Faith News Network

In 1980 it seemed unreasonable to expect that the gospel could be preached openly in Soviet Ukraine, yet a group of believers there listened when a prophecy was given that they would do just that. When the country declared its independence in 1991, however, the freedom of religion offered by the new law enabled the believers to do exactly as the prophecy predicted – they planted churches, evangelized publicly, and gained converts. In 1993, they formally joined the Church of God.

I’ll never forget where I was sitting in the Orlando airport in Florida several years ago when I heard an unusual announcement on the public-address system. A male voice said: “George Mueller. George Mueller. Please contact a service desk for a message.”

United Methodists have upheld their denomination’s rules on sexual ethics, rejecting plans that would permit same-sex marriages and clergy to be sexually active outside of monogamous, heterosexual marriages.