SOCIAL PRINCIPLES #6 – THE WORLD COMMUNITY

 

            I am continuing my weekly blogs talking about the United Methodist Social Principles. I have discussed The Natural World, The Nurturing Community, the Social Community, the Economic Community and the Political Community sections.

            This week is The World Community section with sub-sections of:

• ·         Nations and Cultures
• ·         National Power and Responsibility
• ·         War and Peace
• ·         Justice and Law      

            Scripture says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) John Wesley said the whole world was his parish. Our Social Principles say that God’s world is one world.

            This viewpoint is at no time truer than now. We have the internet, Zoom, social media, telephone, television, etc. where one or two generations ago, something might have happened, someone would notice it; write about it, and a long time would pass before we might have the opportunity to read about it. Some things could happen and we might never know.

            Now, something happens, and we know almost immediately. We are forced into unity through some of these “advances.” This unity often doesn’t occur naturally. While we may be unified in some ways, churches, religions, countries, nations, peoples are still diverse. I think that’s why agreeing across denominational lines, or across geographic lines, or across other lines is so difficult; we’re forced into unity, but we’re all different.

            It’s difficult for me, with my assumptions, and my belief systems, and my experiences, to understand where others are coming from and where they are going. I have to confess that sometimes I expect others to be at the same point as me, and cannot understand nations that may be at least one generation behind where I am today, or a country that has far different experiences than I have had, or people who are on their own faith journey, but are not at the same point on the same path I am.

            I have to learn, as I believe we all do, to try to understand others and accept the diversity that exists, but still know, in my heart and mind, that God created everything and everyone, and we are all loved by God.

 

           

 

               SOCIAL PRINCIPLES #5 – THE POLITICAL COMMUNITY

             I am continuing my weekly blogs talking about the United Methodist Social Principles. I have discussed The Natural World, The Nurturing Community, the Social Community and the Economic Community sections.

            This week is The Political Community section with sub-sections of:

• ·         Basic Freedoms and Human Rights
• ·         Political Responsibility
• ·         Church and State Relations
• ·         Freedom of Information
• ·         Education
• ·         Civil Obedience and Civil Disobedience
• ·         The Death Penalty
• ·         Criminal Justice and Restorative Justice
• ·         Military Service

            We’ve all heard of the necessity of the separation of church and state. That is true, in the sense that government shouldn’t control how people are allowed to practice religion. Likewise, the church shouldn’t override the government. But, as the Social Principles say, governments are necessary to order the lives of people. And churches are necessary to order our spirits and our faith.

            They can and should be allowed to work together in our lives. For different purposes and at different times. All of that being said, there may be “opinions” of the government that people of faith struggle with. These topics or “opinions” are addressed in this section—not to override the government but to render the opinions and beliefs of people of faith.           

            As a tidbit of information, the United Methodist Church is designed very much like the US government in some ways. The United Methodist Church was formed here in the United States when John Wesley’s Methodist movement was brought here. So the UMC has an executive “branch” (Bishops); a judicial “branch” (the Judicial Council); and a legislative “branch” (General Conference). While we may not like some of the hierarchy in our government or in our church, the creators of both the country’s government and the church’s government set it up in a way they felt would be best. That’s not to say that change is unnecessary or unwarranted or bad.

            Stay informed and understand what is going on! Be good stewards of the political government and situation, as well as the church.

 

 

           

 

                 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES #4 – THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

 

            I am continuing my weekly blogs talking about the United Methodist Social Principles. I have discussed The Natural World, The Nurturing Community and the Social Community sections.

            This week is The Economic Community section with sub-sections of:

• ·         Property
• ·         Collective Bargaining
• ·         Work and Leisure
• ·         Consumption
• ·         Poverty
• ·         Foreign Workers
• ·         Gambling
• ·         Family Farms
• ·         Corporate Responsibility
• ·         Finance
• ·         Trade and Investment
• ·         Graft and Corruption
• ·         Public Indebtedness

            When we talk stewardship, we talk about being stewards of what God has given us. And if the first stewardship scripture is “In the beginning God created,” then everything is God’s. We don’t own any of it. We use it (hopefully well); we care for it (hopefully wisely); and we share it (hopefully generously). So, then, everything we have is God’s. Thus, it makes total sense why all these categories and economics becomes part of a community, a community of which we are all a part. Individuals must act as good stewards, but so much governments and communities, companies and churches.

           

            This isn’t new. John Wesley had many opinions that are summarized in his “Political Manifesto”. This was shared in a series of blogs in mid-2020. Feel free to go back and review them. As an ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church, I am ordained to compassion and justice. The Economic Community speaks to compassion and justice, and it can’t be limited to just deacons. We can be compassionate and feel sorry for someone, but unless we’re willing to do something to make a chance, justice won’t happen. We obviously need to be compassionate, but we also need to work for justice. May it always be so!