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UM theologians stress need for doctrine
By Mark Tooley

Garrett Seminary President Ted Campbell and Bishop Scott Jones of Kansas agree that there is not enough emphasis on doctrine within the United Methodist Church.

The two were discussing and debating the essentials of Wesleyan theology at an annual symposium held February 27 through March 1 outside Chicago, sponsored by the John Wesley Institute, an independent group in the Northern Illinois Conference.

Both Campbell and Jones are former John Wesley Fellows through A Foundation for Theological Education (AFTE), which provides scholarships for theologically orthodox United Methodists seeking Ph.Ds in theology.

Before becoming the president of Garrett Seminary, Campbell was a professor at Wesley Seminary. Prior to becoming elected to the episcopacy, Jones was a professor at Perkins Seminary.

Both men were especially outspoken about the importance of doctrine to the church.

"Doctrine is crucial for the existence of a religious organization, and we haven't done a good job," Jones said. "How do we stay Wesleyan if we don't heed the Notes and Sermons of John Wesley in some way?"

He addressed the responsibility of clergy to uphold the church's teachings. "You need to not preach your personal theology, but preach the theology of the church," Jones said. "You are duty bound to be Wesleyan. Dissent from the church is important, but must be done appropriately."

Jones said that United Methodists are not supposed to contradict the church's doctrinal standards, but can "go beyond and expand." Disagreeing with non-doctrinal parts of The Discipline, such as the Social Principles, is less problematic than disagreeing with the Articles of Religion or the Confession, he added.

"Disapproving of [labor] unions is not as serious as being Unitarian," Jones said.  He noted that the model deed that John Wesley developed for Methodist preaching houses specified that preachers must heed Wesley's doctrinal standards.

Recalling that the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" was "a way for United Methodists to get away from too much emphasis on Scripture," Jones said it was "abused by some parts of the church in the 1970s and 1980s."

Campbell was the primary presenter at the conference, and Jones was his respondent. The Garrett president began by listing the essentials of Christian doctrine as described by John Wesley, which Campbell cited as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the atonement, biblical authority, original sin, justification by faith alone, and regeneration by new birth.

Wesley believed that the doctrine of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was a "fundamental belief" of Christian faith, according to Campbell. Sincere believers may not know the terminology, and might even have mistaken opinions about it, he noted. But Wesley thought faithful and serious Christians must uphold the doctrine.

Wesley believed that the "complete divinity" of Christ was also "essential" to Christianity, Campbell explained.  Similarly, Wesley thought there was "nothing of greater consequence" than the doctrine of atonement and that without belief in the atonement, religion becomes merely deism. Campbell said Wesley did not insist on "any particular understanding" of the atonement, but emphasized that "salvation was based on the whole life of Christ."

Wesley was committed to the traditional Protestant doctrine of Scripture alone as the final authority for the church, Campbell noted.  Likewise, Wesley affirmed the doctrine of original sin, but modified the Augustinian and Reformed belief that God would condemn persons for the sins of their ancestors. According to Campbell, Wesley leaned on Eastern Orthodox traditions by stressing that each person is liable for his or her own sins, not the sins of their parents.

Another traditional Protestant belief that Wesley affirmed and thought essential was justification by faith alone, Campbell said. But Wesley's emphasis was slightly different because he insisted that faith cannot mean only assent, but must engage the heart and affections.

Wesley's seventh essential doctrine was regeneration through the "new birth," Campbell said. Methodism's founder warned against leaning on the "slender reed of baptism," when salvation required being born again. Belief in the possibility of entire sanctification beyond regeneration was a distinguishing mark of Methodism, though Campbell said Wesley did not make that an essential Christian doctrine.

Responding to Campbell's presentation on essential doctrines of Wesley, Jones said of United Methodism, "We are a church with clear doctrine. It shapes our practice in ways we don't know."

Describing himself as a "genetic Methodist," Jones explained that essential doctrine was not necessary for salvation, but was essential for "genuine Christian teaching." Essential doctrine is not "saving faith," and "there are people saved in other religions" who "will face Christ in Heaven," Jones said.

Basic Christianity
Jones said Campbell's description of Wesley's theological "distinctions" was wrong because Wesley believed there should be nothing distinct about Methodism. Wesley asserted he was preaching "just the religion of the Bible."

"Every time he [Wesley] lays out Methodist beliefs he's saying it's basic Christianity," Jones said. Wesley was determined to preach "primitive Christianity" and to rescue the faith from "more corrupt forms." Jones asserted Wesley would include holiness and sanctification on his list of important doctrines. Smiling, Jones also told Campbell, "You got through the whole lecture without talking about [grace]!"

Jones suggested that the understanding of God as love should be counted among Wesley's essential doctrines. While the Reformed tradition emphasized God's sovereignty, Wesley instead insisted on the primacy of God's love.

Regarding justification by faith, Jones questioned whether Campbell was not ascribing to Wesley "too Lutheran an interpretation."

"Luther was confused on this," Jones said. "Wesley said Luther was ignorant of sanctification," Jones noted. "But Roman Catholicism was often ignorant of justification." Wesley believed that it had "pleased God to give the Methodists a clear understanding of both," Jones observed.

Wesley believed that works are not "directly" necessary for salvation, but are necessary for the "continuance of faith," Jones said.  

Responding to Jones, Campbell said Wesley did "claim a distinctive task" for Methodists in some cases that set the Methodists apart from the rest of Christianity. In some cases, Wesley professed to believe only in the "old doctrines." But the evangelist also believed that Methodists had "special gifts" and a "unique mission."

Campbell explained, in response to Jones's query, that Wesley's understanding of grace was embedded in his doctrine of original sin, which emphasized the universal need for God's mercy.

Jones recalled Wesley saying he came within a "hair's breadth" of Calvinism. Wesley was shaped by Puritanism and shared in John Calvin's "strong emphasis on grace." But Calvin believed in double predestination, while Wesley believed in the possibility of universal redemption.

Presbyterianism lost its debates with Wesleyan Arminianism in the early 19th century, Jones said. Now Presbyterians usually function as Arminians. But Jones said they want to "remember Calvin" instead of remembering Charles Finney, the nineteenth century Presbyterian evangelist who stressed the universal appeal of the gospel.

Jones pointed out that Wesley "raised the bar" as to what a Christian really is by insisting on the "individual experience" of conversion, instead of merely baptism or membership in a state church. In doing this, Wesley gave "self-worth" to the lower classes who flocked to early Methodism. Jones suggested the birth of the Wesleyan movement should be traced, not to Wesley's Aldersgate conversion experience, but to the day in 1739 when he first preached in an open field to 3,000 people.

Campbell compared Wesley's beliefs about conversion to the Puritans who influenced him. The Puritans believed in an assurance of salvation, as Wesley would, but they believed that sanctification was a process of growth and holiness that does not culminate in this life. In contrast, Wesley emphasized the possibility of sanctification in this world. 

Wesley understood the claims of the Methodist movement to be common Christian teachings, Campbell acknowledged. But though Wesley did not see Methodist teachings as distinctive, he saw Methodism as a "distinctive apostolate," or unique association, within the wider church.

Both Campbell and Jones agreed that Methodism claims apostolicity. But Campbell disagreed with Jones about Methodism claiming catholicity. "We don't represent the fullness of the faith," Campbell said. "My belief is that catholicity is found in the ecumenical church," he added. "And we're incomplete without the communion of other churches."

Jones replied that "too many believe there's a huge jump from the Apostles to Wesley without realizing how much Wesley borrowed from those who went before." Wesley thought religious experience was the goal of sound doctrine. But Wesley did not have a good ecclesiology, Jones complained. "How do we fix his problems?" he asked.

There are three levels of doctrine for United Methodists, Jones asserted. The first level includes the Articles of Religion, Wesley's Notes and Sermons, The Confessions and General Rules. The second level is comprised of contemporary statements of doctrine approved by the General Conference. And the church's liturgy and hymnody are the third level.

Jones recalled that the United Methodist stance on abortion, which speaks of "tragic conflicts of life with life" that might justify abortion was originally conceived by the late ethicist Paul Ramsey. Most abortions in America are for birth control and, according to United Methodist standards, are "immoral," Jones noted. "You don't hear the United Methodist Women and others saying that." 

Observing that the United Methodist connection is weakened in part because of a growing loss of community in the United States, Jones said the 1960s generation makes for "poor leaders" because they grew up very "anti-institutional."

"We elect leaders who are managers rather than leaders," Jones observed of the church. "We don't do doctrine very well because we don't care about it. We care about hymnody and social issues."

Noting that the Kansas Conference, of which he recently became bishop, had suffered a 50 percent loss in Sunday school attendance, Jones complained of widespread membership decline. "The United Methodist Church has become more liberal and the culture more conservative and people have gone elsewhere," he said. "There has to be greater doctrinal discipline."

"There's a bend-over backwards, don't offend anybody attitude in the United Methodist Church that doesn't mention Jesus," Jones observed.

Jones said Roman Catholicism is often still stuck in the mindset of old Christendom and needs to adjust to modernity. But he expects that in his grandchildren's time United Methodism will be in union with Roman Catholicism. "They have more to teach us than the Southern Baptists or Episcopalians," he said. "And they need us."

Campbell noted that for doctrine to become doctrine for the church it must not only be proposed by the church's governing body, but also received universally and across time by the church's members. "The people have a voice in doctrine," he insisted.

Mark Tooley is the director of UMAction, a committee of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C.

 

"Joan of Arcadia" helps
families discuss touchy topics
By Vicki Brown

The idea of God talking to a teenage girl might sound like a conversation stopper, but parents and teens who are fans of "Joan of Arcadia" say the television drama provides a weekly basis for discussions about faith, relationships, and a host of other real-life topics.

A recent episode, in which one of Joan's best friends dies in a drug-related stabbing, has 15-year-old Meghin Stevens of New York talking to her parents about recklessness.

"We have been talking about how teenagers seem to think they're invincible and do insane, reckless things, like Judith, and how her death affected Joan and made her so angry at God for taking her best friend away, even if it was Judith's time to go," writes Stevens, who visits an online fan site. Although Stevens is not a church-goer, she believes in God and says the show has strengthened her faith.

The youth Sunday school class at Blakemore United Methodist Church in
Nashville, Tennessee, often watches the show, then discusses it on Sunday
mornings. Sarah Williams, 15, believes the common thread that ties all the shows together is the concept of doing the right thing.

"They all have to do with doing what you know is right even when you really don't want to do it," Williams says. "Every episode is so unique, it brings about lots of discussions."

Her Sunday school teacher, Doc Hooks, says an issue that has come up often in discussions of the show is the idea that it is OK to question your position and what you are being called to do. "In 'Joan' and in the Bible, plenty of people argue with God that they are not the right person for the job," Hooks says.

The ripple effect of Joan's actions also appeals to teens, Hooks says. "By doing small things, you can have a huge impact," he says. "Actions can cause ripples-effects in a way you never intended." And, he says, God often asks Joan to do things that make no sense to her and that she doesn't want to do.

"God didn't tell Noah he was going to enjoy the ride," Hooks says. "He just said to build a boat."

Despite the out-there idea of God appearing in the guise of a hot guy, a punk kid, a suburban mom, or the cafeteria lady, both adults and teens cite realism as one of the show's strengths.

Many TV shows aimed at teens feature the stereotypical popular, pretty girl, the jock, and the outsider rebel character, or the shows are sex-obsessed, says Melissa Caldwell, director of research and publications for the Parents Television Council. The organization gave its seal of approval to the CBS show with a caution that it's not suitable for younger children because of themes such as death and dying and sexuality.

"The main character, she's not the most popular girl, not the prettiest girl or the smartest, but she has a close circle of friends," Caldwell says. She adds that almost every episode includes subject matter that could start a family discussion.

"There was an episode about bullying in which Joan tries to be friends with the bully," Caldwell says. Although the bully still goes to jail, the character of God shows Joan that her friendship kept the boy from going to school and shooting classmates and teachers.

"She saved the lives of dozens of classmates because he felt so isolated. He would have come to school and shot several classmates. (Joan's action is) certainly consistent with Christian teaching and doctrine of loving your enemy," Caldwell says.

While the show takes a nondenominational approach, with no mention of Jesus or specific doctrines, the Rev. Christopher Robinson says it's clearly coming from a Judeo-Christian, even prophetic, tradition. Robinson, a Catholic priest and professor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago, says the show does a good job getting young people to consider faith questions.

The show presents a complex view of a God who is with Joan, but does not step in and miraculously make her brother walk again or fix her problems. For instance, Robinson says he was stunned to hear a line in one show that was straight from Thomas Aquinas, when God tells Joan the opposite of faith is not doubt but certitude.

"In a prophetic tradition, she's praying by talking to God; she wrestles with him and she gets angry with him," Robinson says. "God is complicated, and everything doesn't end up OK, but she has a relationship with God."

Vicki Brown is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tennesse. This feature was developed by UMC.org, the official online ministry of the United Methodist Church.

 

Bishop Earl G. Hunt Jr., church
"giant," dies at age 86
By Dawn Hand

United Methodist Bishop Earl Gladstone Hunt Jr., 86, a leader in the church and in world Methodism, died March 26 at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina.

Elected to the episcopacy in 1964, he led annual (regional) conferences in the church for 24 years before retiring in 1988.

During his 46-year career, Hunt served at all levels of the United Methodist Church and was active in the World Methodist Council. He also was widely respected as an evangelist, earning the top awards given for outstanding evangelism in the denomination.

"He was a strong, articulate, passionate voice for the spread of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ," said the Rev. H. Eddie Fox, director of world evangelism for the World Methodist Council in Nashville, Tennesse. ".When he stood to speak, everyone listened."

Fox, a fellow Holston Annual Conference native, knew Hunt for almost 50 years. "Whether it was on the world scene (or) whether it was in the Council of Bishops, he was certainly a giant."

Hunt was born in Johnson City, Tennesse, on Sept. 14, 1918, the son of Earl Gladstone and Tommie Mae DeVault Hunt. He earned a bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University in 1941 and a divinity degree from Candler School of Theology in 1946. He was ordained a deacon in 1944 and an elder the following year.

He began his pastoral ministry at Sardis Methodist Church in Atlanta as a student pastor.  Returning to his home conference in 1944, he served churches in Kingsport, Chattanooga, and Morristown, Tennesse. In 1956, he was elected president of Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia, where he served for eight years.

He became a bishop at age 46, when the Southeastern Jurisdiction elected him and assigned him to lead the Charlotte (North Carolina) Area. During his 12 years there, he appointed the first black pastor to serve as a district superintendent in the Southeastern Jurisdiction and he organized a lay advisory council.

In 1976, Hunt was assigned to the church's Nashville (Tennesse) Area. There, he began his writing ministry, producing several books on theology and evangelism. At the time of his death, he was working on his last book, An Open Door.

In 1980, Hunt became leader of the Florida Area, where he served until 1988. While in Florida, he led the denomination's Committee on Our Theological Task. The committee spent nearly eight years perfecting a document addressing the church's theological task in the world. In 1988, the General Conference adopted the document, which is still contained in the denomination's Book of Discipline.

Hunt was the keynote speaker for the 1976 World Methodist Conference in Dublin, Ireland. He served 10 years on the council's executive committee and was awarded the World Methodist Chair of Honor in 1988.

Upon retiring, he moved to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. There he served as president of the Foundation for Evangelism, an affiliate ministry of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. In 2002, the foundation honored him as a Lifetime Distinguished Evangelist of the United Methodist Church-a rare honor. Other recognition included the Philip Award, given by the National Association of United Methodist Evangelists.

"Bishop Hunt was larger than life in so many ways," said Bishop Richard Looney, president of the Foundation for Evangelism.

Hunt's arrival at the foundation in 1988 came at a critical time, Looney said. "He brought real strength and credibility in moving the foundation forward.He gave so much energy, and that helped to renew the foundation's vitality."

Hunt gave his energy to numerous other organizations during his career, including the General Council on Ministries and the governing board of the National Council of Churches. He led the United Methodist Bicentennial Planning Committee, the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and the Council of Bishops and served as a trustee for 10 colleges and universities.

The bishop is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Kyker Hunt; his son, Dr. Earl Stephen "Steve" Hunt; and his daughter-in-law, Edeltraut Hunt, of Bethesda, Maryland.

Dawn Hand is director of communication for the UM Church's Western North Carolina Annual Conference. Some information was from the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times newspaper.

Nomads travel far, wide to help those in need
By John Gordon

Nomads are, by definition, wanderers. But some nomads have a purpose in their wandering: reaching out to help communities and families along the way.

About 1,100 members of the United Methodist Church's Nomads (Nomads on a Mission Active in Divine Service) travel across the United States, repairing homes for needy families and doing renovation at churches, schools, and community centers. Most are retirees who travel in their recreational vehicles.

"We're missionaries, of a sort. That's how we think of ourselves," says Joanne Smith, a Nomads  member from Valparaiso, Indiana. Smith, 67, is a retired systems analyst for a large steel company. After six years in retirement as a self-described "lady of leisure," she discovered Nomads while visiting a church in Mississippi with her husband, Bruce.

They joined immediately and have helped with 29 projects since 1999.  The latest is renovating a home for a family in Falfurrias, a small, impoverished south Texas town hit hard by a hurricane and floods.

"It's amazing, the number of things you learn," Joanne Smith says, as she works on new walls in the house. "Like, my resumé grows every year," she says. "People are amazed. People say, 'How did you learn how to do drywall?'"

The house is a dream come true for Maria Reyes, who will live there with her husband and two of their children.

"I was working very hard to get this house," Reyes says. "I appreciate them to do this for my kids and for my family. That's my dream, a house."

Each project typically lasts three weeks. The trips mean time away from families and friends, but Smith, a member of Valparaiso First UM Church, enjoys working on the Nomads projects. 

"Our friends and family think it's such a major sacrifice," she says, "and we come home and we don't feel like we've done a major sacrifice. We usually get back more than we've given."

Another member of the Falfurrias team is Don Schoenbein, 69, an Illinois farmer who spends three months during the winter volunteering for Nomads projects.

"The best thing I like to do is work on homes," Schoenbein says. "The satisfaction (is) in seeing the people finally having something of their own that's improved, and just the joy of seeing little kids have a place to have their own room."

Schoenbein and his wife, Evelyn, are veterans of 58 projects over the last 15 years. "We just love to see all the joy that it gives to the needy people when they have their homes repaired. It's a joy," Evelyn Schoenbein says.

The work is also satisfying for Marshall Neill, a member of Whitehouse (Texas) UM Church, about 100 miles east of Dallas. He joined Nomads in 1998. "We've always had a sense of, when we get through, that we've helped a single family, in some cases we've helped a community," he says. 

Nomads members enjoy the fellowship, and many have developed long-lasting friendships.

"We live a sermon before people who see us," says Don Levens, Nomads board president. "We do a lot of good, but just think about how much meaning in life we are offering these people, instead of just running up and down the road and playing shuffleboard."

Money for the materials used on Nomads projects comes from the group's fund-raising efforts and contributions from churches and other organizations. The program is part of the denomination's Volunteers in Mission outreach.

Last year, Nomads worked on 121 three-week projects from South Carolina to California, according to Levens. Based on $13.50 for each volunteer hour, their work totals $1.6 million in donated labor.

Their average age is 68, and Joanne Smith says some of her friends in the group are nearing 80.

She has no immediate plans to scale back her Nomads work, but when she does eventually decide to stay closer to home, she hopes other volunteers take her place.

"If it inspires somebody-when they're asked to do something, they say, 'Well, those guys were doing it, I could do it'-that's a good thing," she says. "I think that's the biggest difference we could make."

John Gordon is a freelance producer and writer in Marshall, Texas. Distributed by United Methodist News Service.



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