"When Africans speak their Biblical convictions, threatened liberal church bureaucrats in the U.S. call that 'manipulation,." - UM Action Executive Director Mark Tooley

Contact: Loralei Coyle, 202-682-4131, 202-905-6852 cell, lcoyle@TheIRD.org; Radio Interviews: Jeff Walton, jwalton@TheIRD.org; both with the Institute on Religion and Democracy

WASHINGTON, April 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- Liberal church officials in the U.S. harshly condemned the United Methodist Renewal and Reform Coalition after the Coalition provided cell phones free of charge to international delegates attending the United Methodist General Conference.

The conference, United Methodism's chief rulemaking body, is a denominational gathering that occurs every four years delegates from around the world.

In an official "United Methodist News Service" story, Church agency officials and some bishops accused the coalition of "paternalism, manipulation and of course, racism." Meanwhile, African delegates expressed appreciation for the cell phones.

UM Action Executive Director Mark Tooley commented,

"Why are liberal church elites in the U.S. so intimidated by the empowerment of African and other international delegates? What are they so afraid of?

"When Africans speak their Biblical convictions, threatened liberal church bureaucrats call that 'manipulation'.

"Patronizingly, United Methodist bureaucrats assume that African and Filipino delegates can be bought with a cell phone.

"These clueless church elites don't understand the obvious. America evangelicals and Global South evangelicals support each other because of their common faith."

The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches' social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.

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