Do United Methodists believe in evolution?

Question

I looked on their website and I cannot find it. Can someone who is a member or who knows a good website give me some info?

Thank you.

Answer 1

According to the 2004  Book of Resolutions of the UMC:

#364:  The 2000 General Conference directs the General Board of Discipleship, working within its own structure, to develop study materials for all levels of the church which will bring all the theories of evolution and creation to the churches in a manner which will compare emerging areas of compatibility and areas yet unresolved in a reconciling approach to the relationship involved.

I don't know if the topic was resolved at this year's General Conference or not.  The new book of resolutions will be printed next year.   I find the UMC to be quite openminded about such contentious topics.

Answer 2

Fireball doesn't.  My parents do.

So it's kind of a mixed bag.  I don't recall the church having a position on it, but then I haven't been there in like 30 years.

Answer 3

If you would like more answers, consider asking around this site as well...

http://christianforums.com/forumdisplay....

Answer 4

The shouldn't, but they should accept it as a valid scientific theory.

http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?pti... says they do not have an official position.

Answer 5

My UMC pastor, in addition to his D.Div., had MAs in Biology and Chemistry and was a substitute science teacher. He assumed the mythical nature of the Genesis story as did all of my pastors and accepted evolution as a fact of the natural world.

I was fifteen when I met the first person, a pentecostal, who actually was a young earth creationist. Those folks lived by the river with the rest of the city's trash, were mostly on welfare, and were generally drunk and beating their wives and kids when they weren't in church. So I've always just associated creationism with alcoholics, 8th grade dropouts and girls who get pregnant their freshman year of high school because they aren't allowed in s*x ed class by their lunatic parents.  I've since met fundies who made it through college, though for the most part they also didn't learn anything after the 8th grade.