Even More Thoughts on General Conference 4/30

Today has been a hotbed of intense debate and decision. The majority of this was on GBLT issues and the future of homosexuality and the church. I sum up the events of the day with the line, "it's the same ol' story, same ol' song and dance." The debate on GBLT issues has continued since 1972 when the line "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings". A Judicial Council decision 1032 where the idea that the pastor has the final say whether or not a person is ready to become a member. The pastor in the Virginia Conference deferred membership to a openly gay man. The petition 80088 states that the pastor and congregation must receive all people who wish to become members. The rationale is that grace is abundant for all and that if we disallowed sinners the churches would be empty. The minority report wanted to uphold the JC decision and give the pastor the final say. The rationale is that people might try to take advantage of open membership for selfish gain, i.e. wedding discounts, and KKK recruitment (That is not my example, a clergy person actually stood in front of the body and said that a KKK member might join a church to recruit members, I would laugh if it wasn't so sad and pathetic). They say that the pastor must regulate the membership of the church. Personally I don't really want that responsibility.


BTW, the petition just failed by 8 votes. The Discipline language will remain ambiguous. This is disappointing and is another example of the impotence of the 2008 General Conference. The make big statements on easy subjects and ignore the tough issues.

More thoughts on General Conference

So I am trying my best to keep up with the events of the 2008 General Conference. I realize now, just keeping up with the plenary business as it is streamed live on the Internet (kudos to the UMC for technological improvements) that these 10 days of discussions and committees are just a whirlwind of activity, emotions, and information. I really can't imagine at this point in my life being a delegate at GC and I have a tremendous respect for those who take on this heavy burden.

I can tell that the wear and tear of GC is getting to some of the delegates. There have been hints of sarcasm and cynicism in the body. This is not progressive nor Christian. I hope and pray that the delegates can continue to discuss and debate the issues of our church in a respectful manner despite fatigue and frustrations.

Today there has been a lot of discussion in the area of episcopacy. A petition (#81432) that called for a change in the number of bishops in the jurisdictional conferences basing the number of bishops on membership was passed by a narrow margin 457-401. The results of this petition would reduce the number of bishops in all jurisdictions, except for the Southeastern, by 1 and thereby saving money in the episcopal fund opening monies to bishops in the Central Conferences. I do not like this legislation for several reasons. One it puts even more emphasis on numbers, as if there was not enough focus on numbers. If you attend enough district and conference meetings you will hear a lot about increasing numbers. I believe that if we worried as much about helping people as we do about increasing numbers then the numbers would come. Secondly, our bishop in the TN Conference is also the bishop in the Memphis conference and therefore we hardly ever see him. Bishops have too much on their plates already and this will only add more burdens to the episcopacy. Also, although the Holy Spirit is doing great things in Africa and Asia and they are in need of bishops to lead new congregations, we cannot ignore the congregations in the US although the majority of them are losing members. We have to work together to makes disciples of Christ.

Thoughts at the beginning of General Conference

All of you Metho-nuts out there probably know that General Conference began yesterday in Fort Worth, Texas. For you non-Methodists (shame, shame ;) ) GC is a 4 year event where delegates worldwide collide together to discuss, debate, and decide the future of the UMC. The past few GCs were shrouded with the issue of GBLT membership and leadership within the church. This year, unfortunately, seems to have more of the same in store. There are no easy answers or remedies to this problem because if one side benefits the other side feels abandoned and alienated by the church. This is an issue that I continue to struggle with personally and so I understand the frustration and urgency on both sides of the issue. My prayer is that God is with all the delegates and that whatever discussion occurs is done in a Christian manner with love and grace for all. The world watches us not necessarily with enthusiasm unless of course they smell blood to which the calm will rapidly descend into a media feeding frenzy. Although this issue cannot be ignored at any level of the church, my prayer is that it will be done in a manner of respect and with a sense of delicateness. The world watches us because we are the church. It only takes a drop of weakness to draw the razor sharp teeth of cynicism and sarcasm. I am interested to see how the next 9 days work out and in what direction the powers that be steer the denomination. I hope and pray that it is God that steers and not politics and power mongering.

Politics as Unusual

Most people are familiar with the comments made by Barack Obama's former pastor Reverend Wright at Trinity UCC in Chicago. Those comments were harsh, uncalled for, ignorant, and completely inappropriate for the pulpit. This gospel of Christ is meant to be uniting not dividing and this is exactly what Rev. Wright was doing in those particular sermons. There are times to preach prophecy from the pulpit and there are times to speak truth to power, but not by using tactics and rhetoric antithetical to the gospel of Christ. These words have come back to not only haunt Rev. Wright, but also his former parishioner Barack Obama.

So today March 18th Obama stood at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the city of "Brotherly Love", and gave what is arguably the most power and honest speech on race relations since MLK. He took what could have been a time for embarrassment and back-tracking and made a (in the words of Vanderbilt Divinity School) teaching moment. Some will argue that his words were disingenuous and political at best. I believe that these words come from the heart of not only a man, but from the heart of the country. He words held whites and blacks accountable while proclaiming the truth of a broken system. The truth of the situation, that Obama artfully communicated, is that we are not a union of individuals, but a community. What happens to the least of us affects the greatest of us. As MLK masterfully put it, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." It was the first time I have ever seen a politician be truly open and genuine, either that or Obama is the greatest BS artist in history. I don't think that is the case.

I hope people take this as a moment to examine race and racism in their own lives and in their own hearts. It starts within the heart of each person, but it can only change and come into fruition when those hearts are united in community.

Some things I Don't Understand

This past week Feb 5, 2008 as most of you know there were terrible storms and tornados in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama. I have seen these things on TV and even some in person, but I have never known a person killed in a storm related accident. That changed this week. My friend and classmate Michael Welch, his wife, and two kids were killed in a car wreck as they carried supplies to help those affected by the storms. They were hit from behind by an 18 wheeler also carrying supplies. http://www.wsmv.com/news/15253908/detail.html Here was a person who was trying to help in a time of need, here was someone who was embodying the gospel while so many around him here taking advantage of others, by looting, cheating, and lying to these victims. There are so many people I see every day who don't care about anyone but themselves. They go through life completely oblivious to the pain and suffering of others. Except when they are hurt, then it becomes a different story. Then THEY expect people like Michael to come and help them usually with no thanks or appreciation given. I don't understand why good people like Michael are taken from this world and selfish, jerk off people are left behind. I hope that someday I be revealed this answer. I know that someday we will all be rewarded according to our actions on earth, but now it is difficult to imagine.

It's such a challenge

Love is a challenge. This statement might seem a little strange. Love is not something we think of as a challenge, but rather something we either do or don't do. We either love someone or we don't. The challenge is to love those who don't love us back. This seems like such an impossibility sometimes. I run into people all the time who my make it hard to love them. They do not respect others and they certainly do not love me back, at least they do not act like it.

I realize that this is the very thing that Christ calls us to do. "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?"

Love those who persecute you, in today's day and time it is love those who annoy you or abuse or hurt you. I struggle with this daily, sometimes hourly. It is so hard to love and act out that love when the other person is doing everything to reject you and your love. I got to keep on keeping on and moving forward, learning from my mistakes.

Ramblings from Annual Conference

I have been spending the week at Brentwood UMC at the Tennessee Annual Conference. This is my second Annual Conference and it is about the same as the first one...boring. I shudder to think that I will have to go to this every year for the rest of my career if not the rest of my life. Some of my friends from Vanderbilt were commissioned as probationary elders (the first step to ordination) and some were deferred. I don't understand why the some were accepted and others declined. I am frustrated with the system that is the Board of Ordained Ministry in the the Tennessee Conference. I can't get a license to preach because of my weight and yet there are pastors who couldn't find their way out of a paper bag without a map. The Conference Board is going to make the process so difficult that no one will be willing to deal with it. I can go to another denomination and be ordained a lot easier than at the UMC. I am loyal to the UMC, I agree with the Wesleyan theology, but I am frustrated with the red tape and bureaucracy within the system.

The UMC has been declining for the last 30 years. Most people who attend the UMC do so because they grew up in the UMC. The UMC cannot seem to compete with the non-denominational churches that preach prosperity. I think that we are so wrapped up in ourselves and our "polity", "standing rules", etc. that we forget about going out into the world an help people. We spend so much time, money, and energy trying to fulfill our political responsibilities that we often forget about doing the work of the Church.

Another problem, I do not know if this is a problem within other conferences (i suspect so)
but out of around 1200 delegates there are maybe 100 people under the age of 30 there (I think I am being generous). Most of the people there are 50 and older which is all fine and well, but... these are also the people (and I know I am making a sweeping generalization here) that don't really like change and don't like voting young people 35 and younger to leadership positions. So we get the same delegates and people in the same positions year after year and ergo nothing new happens. The reports are boring and some of those who give reports try to be cute to liven things up and all it does is make it stupid. Just read the report as quickly and succinctly as possible and sit down. Anyway I am tired...more to come.