[Oe List ...] more on Tom Oden and the IRD

W. J. synergi at yahoo.com
Wed Feb 6 13:02:48 EST 2008


Thank you, John and Janice. I'm grateful for any imput I can elicit that will update us all on the IRD. I can sense myself getting very personal here, 'cause it really irritates me to read vaguely uninformed postings from colleagues who seem to be whistling Dixie while the IRD is working their butts off to undermine everything we've ever stood for, and doing a damned fine job of it too.
   
  And just to think that Tom Oden calls Joe and Lyn Mathews his 'dear friends' while he pimps for the forces of darkness and division/schism just sets me off big time. Let's not send somebody over to make nice with him and indulge in chirchat about Hillary, folks. Don't you think we owe it to him to do better than that?
   
  Marshall
  

John Montgomery <monkeyltd at comcast.net> wrote:
        v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}        st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }                Two resources on the IRD – first the blog site Talk2Action and book by the bloggers Steeplejacking – I don’t have a copy in front of me right now, but it traces the IRD tactics in the UCC and now in the UMC, Episcopal church and the Presbyterians.
   
   
    John C. Montgomery
  monkeyltd at comcast.net
  john.montgomery at acfb.org
  678-468-4913 (personal)
   
  Visit My Blog - Notes From the Balcony
  www.monkeyltd.blogspot.com
   
   

      
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  From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Janice Ulangca
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 9:30 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Info on Tom Oden and the IRD

   
    To those interested in Tom Oden and the IRD:

     

    As Marshall said, the IRD (Institute for Religion and Democracy) is "an extreme fringe of the Religious Right that, among other things, is trying to cause a scism in United? Methodism. Just wait till April. 

     

    "And it's particularly sad that Tom Oden has flip-flopped on his understanding of TWLI and has jumped into their waiting arms. His book, The Rebirth of Orthodoxy: Signs of New Life in Christianity..."

     

    The book plugged below (Hard Ball on Holy Ground) is about the work of the IRD. Because Abe was on several UM annual conference committees, we got on the mailing list of their newsletter that's aimed at Methodists.  They are indeed extreme - always up in arms about the UMethodists being unbiblical re homosexuality, way too tolerant of other religions, way too political (for peace and justice, against war and poverty) etc. The UN is not popular, anything military is quite justified. They have very specific action suggestions, urging UMethodists to write to Bishops or national boards to complain, and get their local congregations to come out with statements and withhold contributions.  The whole reason mainline churches have been losing members, they keep pronouncing, is that they have gotten away from the real faith, the traditional teaching.  They've also been active in trying to get sympathetic people elected as general conference delegates.  Clever and bad people, in
 my judgement.  As mentioned below, they also target Presbyterians and Episcopalians - out of the same office.  

     

    Bob Edgar served 12 years as a democratic congressman from PA and was General Secretary of the National Council of Churches before moving to Common Cause last September.  (I didn't remember all this - just checked google.)

     

    Janice Ulangca

     

     

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: TPC Editor 

    To: aulangca at stny.rr.com 

    Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 8:59 AM

    Subject: A UMC Gen. Conf. Must Read!


     

            
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