In recent weeks I have read numerous opinions by various theologians and pastors whom I respect regarding contemporary issues that challenge us as Christians and as a church. Each strives to bring sound reasoning and passion to bear on subjects like same-sex marriage, ordination for homosexuals, defining hospitality and tolerance, and more. One after another, they call for reasoned discussions of the issues. Some are even openly beginning to offer division of the church as the only course of action. Dr. Riley Case, writing for The Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church, in an article entitled “It’s Hard Not to Be Cynical These Days” offers this observation about attempts to resolve the current crisis over church trials involving same sex marriage:
“Bishop Martin McLee, as part of what he claimed was “resolution” made this announcement: “I call us to a cessation of all trials and instead offer a process of theological, spiritual and ecclesiastical conversation.”
For a large part of the church the statement should have been turned around to say: “I call us to a cessation of the processes of theological, spiritual, and ecclesiastical conversations, and propose to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the church.”
In case the good bishop has not been keeping up on things, the church has been calling for and conducting conversations, dialogues, studies, forums, debates, discussions, and holy conferencing, with nothing to show for it all, ever since 1972. We were seeking to hear each other, and understand each other, and feel each other’s pain, and find common ground, and be sensitive to one another, and to examine our various perspectives in 1974, in 1975, in 1979, in 1980, in 1983, in 1986, in 1989, in 1991, in 1993, in 1996, in 1997, in 2000, in 2002, in 2003, in 2006, in 2009, in 2010, and in 2013, and in the years in-between. And we have nothing to show for all of this except empty hands. There are times to do holy conferencing, but there are times when holy conferencing has reached its limits and decisive action must be taken.
A good example of this was the time set aside at the General Conference of 2012 for “holy conferencing.” If time at General Conference is money, then the holy conferencing cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars of church money in an exercise that was generally assessed as unproductive. On the one hand, a delegate reported on the floor of the conference that “bullying” was taking place during the holy conferencing; on the other hand, a number of persons indicated that their time was spent enduring rants. Others said the “conferencing” was respectful and challenging, but nothing was resolved.
Time to go back and pick up some history. In the 1830s and 1840s the church also faced a moral crisis: slavery. The Methodist Episcopal Church was fairly young in terms of years but it had a strong tradition and position that slavery was wrong. One attending issue was whether slaveholders could be church members (like in, Open Doors and Open Hearts). The bishops were divided among themselves and took no action even after one of their own, Bishop Andrews, had himself become a slaveholder. The radical evangelicals were considered trouble-makers because they agitated for the bishops to take leadership (eventually the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Free Methodist Church were formed out of this). In 1842 the bishops urged “conversations” instead of action. The General Conference passed a resolution asking Bishop Andrews to resign, and the church divided.
http://www.confessingumc.org/news-events/happenings-around-the-church/
I encourage you to read this and other articles about these issues at the Confessing Movement website
Now, let me add my marginally-educated theological two cents worth to the cacophony of voices. In 1997, striving to work through some of these issues in my own mind- scripturally, rationally, with an eye to the apostolic church’s longstanding tradition on such matters, and in tune with my own experience with people who are personally affected by the issues, I reflected and wrote about what I felt the Lord was instructing me to do:
We take great pride in the way in which we encourage discussions of God. We reason together among ourselves in a way that allows a wide range of views. In the Methodist church, where we “think and let think”, our methodology for exploring truth is often defined by the quadrilateral- scripture, reason, tradition, and experience. Not all of us have the same experiences, however, so that alone is not a reliable arbiter of truth and of little use if one is seeking agreement on matters. Similarly, not all of us have the same understanding of tradition, depending upon denominational differences and our interpretation of history and the sources we choose to cite. So unless we spend a lot of time in the study of our respective traditions, and comprehensively so, not just calling forth the parts we like, then tradition will be unreliable and subject to debate, too. That brings us to reason. Most would agree that we are not uniform in our intellect or education.
In Isaiah 1:18 the Lord invites us to “Come, let us reason together”. .
1.) “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall become like wool
2.) “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
3.) “But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
So, we are to reason together regarding the issues of sin and salvation ( as described in statement 1), obedience (statement 2) and rebellion (statement 3), and the consequences of each (statements 2&3).
That brings us to the fourth part of the quadrilateral, scripture. In my experience, this seems to be the part of the process most frequently ignored or abused by lay people like myself. Trying to get two Christians to agree about Scripture can be tricky. On the whole we don’t spend a lot of time in the Scripture. We generally don’t encourage committing it to memory or citing it as the basis of our beliefs in everyday conversation. Having already referred to the difficulty in trying to use experience, tradition, or reason to agree upon anything, can we try to find agreement in the Scripture?
Along that line, I’d like to offer just one verse and suggest that if we agree upon just that one verse, we then have a paradigm shift that will enable us to agree upon everything else in the entire world! The verse is this:
“And he said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” Luke 10:27
You will recognize this as Jesus’ response to the Pharisees, who came together after they heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadduccees, to develop an intellectual strategy to trip Jesus up theologically.
Do you agree that this is the first and great commandment? Do you care? Does it matter in the big picture of your life? If so, then the next part may be of interest to you. If we can agree just on this verse, and we care, and it matters in our life that we do, what does it say we have to do?
1.) ”Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” What is the character of those who love with their heart, who have given their hearts to the Lord? Thinking of God makes them feel good. They are touched by tender testimonies and kind, reassuring words of God’s love for them. They have received the gift of grace. They are grateful for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. They know God as the sacrificing Savior Jesus Christ and as the loving Father.
2.) “With all your soul” What is the character of those who have also given their soul to the Lord? Jesus is the most important thing in the world to them, more than family, friends, or worldly possessions. They know they are owned by Him. They know Him as the Lord and Master of their lives.
3.) “With all your strength” What is the character of those who have given their strength to the Lord in addition to their hearts and souls? They are willing to be His disciples, to work on behalf of His kingdom. They know that in order to do His work they have to submit to His instruction regarding what to do and how to do it. They submit to God’s power over them and relinquish their desire to control others, God, even themselves. They know Him as Teacher and Counselor.
4.) “And with all your mind” What is the character of those who have given all their mind? They have ceased to demand their own way. They’re committed to being transformed, changed by the renewal of their minds, not just once but forever as they grow and learn and are brought ever more closely into line with the image of Christ. They are brought into a personal, intimate fellowship with the Lord. They see, hear, and think as He does, but even so, they know that they are not God. They hunger and thirst for righteousness and pursue relationship with Jesus vigorously through the Word. They call Him both Friend and Lord God Almighty.
If we can agree upon just this one scripture and seek to attain the level of love that it requires, then it alone may bring us to agreement on all other matters, scriptural or secular. The agreement, however, will not be one with another, but all of us in agreement with God!
If we give all four aspects of ourselves to Him, He then is revealed to us more completely. What a beautiful and wonderful thing it is when we see more and more of Him and not just one part!
May we seek all of Him and His wisdom in our continued discussions. 3/28/2014 CBB