Wednesday Morning Briefing (Apr. 2, 2025)

Things I want to talk about this morning:

United Methodist Church Begins Reeducation: “Our Way Forward” - https://mailchi.mp/susumc/terrorism_in_no-15525019?e=cca8f97b70 and https://susumc.org/human-sexuality/

12 “senior priests” resign from UMC in Zimbabwe - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FRXZmHZHE/?mibextid=wwXIfr and https://www.thezimbabwemail.com/zimbabwe/methodist-pastors-quit-church-over-homosexuality-stance/

Mike Winger heralds end to age of elite Christian information control - https://x.com/MikeWingerii/status/1906879611658727838

“More Men Attending Church Than Women, Volunteering Rebounding” by Diana Chandler of MinistryWatch - https://ministrywatch.com/more-men-attending-church-than-women-volunteering-rebounding/

We are all affected - Mike Rowe warns of huge problem with unemployed men - https://x.com/Holden_Culotta/status/1906910188994691483

“Nigerian faith leaders appeal to US to pressure their country on religious violence” by Fredrick Nzwili of Religion News Service - https://religionnews.com/2025/03/18/from-congress-to-nigerian-clerics-cry-out-over-religious-freedom-violations-as-calls-for-u-s-sanctions-rise/

“Strange Bedfellows: In Arkansas, gambling opponents took over $21M from Choctaw Nation to fight competing casino” by Kim Roberts of Ministry Watch - https://ministrywatch.com/strange-bedfellows-anti-gambling-groups-led-by-church-leaders-partner-with-casino/

———————————

If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), 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!