Strangely Warmed

Please don’t call me “reverend.” “Reverend” is an honorific form of address, and one simply does not use honorifics to speak of oneself. Judges do not introduce themselves, “Hello. I am the honorable Jane Smith.” Why would pastors introduce themselves as “the Reverend John Doe”? And just as I don’t use “Reverend” for myself, I don’t expect you to use it either. I would prefer you did not. Let’s put aside for a moment that “Reverend” is an adjective, not a noun and not a title. “The Reverend Miss Smith” or “the Reverend Doctor Jones” are correct. At least that’s how the English language used the word originally. Of course you’ll find the word used as a title or even as a simple noun in contemporary English. I guess I’m a traditionalist here. But even when used correctly, I still do not want to be addressed or described as “reverend.” The word has an aura of holiness about it. Literally, a person who is reverend is worthy of reverence, a word that I would reserve for God alone. ...

A bishop . . . . . . must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Titus 1:9

United Methodists often speak about four aspects of religious authority: scripture, tradition, reason and experience. This is sometimes known as the Wesleyan quadrilateral, though there is some question of whether it is either Wesleyan or a quadrilateral. Of the four, I have grown most in the past several years in my appreciation for the authority of tradition. And by "tradition," I mean "catholicity." Traditions aren't authoritative simply because they have become habitual or routine. This is especially true in our culture which, by and large, has no memory. Contemporary American evangelicals have "traditions" that are barely a few years old. In our culture, if you do something once it is a novelty. By the time you do it a dozen times, it is a tradition. But neither is tradition authoritative simply because it is old. Authoritative Christian tradition has deep roots and broad acceptance within the church throughout the ages. Tha...