With every passing day it seems the Church is being inundated with assertions that fly in the face of historic, orthodox Christian belief. The Church's foundation is being whittled away with every passing faddish ideology that goes unchecked. As the Bible's authority is stripped away, we become more and more adrift in a chaotic sea. When Christ's Lordship is undermined by the questionable findings of modern scientism and psychobabble, we lose our bearings a little more. When there is no transcendent doctrine derived from a sure authority, we find ourselves in a familiar, yet foreign land where everyone does that which is right in their own eyes.
Ideas have consequences.
One ironic consequence of the liberal effort to undermine the authority of Scripture is that it is the only basis by which they can speak of the love and grace of God. It is the only source that they can appeal to to claim that a judgmental attitude is wrong. I cite these two examples because in every debate about the secondary moral issues that catch the headlines in our denomination, liberal leaning United Methodists always point to a loving and gracious God who has told us that we should never be judgmental toward others. That couldn't be the answer because the liberals have taught us that the Bible is unreliable, antiquated and useful only as a relic of our shared history - but it certainly cannot guide 21st century people. Thus, they find themselves in a quandary.