PlainSpoken

Johnathan Arnold is a weird guy in the best sense. He recently published a new, nice, hardback catechism, written for the modern world from a Protestant (primitive church) perspective. The questions and answers deal with topics both eternal and modern. It utilizes hymns, art, and various other means to inculcate new believers in the ways that lead to life. In this time, Johnathan and I talk about his larger efforts to build up the church for ministry and warfare in the world. We live in a time of doctrinal amnesia and aphasia. Rather than complain about it, this man that is barely three generations old generated a truly good and useful work. This is only his latest work, as he has been published in Firebrand Magazine and collaboratively runs a website called Holy Joys. He has a wife and children alongside him, leading a household in which these resources are being utilized. It works. You would be wise to consider the many resources he affords FOR FREE to you and your church. His catechism is available for free online, as are all his articles. The cost of the book is just for materials. Here are the links:‘A Protestant Catechism & Discipleship Handbook’ - https://catechism.holyjoys.org/shop/Holy Joys - https://holyjoys.org/Johnathan’s Firebrand Article, “If You Love Jesus, Join a Church” - https://firebrandmag.com/articles/if-you-love-jesus-join-a-church Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Are you one of the many people who is concerned about having bishops in the Global Methodist Church? Or perhaps you think that the process of selecting bishops is always fatally flawed by politics. Or...maybe you think something else about bishops. Well, get ready to learn.Chris Ritter is the chair of the Global Episcopacy Committee, which is broadly charged with all things pertaining to the bishops of the GMC. In this conversation, we talk about the process that has been designed for the nomination and election of our new bishops, which will be executed for the first time over the coming year.Thanks to Tyson Heins and Dianne Burnett, we had a very helpful flowchart to follow. Chris did a great job lining out the project and explaining things logistically and theologically. Chris has a head for process and a heart for true religion. Clark Atkins and Wes Griffin, both in similar positions to Chris, have shown the high quality work being done by many in these volunteer positions. Chris matches their quality and does a great deal to show the worth of GMC leadership.Spend some time with us. It’s good for you.Links:Overview Document:https://irp.cdn-website.com/1876eae9/files/uploaded/Episcopal+Election+Process+English.pdfDiscernment Guide for Delegationshttps://irp.cdn-website.com/4829cd2f/files/uploaded/ENGLISH_Discernment+Guide+for+Delegations+to+General+Conference+2026.pdfThe Flow Chart:https://irp.cdn-website.com/4829cd2f/files/uploaded/2025-09-25_Episcopal+Election+Process_v2.pdfThese resources are available in additional languages here:https://www.beautyofholiness2026.org/preliminary-documentsChris Ritter post GMC News and Links at on the following Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575985959116Chris Ritter’s Blog:www.peopleneedjesus.net———————————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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

So it turns out the Kingdom Advancement Connectional Commission is composed of all-stars who have been meeting for years. Most of these groups at the head of the GMC have been recently-organized and are just now producing work together. Rev. Dr. Griffin and many of his team have been designing a robust theological and logistical framework for great work in the fields of mission, evangelism, disaster response, church planting, and perhaps even the strengthening of the persecuted church.This group is much more serious and capable than I had previously appreciated. Wes and his team are gifted, and it seems to me, raised up for such a time as this for the work at hand. I don’t think the GMC has been composed to buttress a certain worship style, or even necessarily a certain polity, but to spread scriptural holiness across the globe with a certain efficacy that only Methodists have been able to muster in the past.If you want a portrait of what servant leadership looks like, which is both capable and faithful, you would do well to spend time with Wes. For those of us who have learned to be very skeptical about the quality of leadership at the top of institutions, we need to take the time to consider if perhaps quality leadership can actually rise to the top. Maybe the GMC is something worth being optimistic about.Something else we may need to reconsider is our disposition against any sort of muscular structure at the top of our denomination. Wes and his crew are potentially designing a number of things that can only be rightly supported and implemented with some institutional muscle. I think we would do well to go ahead and consider how much baby we want to throw out with the bathwater of the UMC. Perhaps it is possible to do some of the same stuff we were doing over there, but better. Maybe it isn’t so naive to imagine such a thing.I want to hear your thoughts on these things. Seriously, what do you think?———————————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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew Forrest is the head pastor at Asbury Church, where he is leading his congregation into the future after having exited The United Methodist Church. As he surveys the American religious landscape, he sees a lot of people who are very good at describing the failures and challenges of our era, but he notices that few have clarity about how to move forward. What does Christ require in the present moment?Years ago, the idea of a book germinated in his mind. It is finally in print and available this week. The book makes the case that, despite the somewhat novel ways in which sin and specter haunt and hound the elect, our way of life is the same as it always has been: to reach out in love to those who hate us, just like our Savior did.This segment is a conversation about the topics involved in such an exhortation. Andrew is eager to engage, fully convinced that God has ordained this as our constant way of life. While the teaching he gives is biblical and somewhat self-evident, it is also sorely needed as a reminder in this moment. I genuinely enjoyed the visit, and I think you will, too.Andrew’s book, ‘Love Goes First,’ can be found at https://my.seedbed.com/product/love-goes-first-reaching-others-in-an-age-of-anxiety-and-division/ and most other book-sellers. While being great for individual meditation and thought, the book is also geared to be used by and for the church in small group discussions, and there is a leader guide available for free to anyone who wants it.Also, go to Andrew’s website and join his mailing list here: www.andrewforrest.org———————————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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Will Perkins is the Director at The Wesley at West Texas A&M, which is an official campus ministry of the Global Methodist Church. In this time of great fracturing, he is bringing young men and women under the cross of Christ.In this conversation, he tells me about the work he is engaging on the ground. He is doing evangelism and discipleship among a generation of young adults who are more alienated than has really ever been seen. We talk about the nature of discipleship among so many other competing bodies that seek to entertain, and how it is that we must facilitate going deep. We also talk about the role of sex in fostering Christian community. Specifically, Will is working with young men as such, speaking to them as men, providing spaces for men and women separately to seek the Lord.This isn’t a conversation about, “Just do this and all the young people will come.” Rather, it is the intention of this conversation to help church leaders to appreciate the complicated picture of young adults, and the challenge ahead for those who are engaging with them. The church is indeed called and expected to minister to every generation. Thanks to Will for helping us to understand what the nature of these things is.I would encourage you to consider giving to make his ministry possible. As he makes clear in the conversation, the GMC does not underwrite college ministry the way that the UMC did. They have to raise their own funds. To do that, please go to https://www.wtwesley.com/give.WBS’s article on Will - https://wbs.edu/circuit/a-wave-in-west-texas/———————————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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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 Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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 Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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 Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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 Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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 Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Every Christian tradition is tasked with articulating how it is, biblically, that God saves us. My tradition, the Methodist tradition, is known to stress a concept called "prevenient grace," which is broadly the notion that God makes the first move. Brian Shelton, a professor at Asbury University, has researched and written on the topic of prevenient grace to the degree that I knew I needed to learn from him on this topic.Specifically, as this generation works to reclaim foundational biblical doctrines, how do we need to understand salvation in light of sin, depravity, and the fall? How is it that our youngest generations are inclined to embrace the notions of grace presented in Methodism? What facets of our doctrine are more challenging to receive or to boldly articulate?Shelton was really gracious with me as I got a little scatterbrained in how I processed this information. I hope you will be, too. It wasn't my best performance as an interlocutor. Please forgive me. Shelton was great, though. I hope you benefit greatly from his time spent with me.Links:Shelton's Book, "Prevenient Grace" - https://a.co/d/20NyCm6My conversation with Mark Olson on the topic of Justifying Grace -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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

A few weeks ago, Mark Tooley of the Institute for Religion and Democracy published a piece highlighting a seeming disinterest on the part of Wesleyan Christians in America to attempt new church communities in the midst of urban areas. In particular, there is a dearth of Methodist/Wesleyan new church plants in Washington DC, where he has been professionally engaged for decades. Contrasting Wesleyanism with other theological traditions in our nation, Mr. Tooley notes how difficult it is to find any pioneering young leaders to try to save the cosmopolitan masses. In this segment, we talk through the various factors involved, both practical and theological. Mr. Tooley speaks with clarity, concisely about an intimidating challenge, issuing the summons to a new generation of gospel-proclaiming Methodists to again engage in God's saving work in our nation. Consider his voice: If you want to answer his summons for consideration to plant a church with the resources he has offered, you can reach him at mtooley@theird.org If you would like to make yourself available to the Northeast Conference of the Global Methodist Church as a potential church planter, please email them at churchplanting@northeastgmc.org.Source Article - "Doug Wilson Plants in DC; Methodism Shuns DC" by Mark Tooley - https://juicyecumenism.com/2025/07/17/doug-wilson-plants-in-dc-methodism-shuns-it/ The John Wesley Institute - https://nextmethodism.org/ 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! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

This year stands at the 1700-year anniversary of the convening of the First Council of Nicaea, which had huge implications for the definition of the church. We also stand at the centennial for the Scopes Monkey Trial, which was so massively influential in drawing the cultural battle lines in our society. The world in which we are living was powerfully impacted by both of these events. In this segment, my United Methodist friends discuss these events in light of our present standing. What was good and right about these events? What was regrettable? Are there any lessons for us to learn from them today? Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Robert Gagnon is going to be teaching a course at Wesley Biblical Seminary soon, so I thought I might try to get him on. He's perhaps the most expert thinker on the topic of human sexuality. As you'll see in this conversation, he has a great passion for the plain meaning of scripture. He has the resolve to meet bad arguments with better ones and has been of benefit to the larger discourse through writing books and scholarly articles, writing thoughtful think pieces on social media, and recently by starting a YouTube channel (see links below). This conversation details not only the topic of the course he will be teaching, but it also serves as a decent primer for the topic of biblical sexual ethics. May this conversation be of benefit to you in your attempts to grow closer to the Lord. Links: "The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics" Dr. Gagnon's book - https://a.co/d/5gTTzlJ "The 15 Most Important Texts in Scripture" Course at WBS - https://wbs.edu/15-texts/ Dr. Gagnon's Website - http://robgagnon.net/ Dr. Gagnon's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@robertgagnon7647⁩ Dr. Gagnon on X - https://x.com/RobertAJGagnon1 Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

The extremes of the left and right often form a short of horse shoe, in which they have more in common with one another than those in the middle. It could be said that, with respect to Jews, we are seeing the same thing: Both left and right and experiencing a resurgent anti-Jewish impulse. It is not hard to find people who have a desire to argue that modern Judaism and modern Israel have little to no correspondence with the biblical people/nation of Israel. One doesn’t have to look hard for those eager to make the case that modern Jews are deluded to believe that God still cares for them in any special or particular way. Rev. Dr. Gerald McDermott has written several books on the topic of “New Christian Zionism” or post-supersessionism. The basic idea is that God’s gifts and callings are irrevocable. Despite our unfaithfulness, God remains faithful. God’s salvation story throughout history is unified, rather than bifurcated. Gerald McDermott teaches at Jerusalem Seminary and the Reformed Episcopal Seminary (ACNA) in Philadelphia. He retired from the Anglican Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham AL in 2020. Before that he was the Jordan-Trexler Professor of Religion at Roanoke College, where he taught courses for 26 years in the history of Christianity and Christian theology of world religions. He has written, co-written or edited 25 books and hundreds of articles.Spend the time with him. I think he is right, and that understanding his insights could lead to a future in which the church is not committing the same sins against God’s covenant people, the Jews, that we pretty consistently have over the centuries…Links:Israel Matters: Why Christians Must Think Differently about the People and the Land - https://a.co/d/4f7BZ1vThe New Christian Zionism: Fresh Perspectives on Israel & the Land - https://a.co/d/3VJNWOZA New History of Redemption: The Work of Jesus the Messiah through the Millennia - https://a.co/d/hcj1ltQ“New antisemitism rising among Christians is heresy” in The Christian Post - https://www.christianpost.com/voices/new-antisemitism-rising-among-christians-is-heresy.html"No, You Don’t Have To Be A Dispensationalist To Believe In Zionism" in The Federalist - https://thefederalist.com/2025/07/15/no-you-dont-have-to-be-a-dispensationalist-to-believe-in-zionism/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe