbert, Ecumenical Officer of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, “denounced the Institute on Religion and Democracy and other conservative church reform groups within United Methodism …”

“Talbert expressed concern about increasing numbers of conservative seminaries and conservative seminary professors.  Specifically he cited the president of Garrett Evangelical Seminary as a former John Wesley fellow and a prime example of the influence of A Foundation for Theological Education (AFTE).   AFTE funds scholars who are orthodox theologically with the hope they will teach within United Methodist seminaries.”  Read More

Local Church Leaders Differ Over Gay Issue

Ottawa Daily Times, July 12, 2003

By JONATHAN BILYK — Staff Writer

Local United Methodist Church leaders have lashed out against a recent measure by the church’s regional governing body officially endorsed same-sex marriages and the ordination of homosexual ministers. More

Methodists Divided Over Same Sex Unions

Ottawa Daily Times, July 12, 2003

By JONATHAN BILYK — Staff Writer

Battle lines have begun to form within the United Methodist Church over a recent endorsement of same-sex unions by the church’s regional governing body.  More

Conservative UM Leader Laments Liberal Conference Resolutions

“At its annual convention, the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church passed a resolution affirming the ministry of liberal bishop Joe Sprague, who denies the bodily resurrection, virgin birth, and eternal deity of Jesus Christ.”  Read More

--By Jim Brown, July 9, 2003, Agape Press

Encouraged by the Presence of Apostasy

"Few things are as repugnant as betrayal, but it is very common in history. Even the church of Jesus Christ has had its traitors. In fact, today there is an entire fifth column within the church that attacks the authority of Scripture, denies basic Bible doctrine, and sows division."  Read More

By Rev. Mark H. Creech, June 30, 2003, Agape Press

Evangelical Methodists Experiencing Intolerance from Within Denomination

“The head of an evangelical renewal movement within the United Methodist Church is voicing concern about what he calls "a pattern of sharp verbal attacks" on evangelical views and groups in his denomination.” Read More

 --By Jim Brown, May 21, 2003, Agape Press

 Doctrinal Issues Comparison Chart
 

Bishop Sprague Denies that Jesus Christ’s death provides atonement for mankind and for the sins of individual people:

"Nevertheless, I find the substitutionary atonement theory, which is but one of several Christian theories of atonement, to be at odds with other images of God reflected by the witness of Jesus and experienced by this writer."

 Affirmations of a Dissenter: Chapter 4, "Fully Human Jesus" (underline added for emphasis)

 "While sacrifice as an act of discipleship is essential for all of us as it was for Jesus, the concept of blood sacrifice to appease God is superstition at best and an idolatrous allegiance to a non-Jesus methodology of God-human relationship at worst."

 Affirmations of a Dissenter: Chapter 4, "Fully Human Jesus" (underline added for emphasis)

 "Obviously, such an understanding of atonement leaves no room for me to affirm the substitutionary atonement theory that portrays Jesus blood on the cross as satisfying an angry deity through one majestic sacrificial human death much like sacrifices of unblemished sheep and goats in ancient Israel were understood to appease God and atone for the sins of all."

 From transcript of Sprague's speech at Illif in Denver, Colorado (underline added for emphasis)

 The Bible says:

"How much more, then, will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Sprit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!  For this reason, Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

  Hebrews 9:14-15 (underline added for emphasis)

 The UMC Book of Discipline says:

"The Son, who is the Word of the Father… of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one person…. was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men."

 Article VIII (Of the word, or Son of God, Who Was Made Very Man) 

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.  

MISSION

 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.

  This is in harmony with the recommendations by the Supervisory Response Team's dismissal of charges.  They urged that the laity become involved in the process of "serious theological reflection on issues of Biblical Authority, Christology and the Mission of the Church".

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:

  • 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
  • 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:
      • Christology (Trinity, Virgin Birth, Deity of Jesus)
      • Resurrection of Jesus Christ
      • Salvation through Jesus Christ Alone
      • The Atonement of Jesus Christ

SUBSCRIPTIONS

NIC VOICE

P.O. Box 604

Crystal Lake, IL 60039-0604

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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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Past Issues

May 2003

June 2003

July 2003

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