The Apostles’ Creed – A Literal Belief of the UMC or Not?

The Apostles Creed

 I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

the third day he rose from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed is a simple and concise list of the core beliefs of Christians. The members of the Friends to Preserve Buncombe Street believe that God is the creator of heaven and earth. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, was born to the Virgin Mary, died by crucifixion, and rose from the dead three days later.

We believe in the Holy Spirit; we believe that our sins are forgiven because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us by his death on the cross; and we believe that we will be resurrected and spend eternity with God. In short, we believe the Apostle’s Creed.

As we each consider the simplicity of our beliefs contained in the words of the Apostle’s Creed, we are challenged and confused by what is going on in the United Methodist Church. The beliefs of Buncombe Street church have always been the core beliefs of the UMC. Let’s look at some of the changes that we struggle to understand.

Why is the UMC sponsoring institutions of higher learning and seminarians who believe in progressive Christian theology and, in some cases, non-Christian theologies?

One of the institutions that the UMC supports is ILIFF School of Theology. ILIFF graduates seminarians who have non-Christian beliefs, including paganism and Universalist Unitarianism. How does this line up with our traditional beliefs? Does this bring our denomination closer to Jesus?

Why is the UMC supporting same sex marriage in many parts of the United States?

Our understanding of the Bible is that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Why is the UMC admitting LBGTQ persons to the ministry?

These decisions by the leadership of the UMC are direct violations of the UMC Book of Discipline.

Why is our Book of Discipline not being enforced by the UMC leadership with regards to these violations?

These changes are transitioning our denomination from the literal belief of the words of the Apostles Creed to a more non-literal theology that is more focused on current social issues without regard to the Bible or to the Book of Discipline.

Why is the UMC going in this direction?

Reverend Joshua McClendon is an ordained elder in the South Carolina Conference of the UMC and is the pastor of the Pisgah United Methodist Church in Florence, SC. Rev. McClendon has written an excellent three-part series titled “BREAKDOWN -the structure & the split of the UMC.”

Below is a link to the series. We encourage you to read the series to gain a better understanding of the issues we are facing as a congregation by clicking below.

The Friends to Preserve Buncombe Street group was formed as a result of the changes in the UMC, the lack of information about the split in our denomination, and the potential impact these changes will have on our church.

Our goals are simple. We are working to preserve Buncombe Street church by sharing with our fellow church members the urgent need to protect our congregation’s right to:

*Continue to worship God as a traditional church.
*Continue to worship together at our current campuses.
*Continue in our walk with God without the imposition of a non-traditional theology.

The changes taking place in the UMC will eventually impact every UMC church. Buncombe Street will not escape the theological transformation that is underway if we remain in the United Methodist Church. Traditional Methodist churches like Buncombe Street are becoming the “away team” in our denomination as the UMC moves away from the core beliefs of our church.

In April, over 400 Buncombe Street members signed a petition requesting a church-wide vote on whether to continue our affiliation with the United Methodist Church. This petition was discussed at the Buncombe Street Church Council meeting on April 12 whereby Church Council passed a motion calling for a special charge conference. This charge conference (whereby members will vote on whether we will remain affiliated with the United Methodist Church) has been scheduled for October 30, 2022. We urge you to mark your calendars and be present for the vote, as two-thirds of those present at the vote will determine the outcome.

If you believe the words of the Apostle’s Creed and believe in the goals of the Friends to Preserve Buncombe Street, please add your name to our growing list. The additions to our list of members will aid us in our efforts and will help to dispel the narrative that the Friends is a small group theologically outside the mainstream of the church.

Click here to sign up. When you sign up, you will have the option to include your name with the others on the website or remain anonymous.

Thank you for your support. Please be in prayer for our church.