First Things RSS Feed - Paul T. Stallsworth https://www.firstthings.com/author/paul-t-stallsworth en-us Copyright 2025 First Things. All Rights Reserved. ft@firstthings.com (The Editors) ft@firstthings.com (The Editors) Mon, 20 Jan 2025 16:53:25 -0500 https://d2201k5v4hmrsv.cloudfront.net/img/favicon-196.png First Things RSS Feed Image https://www.firstthings.com/rss/author/paul-t-stallsworth 60 A Methodist Appreciation of Benedict XVI https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2023/01/a-methodist-appreciation-of-benedict-xvi https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2023/01/a-methodist-appreciation-of-benedict-xvi Thu, 19 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500 Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger became Father Ratzinger, then Professor Ratzinger, Archbishop Ratzinger, and eventually Cardinal Ratzinger, who was appointed to be the Vatican’s Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. On April 19, 2005, he became Pope Benedict XVI.  On February 28, 2013, Pope Emeritus. And on December 31, 2022, at age 95, he became a Christian who had “crossed the Jordan” and was met by our Lord and his mercies. Many remembrances of Benedict XVI have been written, mostly by Roman Catholics. What follows is a simple remembrance by a Methodist pastor. 

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]]> Marriage in The Methodist Church https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2018/04/marriage-in-the-methodist-church https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2018/04/marriage-in-the-methodist-church Tue, 24 Apr 2018 06:00:00 -0400 In 1987, the Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality (TUMAS) was founded to be a witness for the Gospel of Life within The United Methodist Church. Today, TUMAS is usually called Lifewatch, after the title of its quarterly newsletter. In accordance with its founding mission, Lifewatch has been involved in debates concerning not only human life, but also matters related to human sexuality, within The United Methodist Church.

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]]> A Disunited Methodist Church https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/05/a-disunited-methodist-church https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/05/a-disunited-methodist-church Mon, 01 May 2017 00:00:00 -0400 Just as the Roman Catholic Church was shaped, in part, by the culture of the Empire, so Methodism in America was influenced by the democracy of the New World. In their beginnings, American Methodism and the United States of America created three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial.

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]]> That Sign https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2015/02/that-sign https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2015/02/that-sign Wed, 11 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500 Since 1987, I have attempted to witness to the Gospel of Life within The United Methodist Church. Every January 22 (or a nearby date), I have gathered with my fellow members of Lifewatch (or Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality) for a service of worship in the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill before joining in the March for Life.

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]]> United Methodism on Abortion https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2008/05/united-methodism-on-abortion https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2008/05/united-methodism-on-abortion Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400 The United Methodist Church’s General Conference is composed of nearly 1,000 delegates (lay and clergy) from around the world. It assembles every four years and determines¯after deliberating and voting¯what The United Methodist Church is to teach and practice, and how the church is to order its life, during the next quadrennium. The Book of Discipline (2004) makes this clear: “No person, no paper, no organization, has the authority to speak officially for The United Methodist Church, this right having been reserved exclusively to the General Conference under the Constitution.”

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