General Notes I
n the opening sentences of his gospel, the Apostle John aptly declared Jesus to be “full of grace and truth.” And John was able to be so certain of Christ’s commitment to truth because of His personal testimony before Pontius Pilate; He said that He had come “… into the world to testify to the truth” (John 18:37 nlt). Linked to such a strong declaration is Jesus’ description of God’s nature in his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He noted to His Father, “… Your word is truth” (John 17: 17). Finally, as if we needed an exclamation point, Jesus literally described the Holy Spirit as “The Spirit of Truth,” affirming that He would be a “guide into all truth” (John 16:13). In that light, it is an understatement to say that truth is important. The Evangelical Methodist Church came into being in 1946 out of a desire to stand on the side of truth in an era when modernism was rampantly eroding the Methodist church’s commitment to Scriptural Truth. While celebrating the EMC’s 25th anniversary, founder, Dr. J. H. Hamblen spoke to the Conference in 1971, noting that he was often asked, “Why an Evangelical Methodist Church?” When giving his answer, he consistently centered on a relentless desire to defend the truths of Scripture. He affirmed that he was not angry at anyone, nor did he hold any of the men trying to change his mind as enemies. But God’s truth must be nonnegotiable. Dr. Hamblen knew that many in his beloved denomination were rejecting the authority of the Bible as God’s inspired Word, and he felt he could no longer tolerate it. Soon after his decision to exit, he heard from others around the country who were feeling the same resolve, and an assembly gathered to discuss the formation of a new, theologically conservative church that would stand for truth upon the authority and inspiration of Scripture. The historical section of our Discipline includes this brief notation:
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The Connection
FALL 2021
“On May 9, 1946, in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, a small group of preachers and laymen met together for consultation and prayer, endeavoring to cope with the growing apostasy of the church. After long hours of waiting before God in prayer, they felt definitely led of God to organize the Evangelical Methodist Church.” ~ EMC Discipline ¶11 This year, the Evangelical Methodist Church celebrates its 75th anniversary. This issue of “The Connection” is dedicated to our heritage, our history, and our unswerving commitment to God’s truth. The question of whether we will revere the Scripture as God’s inspired truth has not become less critical. In the 75 years since our founding, most mainline denominations have not tightened their stand on Scriptural authority. The reality is fewer and fewer hold an orthodox view, which is why our conservative witness and voice is vital. Truly, the Evangelical Methodist Church is not best described by listing things we are against. Our non-Christian culture does not primarily need a list of sins to avoid - - that’s like giving a dead person a to-do list. No, the most important thing we can do for this dark culture is to ensure that when a person is ready to seek for truth, we have true truth ready to share, not some watered-down version of the gospel that is devoid of the kind of costly discipleship that Jesus modeled and taught by saying that unless we are prepared to take up our cross, we cannot be His disciple. (Luke 14:27) The Evangelical Methodist Church should be known for what we stand for! We believe that Jesus Christ is THE SON OF GOD; that He is indeed the world’s ONLY HOPE; and that just as He said, He is “THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE” (John 14:6); and therefore His Word “IS TRUTH” (John 17:17). Jesus is the founder of the New Testament church, of which we are a small part. Together we have one purpose and vision, that
