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e-Review archives
Bishop's Commentaries 2005
A new way of being church
Ministry to older adults
| Ministry to older adults |
Jan. 13, 2005 News media contact: Michael Wacht*
407-897-1140 mwacht@flumc.org Orlando {0225}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
I enjoy the company of older people. One of the rewards of pastoral ministry was the opportunity to learn from elders about the whole cycle of life and benefit from hearing about their personal experiences of mistakes and achievements. full story
| A spirit of adventure
| A spirit of adventure |
Jan. 21, 2005 News media contact: Michael Wacht*
407-897-1140 mwacht@flumc.org Orlando {0234}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
There is nothing wrong with the church that a dose of adventure can't cure. Demoralization and decline are the results of losing our nerve in embracing the adventure of being the church of Jesus Christ in the world.
full story
| Looking beyond the culture war
| Looking beyond the culture war |
Feb. 11, 2005 News media contact: Michael Wacht*
407-897-1140 mwacht@flumc.org Orlando {0246}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker**
The people of The United States of America are engaged in what is called a "cultural war," or what the Germans call "Kulturkampf." In the somewhat silly way of the media, Americans are divided into two camps, Red and Blue. full story
| Creeds and CDs
| Creeds and CDs |
March 4, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
407-897-1140 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0258}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
A major new scholarly work on the creeds of the Christian churches from the beginning of church history is "Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition," edited by Jaroslav Pelikan (Yale University Press, 2003). This work supplants "Creeds of Christendom," edited by Philip Schaff 100 years ago, as the definitive work in English on the history of creeds. full story
| The fundamental question
| The fundamental question |
March 20, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
407-897-1140 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0264}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
On Saturday, April 9, at Bethune-Cookman College from 10 a.m. to Noon and Thursday, April 21, at Florida Southern College from 7 to 9 p.m. we shall have conversations on "In Search of Security." full story
| Terri Schiavo: killing or letting die or letting live?
| Terri Schiavo: killing or letting die or letting live? |
March 28, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0270}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
The tragic ordeal of Mrs. Terri Schiavo causes most of us to engage in moral reflection on that borderland of human existence where there has to be a decision about killing, letting die or letting live. full story
| Spiritual reading
| Spiritual reading |
April 17, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0278}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
If we seek to grow closer to the living God and to become more like God in whose image we are created, then we need to learn from the saints. By saints I mean the women and men who have devoted their whole lives to prayer and the practice of virtue. full story
| The church and depth politics
| The church and depth politics |
May 14, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0291}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
The evangelical social activist Jim Wallis has written a provocative book titled "God's Politics." Its popularity is a sign of the times. Everyone seems to be talking about the role of the church in politics. full story
| What is truth?
| What is truth? |
June 14, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0312}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth (John 18:38)?" Whether asked cynically or sincerely, the question is ancient and ever new.
At some level all of us ask, "What is truth?" Christians care about this question since our faith has to be grounded in the truth and our calling is to be the people of the truth. full story
| A change of heart
| A change of heart |
June 28, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0323}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
Recently the Florida Conference Cabinet spent a day being trained in the resources and strategies of congregational transformation.
At the beginning of our training we looked back upon the many past efforts of the Florida Conference to enable congregations to transform, from being congregations oriented toward maintenance of their membership to becoming congregations committed to mission to their communities. There have been some fine efforts to transform congregations using approaches such as "Quest for Quality" and "Church Re-vitalization." Despite the fact that these approaches were well-developed, they were not successful. Why? full story
| The conversion of the mind
| The conversion of the mind |
Aug. 2, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0340}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
Because the Christian life is a life of total conversion, the mind of a person must be transformed along with everything else. As the apostle Paul wrote, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and pleasing" (Romans 12:2). The renewal of the mind is necessary to fulfill the Great Commandment to love God, which includes loving God "with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).
full story
| A statement regarding "Hearts On Fire"
| A statement regarding "Hearts On Fire" |
Aug. 17, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0345}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
In September the Reconciling Ministries Network, a caucus of United Methodists who advocate a change in the position of The United Methodist Church on homosexuality, will hold a conference called "Hearts On Fire." Several caucuses and organizations have criticized the Lake Junaluska Assembly for agreeing to permit the conference to be held at Lake Junaluska. Some United Methodists in Florida have voiced their objection, as well. full story
| A cup of water
| A cup of water |
Sept. 6, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0355}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
When I was growing up in Mississippi, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans was our playground. Happily we rolled over the undulating piney woods toward the costal plain of marshes and hummocks of live oaks. On the Mississippi Sound at Biloxi and Gulfport we walked the white sandy beach and enjoyed the amusement park rides. My old playground has become a place of death and destruction. full story
| The love of God
| The love of God |
Sept. 21, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0370}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
In response to a question from a scribe about which commandment is most important, Jesus cited Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, which direct us to love the Lord our God with all our being and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
In contemporary Protestant teaching there is a tendency toward misunderstanding the integration of the love of God and the love of neighbor as a conflation of the two loves. In other words, the commandment to love God becomes reduced to the love of neighbor. The practical result is that the distinctive love of God does not receive the attention it deserves in our practice of the Christian life. full story
| On Christian affections
| On Christian affections |
Oct. 6, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0380}
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
A traditional word that describes the emotions of the Christian life is "affections." It is an apt word because everyone who accepts the gospel of Jesus Christ is affected by the gospel. The affections are the attitudes and emotions we feel as a result of the invasion of the presence of the living God into our lives through faith in Jesus Christ. full story
| A commentary on the Council of Bishops' pastoral letter
| A commentary on the Council of Bishops' pastoral letter |
Nov. 7, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0393}
NOTE: A headshot of Whitaker is available at http://www.flumc.info/photo_gallery2.shtml.
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
On Nov. 2, 2005, the Council of Bishops presented a pastoral letter to The United Methodist Church. The pastoral letter is a statement by the bishops to the Church following Judicial Council Decision No. 1032.
We believe that our statement is necessary to provide a larger perspective than is possible in a decision by the Judicial Council on one particular case. full story
| Religion and race
| Religion and race |
Nov. 21, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0401}
NOTE: A headshot of Whitaker is available at http://www.flumc.info/photo_gallery2.shtml.
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
The General Commission on Religion and Race met in Miami on Oct. 3-9, 2005. Ms. Judith Pierre-Okerson and I are members from Florida. The Rev. Deborah McLeod, superintendent of the South East District of the Florida Conference, also participated in our field trip in Miami.
The meeting was held in Miami because this great city of ethnic diversity and international importance was the appropriate site to focus on the issue of the Church's ministry to immigrants. full story
| A commentary on 'A Call to Repentance,' Lakeland Ledger article
Science and religion
| Science and religion |
Dec. 23, 2005 News media contact: Tita Parham*
800-282-8011 tparham@flumc.org Orlando {0421}
NOTE: A headshot of Whitaker is available at http://www.flumc.info/photo_gallery2.shtml.
An e-Review Commentary
By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
Recently I tuned into the Charlie Rose show on PBS. Rose was interviewing the prominent scientist Richard Dawkins. Dawkins was not discussing science, but religion; or, he was discussing how science has replaced religion as the source of truth and how we need to rear our children so they do not believe in God. full story
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