Charges Filed against UMC Bishop Sprague. (News)

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Official charges of heresy have been filed against the United Methodist bishop of Chicago, accusing him of abandoning some Christian doctrines.

On the basis of a speech he gave a year ago and a recently published book, 28 Methodists say C. Joseph Sprague should renounce his views or resign his office for not believing in such traditional doctrines as the virgin birth of Jesus, his bodily resurrection and his exclusive role in salvation.

Sprague gave the speech in January 2002 at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. Sprague, a prominent social activist, also laid out his beliefs in Affirmations of a Dissenter, published by Abingdon Press. "He maintains that Jesus …