The United Methodist Church (UMC) and its previous iterations been respected denominations for over 200 years. However, in recent years, certain groups have worked to undermine the church’s reputation and efficacy. The result is a mixture of misinformation and disinformation.

Misinformation is any story, claim, or statement that is believed to be true but is actually false. Many of my dearest friends have fallen victim to the spread of misinformation. In my current context, misinformation runs rampant as gossip makes its way through the congregation I serve. It’s a giant game of Telephone, and there are no winners.

Disinformation is any story, claim, or statement that is known to be false but is shared anyway, usually with an ulterior motive. They are especially palatable when draped in the robes of righteousness, no matter how bent the theology or twisted the interpretation.

One such group is the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), a group of neo-conservatives who started an organization to target some protestant denominations, including the UMC, and undermine their social witness. While their major leverage for division has been an anti-LGBTQ stance, their stated intent has been the weakening of social justice efforts in the United States. They have been working to destroy the organized social witness of the Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and United Methodists in order to strike a blow to all the social justice struggles in America.

Another group that has been working to disrupt the UMC is the Good News Magazine, founded by Rev. Charles Keysor. In 1966, Keysor published an article titled “Methodism’s Silent Minority: A Voice for Orthodoxy” which served as a call to action for those terrified of minorities. The group began to adopt some of the language of minorities, complaining of persecution and mistreatment. This response to perceived or contrived oppression is easily explained: Those with power often perceive the sharing of power as persecution. However, this group was known for bullying actual minority groups to gain power. Leaders within this organization began working to establish a new denomination as early as 1984. Sadly, it has been fairly easy for the message at the heart of the Good News movement to be co-opted, resulting in the work of good people being utilized by bad actors and other folks with ulterior motives.

The Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) is the latest group that has been working to disrupt the UMC. They are very much like the Good News coalition in many ways. They enjoy the support of the IRD and their social media network. By developing the plans of the Good News coalition, the IRD has created the illusion of a viable denominational alternative to the United Methodist Church, paving the way for a denominational split. But the IRD has wielded the WCA movement as a blunt instrument, sowing discord and division resulting in a splinter effect. Far fewer churches than expected are leaving the UMC to join the WCA. Some are going independent. Others are joining coalitions. Some are not leaving at all.

And the instigators seem to be unfazed by the result. This is probably because the IRD leaders were never actually aiming for denominational orthodoxy; instead these powers behind the IRD and WCA merely wanted the UMC to be weakened so that they could advance their political plans without the distractions of social justice reform advocates, including the very effective agency work of the United Methodist Church. Distraction, destruction, or dissolution — it’s all the same result.

And so both misinformation and disinformation about the UMC has been spread by these groups. United Methodist Bishops, conference communicators, and pastors have faced an uphill battle to counter false claims about the UMC. For that reason, I’ve included a series of links to weave together the fuller picture of their efforts and to directly address their most egregious lies, mistakes, and misinterpretations.

IRD (Institute on Religion and Democracy)

The IRD deserves much more attention than they receive. Their work has driven a wedge into the cracks and flaws of the denomination, resulting in far greater damage to our Church.

Good News Magazine

In 2022, Rob Renfroe, President and Publisher of Good News Magazine, released a series of videos arguing for United Methodists to leave the UMC and join the newly formed Global Methodist Church. However, many United Methodists have questioned the validity of Renfroe’s claims and have a different perspective.

Wesleyan Covenant Association

The WCA, some of them well-meaning Christian disciples, has embraced the plans and procedures of Good News and the IRD as a way to achieve orthodoxy instead of Christian Conferencing and honest discussion. Unfortunately, this choice serves to achieve the IRD’s goal of reducing the effectiveness of the denomination’s social justice work by reducing the number of United Methodist Churches.

Misinformation

“A lie without a leg to stand on will find another way of getting around.” The originator of that phrase would probably understand the situation in the United Methodist Church. And the response of truth tellers, who have an obligation to accuracy, is much slower than the grapevine that runs through our churches. But the truth is being shared widely now. These links are a testament to the hard work of those who painstakingly gathered the facts and provided them to those interested in better sources of information.

Conclusions

Part of me wants to utilize this truth to absolve my friends and colleagues who have been less than charitable. Heated debate and talk of division served those who stood to gain by keeping us distracted. And so they have encouraged bad behavior, justifying it with an overblown sense of righteousness.

But there are also plenty of reasons to ask ourselves why we have allowed our self-righteousness to excuse hateful speech and bigoted attitudes. Even when the curtain is pulled back and the instigators are revealed, we must examine our hearts and deal wisely with the bias we find there. Our hearts and minds should have been more aware of the deceitful practices and the hateful behaviors.

It is obviously far too late to turn back the tide of this splintering. By their own admission, many United Methodists were never really connectional, never really Wesleyan, never really United Methodist. But we should note that it is possible to be conservative and United Methodist and that we are better for having a healthy mixture of conservative and progressive voices in our conversations.

I pray that the next generation of United Methodists manage to hold those ideas in tension and balance. And I pray that we are able to hold open the door that will allow some of our departing friends to return to the fold. The information gathered here may well indicate to a faithful few that their righteous anger and indignation have been used against the church that they love. And the best response that any of us can muster is grace: grace for the bad actors, grace for the well-meaning resistance, and grace for one’s own guilt. We must forgive one another — and we must forgive ourselves.

2 Comments

Glen Stephens on January 17, 2024 at 7:07 am

I read part of your article and found it to be excellent. It needs to be used more widely in churches that are struggling.

Unfortunately, for many old folks like myself the print is so small and light that reading it is a struggle. Please consider us when posting your excellent information.
- Joey Reed on January 22, 2024 at 12:46 pm
  
  Thanks for the kind words, Glen! As for the type size, I recommend using your browser to control the size of the text. For example, if I click on the text and then use the mouse wheel while pressing CRTL, I can enlarge the type quickly.
  
  Thanks again for your kindness!