Strangely Warmed

Each year, when political and social resolutions come before my church’s regional conference, I quietly vote against all of them, no matter how well intentioned. At best, they are a waste of time and energy. Here’s what I see. Large meetings are a poor venue for having a meaningful discussions about anything.  “Three speeches for” and “three speeches against” generate more heat than light.  Even the people who agree with me usually sound stupid when arguing on the floor of the conference. Most people don’t know how to have these kinds of conversations in small groups, much less in large meetings. Floor debates don't produce insight or understanding. They only produce winners and losers. One final resolution presented at this year's conference was considered late in the afternoon on the last day of conference when we were already running behind schedule. Even though the resolution proposed several specific legislative remedies to the presenting problem, there was no deb...

As I sat in the clergy executive session at Annual Conference, I heard the bishop ask these questions of those who were to be ordained: 8. Have you studied the doctrines of The United Methodist Church? 9. After full examination, do you believe that our doctrines are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures? 10. Will you preach and maintain them? (Para 336, 2012 Book of Discipline) Questions 11, 12, and 13 then repeat these questions about our polity and doctrine. Every person ordained in the United Methodist Church answers these questions affirmatively. All ordained clergy say that they know what the church teaches, that they believe the church’s teaching is Biblically correct, that they will propagate these teachings and that they will live in accordance with them. What, I wondered, exactly did these ordinands think they were affirming? What do they think the church teaches and preaches? Different parts of our church appear to be on very different paths. Our diversity is rap...