PlainSpoken

Eduard Khegay was a bishop in The United Methodist Church. A known conservative, he was patient when the season came to leave. Unlike the brethren in Cote d’Ivoire, Bishop Khegay gently led his flock out of the denomination through ¶572, lawfully and in good order. It remained to be seen whether he would try to go independent as a rogue bishop in the Philippines did, or if he would possibly consider the Global Methodist Church as a new home.I and many others were relieved when we learned of four new annual conferences being announced in Eurasia, with Khegay at their head. He is now tasked with leading them into an immediate future with more global partners than was previously known, with American partners building a structure that will be shared more equitably than what has been known.In this conversation, Bishop Khegay and I talk a bit about his history, his role as a peacemaker in a body composed of Americans and Russians, East Indians and Pakistanis (he is over them, too), and how true believers need to foster unity while also learning to think critically and speak truthfully in the midst of partisan disagreements. I would like to think that we modeled such charity here. I would also like to hope that this helps you to know how to faithfully pray for the global church, and how to participate!Links:Bishop Khegay’s YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@UC_9Iaj7QCMUz0Ry5rvhzwsQBio on the good bishop - https://beyondthesewalls.com/eduard-khegayAssembly of Bishops (of the GMC) - https://www.globalmethodist.org/assembly-of-bishopsPress Release on joining the GMC - https://www.globalmethodist.org/global-methodist-church-receives-four-new-annual-conferences-and-welcomes-bishop-eduard-khegay———————————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.If you’re not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

Carson Davis was a normal somewhat indifferent, somewhat lukewarm Christian when the Lord pricked his heart. The reality of the bloodguilt of unborn children rested heavily upon him. Choosing to be obedient to scripture, he eventually joined hands with today’s Abolitionists and has been publicly advocating for the immediate end to abortion in the US ever since.In this conversation, Carson and I start with his story and spread out into the issues involved in abortion: Its biblical corollaries, what faithfulness requires, the church’s relationship with the state, the burden of ‘effectiveness,’ the sin of incrementalism, etc. We fit a lot into an hour.Links:Abolitionists Rising - https://abolitionistsrising.com/Biblical Introduction to Abolitionism -Biblical Study of Justice (Sin of Incrementalism) -———————————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.If you’re not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

Refuge Church in Ogden, Utah is making a cultural dent in our nation. Similar to Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho and San Diego Reformed Church (see my interview with those pastors), they are arguing for unapologetic masculinity, singing, families, private schooling, and theonomy. Ethan Senn heads up a publishing company affiliated with the church called New Christendom Press, which publishes five podcasts regularly.I discovered Ethan through the ‘Hard Men Podcast,’ which has done some great segments on hospitality and brotherhood within the local church. As one who wants to foster intimacy, good singing, and earnest discipleship in the body of Christ, I wanted to learn more about how Refuge Church is doing these things.This conversation feels a little like interviewing someone from a different country and culture. His church is openly and centrally patriarchal. Their membership covenant requires all members to commit to keep their children out of public government education. They lead a classical Christian school. They foster church programs around shooting guns, weightlifting, and other recreation. I think people of all tribes would do well to learn from one another. Senn insists that the strengths of his tradition depend upon faithful adherence to all of the different features found there. Those who are eclectically-minded would like to take some of the blessings of such a fellowship without a lot of the theological framing. We talk about that prospect as we consider the differences in polity, membership, covenant (renewal), and discipline. Let me know your reflections on the content here.Links:Refuge Church - https://www.refugeutah.orgNew Christendom Press - https://www.newchristendompress.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

Rev. Clark Atkins is the Global Methodist Elder serving a congregation in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, which is nested in the Trinity Conference of the GMC. Rev. Atkins also chairs the Conference Commission for the Global Methodist Church, which is responsible for many key functions of the entire denomination.In this conversation, Clark and I discuss his commission’s work on behalf of the millions of people who are banding together to spread scriptural holiness across the globe. I was actually quite pleased to learn of the diligence and faithfulness of this committee. As has been the case in so many conversations about the workings of the GMC, I have been relieved to see that those in charge are not squandering the resources and trust given them. Rather, it would seem that great care is being given so that we start this effort off rightly.Of course, perfection is not a realistic or helpful standard to hold any group of humans against. Even so, I think those who spend their time with us will similarly be pleased, not only to learn of the work that has been done, but also how successful the work has been! The Global Methodist Church is already putting Americans in the minority. Thanks be to God for men of the disposition of Clark! I do not have a mind for the details and structures required for such things. Clark and his team do, but they also have an earnest love of the Lord in which they share together.It was seriously a good conversation. I will think you are strange if you don’t enjoy it.Links:The Councils & Commissions of the GMC - https://www.globalmethodist.org/connectional-commissions This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

Dr. Everett Piper got national attention in 2017 when, as President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, he published a book called Not a Day Care, which was a public rebuke of the increasing fragility and wokeness of American Christians. He put into writing a frustration that spoke directly to what people were experiencing all over the country, boldly speaking against increasingly common norms in our culture. As a college president, he refused to make room for theological or ideological drift, insisting on the same standards being met for today’s students as in previous generations. While there was great pushback, there was also great reward for faithfulness. Though he retired a couple years ago, OKWU continues to thrive.Other colleges have failed to learn from his example. My recent reporting on Baylor, Fuller, and Wheaton has substantiated several concerning signs of theological drift. One would be right to wonder if these colleges are emblematic of common shifts in the current Christian college culture. My own tradition of Methodism has largely become synonymous with liberal arts colleges that are bastions of worldliness and seminaries that are hotbeds of heresy. For those of the evangelical split-off from The United Methodist Church, we need to be able to discern the landscape of our current higher educational system so that we do not fall prey to the same forces that so degraded our former denomination. How do we identify when an institution is being captured or steered? In this conversation, Dr. Piper speaks from his experience as an administrator and leader in Christian colleges, substantiating that concerns about drift are well-earned. He gives concrete ways to discern the orientation of schools and helps me to think through how the theological, political, and cultural influences work together to obfuscate what is really going on. Those who want to discern which institutions can still be trusted to equip faithful clergy for our churches would do well to consider Dr. Piper’s words.Links:Not a Day Care, Dr. Piper’s 2017 book on American fragility and wokeness - https://a.co/d/2AwEribDr. Piper’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.EverettPiperDr. Piper's Website - https://dreverettpiper.com/Dr. Piper on X - Dr. Everett Piper This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

Rev. J. D. Walt is the founder of Seedbed, a publishing body resourcing much of the PlainSpoken audience. He is also the mind and personality behind a daily devotional called 'The Wake-Up Call," which has a daily distribution of 40,000+ people.J. D. is publishing all 80 units he did through Paul's Letter to the Church in Rome (Romans), compiled in a format easily accessible and able to be utilized by people at all levels of Christian maturity. He is engaged in the same project as I and so many others are, which is working to revive a once-vital tradition (the Methodist Revival) for God's glory in our present world.In this conversation, we speak about the nature of scripture, of holiness, of the life of faith. J. D. quite clearly loves the Lord and has been transformed by him. One who consults him here or in other settings will find a man on fire for Jesus, trying to spread such passion and joy. It will be understandable if you find the Holy Spirit pulling at your spirit as you spend time with us here:Links:Website for J. D.'s new book - https://dailyseedsbooks.com/romans/The Wake-Up Call - https://seedbed.com/wakeupcall/J.D.'s Gospels Series -———————————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.If you're not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

Will Willimon is a United Methodist bishop, retired, who has recently published a book detailing the disaffiliation of his childhood church, Buncombe Street Methodist Church in Greenville, SC. In this conversation, we talk about the book. We talk about disaffiliation. We talk about the theological rifts between us, the general inability of churches to disagree well, and the challenges posed by trying to be united in such a divided world.Willimon is not a centrist, nor does he value centrism. Neither do I, really. We actually agreed about a number of words that don't belong in the lexicon of Christians. We agreed about the unwholesome impact of secrecy and dishonesty in the local church. We agreed about the virtue of argument and persuasion.And yet, we disagreed about those things that we have been talking about for so long. And we didn't beat around the bush. We didn't brush things under the rug or try to cover things over with corny preacher humor. We spoke plainly, as good Methodists do, in hopes that you would benefit from the conversation. And I hope you do. God bless you as you try to sanctify your local church in light of all of the failures and disappointments of the past.Links:Will's Book, "The Church We Carry: Loss, Leadership, and the Future of Our Church" - https://www.cokesbury.com/The-Church-We-Carry"New Willimon book explores disaffiliation of Buncombe Street" by South Carolina United Methodist Advocate - https://advocatesc.org/articles/book-disaffiliation-buncombe-street"This is a book that shouldn’t have been published" by Talbot Davis on Baptist News Global - https://baptistnews.com/article/this-is-a-book-that-shouldnt-have-been-published/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

The Considering Charlotte crew got together again to reflect on the present moment in our culture and consider the ways in which The United Methodist Church may or may not be positioned for effective ministry with the present age. Last time, we spoke about the Modernist/Fundamentalist split that took place in the early-20th century. This time, we focus more on contemporaneous issues.We talk about human sexuality to some degree, alternative living situations, and the ideology that is so effectively pushing the church to consider its moorings. Of course, I couldn’t help but read some history pertaining to 19th century Methodist shifts. Odell brought the concern to contemporary college campuses and the kind of discourse that has become somewhat hegemonic in western culture. The crew didn’t render many/any firm answers, but we did have a good exchange of ideas. We hope our discussion of these topics helps you to likewise suss out where you are and where you think your local church should be. How should our churches be in dialogue with the world around us? What posture should the church have to this generation?Links:“Explainer: how campus policies limit free speech” at The Conversation - https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-campus-policies-limit-free-speech-58974 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

Greg West and Brandon Nichols are both part-time primary leaders in the Virginia Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church. In this conversation, we talk about their personal journeys in Christ, their passions in ministry, and the unique promise and hope of the Wesleyan tradition. In particular, we talk about small group intentional discipleship, sanctification and holiness, and the right presentation of the gospel to this generation. Greg is an evangelist and Brandon a local church elder. Take time to learn about them and receive the clarity that comes from hearing the thoughts of others. Links: Greg West's Bio - https://gmcvirginia.org/conference-gathering/speakers/greg.html Brandon Nichols' Bio - https://gmcvirginia.org/leadership-team/brandon-nichols.html The Virginia Conference of the Global Methodist Church - https://gmcvirginia.org/ Conference Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/VAGMC Greg's Evangelistic Ministry - https://www.lifeinhisname.net/ Socials - https://www.instagram.com/lihnmin2020/ https://www.facebook.com/lifeinhisname.net https://x.com/gregwest120 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com

Rev. Dr. Gabriella Kopas is the Conference Superintendent of the Central Europe Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church. She met the Lord Jesus in college and has been walking in obedience since then. GMC leadership saw her great potential in the hostile climate of post-Soviet regions, and he accepted the invitation to serve.In this conversation, we hear the story of how she came to Christ and found a home in the Methodist tradition. She characterizes the current state of Methodism in Eastern Europe, she gives some history and demographics of the area, explains contemporary missional challenges, and invites the prayers of those who care about Christ reaching those nations. It was a very pleasant conversation that I benefited from. You will, too!Links:Central Europe Conference Website in English - https://www.metodisti.sk/english/My conversation with Daniel Topalski of Bulgaria -My conversation with Vatroslav Župancic of Croatia -Rod Dreher's 'Live Not By Lies' - https://a.co/d/dk9UcvYIf 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.If you're not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com