PHILADELPHIA, Miss. - Concerned the United Methodist Church (UMC) has become something its founder, John Wesley, wouldn't recognize, a Mississippi pastor is calling for a renewal of the denomination's evangelical roots.
In a news report by Agape Press, Pastor Jeff Switzer said he sees the church abandoning traditional Scriptural principles in order to look more like other religions.
"Wesley never did that," said Switzer, who launched Mississippi Fellowship of United Methodist Evangelicals. "As a matter of fact, Wesley himself said - speaking of ecumenical principles - ‘If by ecumenical principles you mean any other than Scriptural, they weigh nothing with me. I allow no other rule, whether of faith or practice, than the Holy Scriptures.'"
Switzer said the purpose of the fellowship is to give members an avenue to renew and restore evangelical tenets within the UMC. To accomplish that, Switzer said, members must express opposition to bureaucratic Methodist leaders who prefer tolerance above Biblical truth and universalism above conversion.
Switzer is pastor of Sandtown United Methodist Church. The report did not indicate how many members the fellowship had.
