Methodist Distinctives
As the United Methodist Church tries to find its way forward in the 21st century, what should be distinctive about the church and the movement John Wesley began in the 18th century? The answer to that question depends on whether you are looking at Methodism as a movement or at the United Methodist Church as a church. Our constitution begins by saying that we are part of Christ's universal church. I would put it this way: the United Methodist Church is a particular institutional expression of the one holy, catholic an apostolic church of Jesus Christ. A sociologist looking at us would certainly discover some things distinctively characteristic of United Methodist churches and institutions, but "what is" is not necessarily "what should be." The Book of Discipline gives us our distinctive structure and outlines our particular understanding of the faith, both of which have historical roots in Methodism as a movement. Do we maintain these out of allegiance...