Methodism and Other Traditions

When it comes to discussions of doctrine, Wesleyan works are no doubt placed at the head of most Methodist theology subsequent to Holy Scripture. Wesley's practical theology provides Methodist pietist roots with plenty of fodder for discourse. Wesley's Anglican roots provides Methodism with a rich historical development of dogma.  But often times Wesley's "methodism" lacks a certain attention to metaphysics (probably because of his historical situation and the epistemological philosophy of his day). But where we Methodist find Wesley lacking, turning to St. Thomas Aquinas is particularly helpful. Read in conjunction, a fairly wholistic theology emerges.
I say all this just to remind us that we Methodist would do well to reach beyond our own tradition and seek out a more eclectic theology from Christians who provided Wesley with his own thoughts. Often times when I am faced with a theological problem I turn to St. Thomas and Catholic sources.  
Let me give you an example. Wesley's Mariology is quite thin, that is to be expected but a few months ago I was doing some reading from scripture, preparing for sermons and concentrating upon the life of Mary. The issue of Immaculate Conception came up and I was wondering how it was that Mary was with/without original sin. The Methodist sources on this question were thin, but the rich text of St. Thomas Compendium were particularly helpful. I don't want to leave you in suspense, I was not questioning whether Mary was without original sin, but I was questioning how she was without original sin. Meaning: Was she born without it or was she granted a specific dispensation (St. Thomas said the latter, but Duns Scotus made the correction later).
Now you may be saying to yourself, "Who cares?" Well...I do. I think questions like these are fun and help train my mind to think about the things of God (which I always need help with). If we focus on theological questions we might just skip thinking about who is going to win American Idol (and come on, that has to be good). Now before I go into a rant and loose you (if I haven't already) let us return to Methodism.
It would be a grave error for us Methodist to believe that our "method" is solid and fully efficient to explain the intricacies of Christian theology. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, an early 19th century theologian, wrote, "the true is the whole." The whole of Christian theology, every tradition past and present, presents us with a truer picture than one tradition can provide (I would even suggest that an non-theology can provide a measure of truth). What is my point? Don't not be a afraid, as a pastor or laity, to demand more theology from your church. More than one particular theological tradition. The richness of theological sources can provide a lifetime of thinking about the God we serve.

Mark

Praying and Working

Ok,
I have not posted in a long while. I will try and do better. There are a lot of people who need prayer these days and when someone comes to me with a concern it is second nature for me to say, "I will pray for you." Many times I wish I could do more than pray and sometimes I can. Is praying enough? Don't get me wrong, praying is essential to the Christian life and prayer is doing something (it is efficacious). Many people are praying for those affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. It is also the job of Christians to find others ways to help those in need.  Perhaps a church can raise money together and donate to a sister church "on the front lines."
In early Christian theology many writers made a distinction between the contemplative life and the practical life. The contemplative life is often focused upon prayer, study and fasting. While the practical life focused more on the "hands on" work of ministry. It might do us good to be mindful of these distinctions and seek, as Christians, to learn the value of both. We United Methodists have a tendency to emphasize the practical, because of the nature of John Wesley's ministry(so in might be helpful for UMs to be a little more contemplative before we charge in with our pragmatic swords). The Christian faith seeks to establish both the contemplative life and the practical life as essential to a faithful Church. Pray church. Work church.

Mark

Article 8: Obedience of the Church

This article seeks to highlight the importance of obedience. Often times we only obey what we agree with. This is really not obedience. Obedience comes when we do not want to do what is commanded of us but we seek to submit ourselves to a proper authority and do it cheerfully. For example: My sons have no problem obeying me when I tell them to watch a movie on the internet, but they do have a problem obeying when I tell them it is time to go to bed. Obedience is most important when we are weak  as individuals. The church is a covenant community. This is a community that stays together even when there is a fundamental disagreement. Instead of the church being organized by people of like mind, we are organized first by the call of God (as is Article 1) and the covenant made in baptism. 

Obedience then, is our will conformed to Christ who has established the church as the sign and instrument of God's work in the world. In other words, obeying is most important when we find ourselves in disagreement. A radical modern individualism counters this understanding of obedience, suggesting that what is correct for us to do is what we think in our own minds is correct. But inherent in a Christian understanding of the world is a call to humility (we do not always know right and wrong on our own). As Thomas a' Kempis writes, "if we desire that God be among us, we must sometimes set aside our own will (though it seem good) so that we may have love and peace with others. Who is wise that he can fully know all things? No one, surely. Therefore, trust not too much in your own judgement, but gladly hear the advice of others." (The Imitation of Christ) 


VIII. Obedience of the Church


"In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes."
(Judges 17:6)
In the Baptismal Covenant, church members promise to: renounce and resist evil in this world,

confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, be faithful to Christ's universal Church, be loyal to Christ in a particular church (denomination or communion), and participate actively in a congregation. (Most churches have baptismal vows that are similar to the above.)


We believe that faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, clergy and laity, are found in joyful obedience to Christ, in the Holy Spirit's power, through the church's Baptismal Covenant. A disciple's relationship with Jesus Christ is lived out in a covenantal relationship in the Body of Christ, the church.


We reject the assumption that Christian discipleship is basically disconnected from the church, practically devoid of discipline, and fundamentally shaped by individual preferences. 

Article 7: Worship by the Church

This article states that we need to pay attention to our worship. It affirms Word and Sacrament as the activities in which the people of God most profoundly encounter and are confronted with the risen Christ. Worship is not just something people do for God, but an encounter with God. This article speaks against a kind of "consumer" type of worship (worship that fills up our spiritual gas tank), or a worship built on attraction and pragmatism.


VII. Worship by the Church


"And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:31)
"'God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.'" (John 4:24)


We believe the church's corporate worship joyfully binds hearts and minds together to praise, glorify, and honor the Triune God. In public worship, the Risen Christ through Word and Sacrament, the means that most profoundly reveal divine grace and truth, encounters the congregation. The centrality and substance of Word and Sacrament are the criteria by which worship is best evaluated.


We reject the assumption that the church's worship should be determined by the expectations of culture, the needs of individual worshipers, and the latest fads in religion. 

Article 6: Ministry of the Church

This article states that Word, Sacrament and Order are essential to church. Now I think there are creative ways in which these three are expressed. As the quote from Lumen Gentium suggests, the church, as a body called together by God, is a sign and instrument of the union of God and Creation. Christ's presence, in the form of both Word, Sacrament and Order, is the ministry of the church. All other practices flow from the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit in Word, Sacrament and Order.




VI. Ministry for the Church
"The visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men [and women] in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments duly administered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same." (Article XIII, Of the Church, The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church, The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church [2008]. Most churches have similar doctrinal statements.)
"The Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament -- a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity with all men [and women]." (Vatican II, Roman Catholic Church, Lumen gentium 1 [November 21, 1964])


We believe the Church is of God. The faithfulness of the church is made possible by God in Christ working through Word, Sacrament, and Order (including doctrine and morals). As shepherds who are servant leaders of the flock guided by the Holy Spirit, clergy through Word-and-Sacrament ministry serve the church in worship and life. Faithful laity, guided by the Holy Spirit, serve the Gospel in their places in the world, as well as in the church.


We reject the assumption that the ministry of the church, her leaders and people, should rely primarily on organizational, business, or political models, and that the church should preach, teach, and live in a way that seeks to remain culturally inoffensive. 

Article 5 Mission of the Church

This article is basically saying that the church's mission is to make disciples. This discipleship making is not easy and is not driven by "whatever works."  "Whatever works" begs the question of who defines what is working. Rather, the church is to not be afraid of discipline and obedience to its doctrine and teaching. Often times we think that in order to reach people we must be relevant. This article (and this pastor) is not interested in being relevant but being faithful. Now I understand that those things might not be diametrically opposed, but many times in an attempt to become relevant we forsake what makes us holy and separate from the world. In other words, maybe the whole point of church is to be not relevant to the world, but to be a kind of alternative to the world. A body of people continually calling others to be irrelevant to the world. 


V. Mission of the Church
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.'" (Matthew 28:18-20)


We believe that the source of the Church's mission is the risen Jesus Christ. The church's mission has many dimensions (worship, evangelism, education, prophetic witness, service, and fellowship), but the mission itself is to "make disciples of all nations..." This mission requires Christian adults to lovingly lead children and youth in obeying Christ and in fulfilling His church's mission.


We reject the assumption that the church's mission is based on American pragmatism. Pragmatism in American Christianity is most often demonstrated today in the rush to offer religious goods and services, to increase institutional security, to adopt fashionable political formulas, and to bend the church's teachings to incorporate certain aspects of culture even when the Scriptures teach otherwise. 

New Baby Interlude

I figured I would take a short break from our march through the Pro Ecclesia Confession to give some details about the birth of our 3rd son.
We came into the hospital around 7am yesterday morning and had prayer with Rev. Stallsworth.  Syndi was in surgery just after 9am. Asher Bryant was born at 9:43am. He was 8lbs 3oz. 20in long.  He is doing very well along with his Mommy. We are both so happy and thanking God.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark