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An Appeal to Leadership
Listen & Lead

By Rob Renfroe

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20).

Our church is in a time of listening. Our bishops have called for a time of dialogue that they and all United Methodists hope and pray will lead to true unity. James tells us that we should be swift to listen and slow to speak. In other words, listening is important. It's what you need to do first, if a dialogue is going to be beneficial.

Even if the Bible didn't emphasize the importance of listening, I think we could discern its value by looking at the human body God created. Perhaps the design illustrates that listening well is twice as important and twice as difficult as speaking. To listen well you need two ears: one to hear what's being said and one to hear what's not being said; one to hear the words that are being spoken and one to hear the emotions beneath the words. And in the dialogue the church is now having, we will need one ear to listen to each other and one ear to listen to the Holy Spirit.

Although I am a member of the National Board of the Confessing Movement, we're not given a script to use or a party line to promote. Still I think I understand and represent evangelical Wesleyan Christians in the United Methodist Church. And if I may be so bold, I think I know what we want the rest of the church to hear.

First, we are not part of evangelical reform movements because we are angry with our church, but because we love it; not because we want to tear it down, but because we want to build it up; not because we want to divide it, but because we want to unite it.

We, clergy and laity, who are calling the church to doctrinal integrity are doing so because the church we love has been drifting from its biblical center and its Wesleyan core. We believe the gift God gave the world through John Wesley is holy and precious, and that this gift must be protected, nurtured, and renewed.

Second, we do not believe that homosexuality is the issue that is dividing the church. That would be like saying that the primary issue facing a patient with a staff infection is his fever. I wish homosexuality was the issue that divided the church. It would be enough. But it's not. The divide runs much deeper than our differences regarding sexual practice and it centers on four key issues.

1. The Nature of Moral Truth. Is moral truth determined by the unchanging character of God? Or is it determined by the ever-changing experiences of human beings? Does the character of God determine what is right and wrong? Or do we conduct surveys and decide that if a certain percentage of persons in a given culture engage in a particular behavior, it can't be wrong. Some say it must be natural and good, even a gift from God to be celebrated.

Our African brothers and sisters were told on the floor of General Conference in Pittsburgh: "Obviously homosexuality is more of a problem in some cultures than it is in others." The implication was clear: the practice of homosexuality is not the same kind of problem for those of us who are more enlightened, and it won't be for the Africans when they have progressed and matured our way. Interestingly, those who were patronizing and dismissive toward our developing world brothers and sisters at General Conference were not conservatives, but liberals.

Evangelicals believe that moral truth is determined by who God is and what he has done, not by who we are or by what we do. And because we are fallen in our actions and in our thinking, we do not believe that we will discern moral truth solely by the power of our intellect or by behavior and deciding that if enough of us do something, it must be ok.

As the Scriptures say, "There is a way that seems right, but in the end it leads to death." It is possible to believe sincerely that something is right and good; but, in reality, it leads us away from the God of life and truth. We believe God determines what is true. And for us to know that truth, it must be revealed.

2. The authority of the Scriptures. Do the Scriptures speak truth to all people in all cultures at all times? Or were they wrong when they were written, culturally determined in their declarations, and hopelessly out of date for persons enlightened by the truth contained in the latest sociological surveys?

At General Conference in 1988 a United Methodist pastor spoke in favor of changing the current language in the Discipline. In a moment of honesty, he explained why he felt comfortable with his position by stating, "We don't go back to the Bible for the last word on anything." Though few are so open about their willingness to dismiss the authority of Scripture for faith and practice, this man is not alone.

Writing in Open Hands, the Rev. Tom Griffith, pastor of a Reconciling congregation, wrote: "Now it's our turn to get honest. Although the creeds of our denomination pay lip service to the idea that scripture is 'authoritative' and 'sufficient for faith and practice,' many of us have moved far beyond that notion in our own theological thinking. We are only deceiving ourselves-and lying to our evangelical brothers and sisters-when we deny the shift we have made..We have moved far beyond the idea that the Bible is exclusively normative and literally authoritative for our faith. To my thinking, that is good! What is bad is that we have tried to con ourselves and others by saying, "we haven't changed our position."

Though I differ with him, I say hooray for Tom Griffith's honesty and willingness to talk about the deep issues that must be resolved if unity is to be a possibility for our church.

Evangelicals are well aware that there are parts of Scripture that are difficult to interpret. We do not claim infallibility in our understanding of the Bible. And we humbly and gladly admit that we need the counsel of the entire body of Christ rightly to divide the Word of truth. We need the witness of the historic Church and we need the insights of our contemporaries, those who agree with us and those who do not.

However, we do not believe that the Scriptures merely point to the Word of God or merely contain the Word of God. We believe they are the Word of God. We believe the Scriptures are more than the witness of godly men and women to God. We believe they are God's witness to us. That means if the Bible contains it, it's not our job to correct it. If the Bible teaches it, it's not our prerogative to twist it. And if the Bible states it clearly and consistently, we don't need the latest copy of Psychology Today, or this morning's Gallup Poll or some pontificator of political properness to tell us why the Bible got it wrong and what enlightened folk, today's new Gnostics, know to be true.

We choose to stand under the authority of the Bible, not over the authority of the Bible. And we will not sacrifice truth for the sake of unity; because we know that if we do, we will end up with neither.

3. The revelatory work of the Holy Spirit. Is the revelatory work always in accordance with the Scriptures? Or can the Spirit amend and even contradict the Scriptures?

Even the most conservative Christians believe that it is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit to illumine the Scriptures, reveal more of its meaning, and show us how to apply the eternal Word of God to the issues of our contemporary time and culture. But liberals, at least the more radical ones, go much further than that. They believe that the living Christ not only offers new insights into the Scriptures, but that he also corrects, amends, and even contradicts it. As one retired elder in our annual conference said to me, "The church created the Scriptures so we can recreate them."

This is where the battle will be fought in the coming years. Did the church create the Scriptures and therefore now has every right to recreate the Word of God? Evangelicals do not believe that the church created the Scriptures. We believe the church received the Scriptures. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, (and yes it was a messy process) the church recognized what God gave to his people to be the canon, the measuring stick by which all claims of spiritual and moral truth are to be tested and judged. And we believe God is consistent. He is true to his nature and he is true to his Word. And we believe he got it right the first time.

When God revealed his Word in the Old Testament, he was not in his spiritual infancy. When he revealed his Word in the New Testament, he was not in his spiritual adolescence. And we do not believe that now 2000 years later, now that God's all grown up, he has finally determined what he really believes and is ready to amend his former writings. Yes, God does new things. Of course, the Holy Spirit has new insights for the people of God. But they will always be consistent with what he has revealed in the past.

4. The uniqueness of Christ. Do we confess him as the only-begotten Son of God, the unique Savior of the world, and the supreme Lord of the universe? Or can he be particularized to our experiences, relativized for a Western culture, and trivialized into just one of many ways to God? To confess "Jesus is Lord" is to affirm nothing less than the absolute uniqueness of our Christ in a world which is full of cosmic competitors.

In our regional jurisdiction we interview episcopal candidates. It's a good process. Candidates respond in writing to our questions. We review their responses, and then we have an hour of dialogue with each one. One candidate was asked about the importance of witnessing. He responded that some of his students did not feel comfortable telling others about their faith. He stated they feel that to do so is "religious and cultural imperialism." He continued, "But I tell them that they can tell others about their faith; simply because a man says to his wife, 'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,' it does not mean that other wives are not sunshine for their husbands." I raised my hand and asked, "Are you saying that in the same way Jesus brings light and truth into our lives, other religious leaders do the same for others." "Yes," he answered. I pressed him, "So when we say that Jesus is the Savior of the world, really we are saying that he is the Savior of our worlds." Again the answer was affirmative. And then he said: "God is wholesale. Jesus is retail."

Let me translate for you. God is Tommy Hilfiger. And you can get him at Jesus J. C. Penney or Buddha Bloomingdales or Muhammed Macy's. It doesn't matter where you get Tommy Hilfiger, it's still Tommy. And it doesn't matter where you get God, any retail outlet in the mall of truth will do.

The good news is that this candidate was not elected to the Episcopacy. The bad news is that he is a professor at one of our UM seminaries, teaching men and women how to preach the gospel and save the lost. Is Jesus just one of many-one of many guides, one of many lights, one of many teachers, one of many sources to be considered as we determine the truth about God, the nature of reality, and morality?

When you talk about Jesus, you are talking about the one who suffered thirty-nine lashes, his back torn apart with a cato'-nine-tails studded with bone and glass and metal, and then nailed to a cross to die the most painful and shameful death the Roman Empire could devise. And he did so, so our sins could be forgiven. So our hearts could be changed. So the curtain would be torn in two and we could walk into the presence of God washed in his blood and holy in the Father's sight. When you talk about Jesus, you are talking about our Lord and our love and our life.

And there is no treasure, threat, promise, or power that can cause us to deny a single word that the Scriptures teach about who he is or what he has done for us. He is not one of many guides. He is not one of many voices. He is not one of many teachers. He is not my sunshine. He is the sunshine. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. He is the one who reconciles a sinful world and my sinful soul to God. He is not one of many. He is the one and only.

These are the four issues that divide and disturb United Methodism. These are not small matters that can be ignored or denied for the sake of unity. They must be addressed or true unity will be impossible.


The whole church
We will not be made whole by singing "bless be the tie that binds" every four years on the last day of General Conference. I wish that would work, but it won't. We won't be made whole by denying our differences with nearly unanimous votes that proclaim our unity of mission when large segments of the church are committed to breaking the covenant that holds us together. Such votes, like a couple of aspirin, may make us feel better for the moment but they do not bring long-term health and wholeness.

We won't be made whole by people misquoting and misusing Wesley's sermon on "Catholic Spirit" to buttress their view that beliefs don't matter. We will not be made whole by a listening process when some of those appointed to listen go to Lake Junaluska and tell a pro-gay gathering, "We believe you're right and those that disagree with you are wrong, and nothing the other side can say will make us change our minds," and then they turn to us and say, "We're ready to hear you." That kind of listening creates more than a little mistrust on our part.

We will not be made whole by institutional responses by company men and women, regardless if they are called bishops, district superintendents or pastors, because what we are facing is more than an institutional problem.

Quite frankly, we won't be made whole by getting the language right in the Discipline. What we are facing is more than a language problem. Unfortunately, getting the right judicial decisions won't make us whole either. What we are facing is not a judicial problem. The people called United Methodist are facing a spiritual problem and we need our leaders to provide spiritual solutions. We are facing the most important doctrinal issues that any church can face and we need our leaders to guard the faith and give doctrinal answers.

The problem we are facing is a question of faithfulness and we need our leaders to give a response that worries less about being inclusive of every view and worries more about being faithful to the Scriptures. In the past, some of our leaders have acted as if they are charged with accommodating the faith instead of contending for the faith. We have had leaders who accept every view no matter how radical. And because they do, they call themselves Christ-like, instead of guarding the gospel and having the church call them trustworthy.

Some of our leaders seem to believe that they cannot take a stand or speak out on the controversial issues of the day because they represent the whole church. The new mantra is that they must represent all views because they are bishops of the whole church. But for that very reason they must speak-and they must speak the message of the church. They do represent the church-the whole church. They represent the church in Africa that has told us that if we change the traditional morality of the Scriptures, we will eviscerate their ability to speak to a continent that is being courted and intimidated by the ideology of Islam. If our leaders represent the whole church, surely they know this means they represent the historic church with its 2000 years of teaching and tradition. They stand in the line of the apostles and have been given the charge and granted the authority to guard the faith.

You never save a troubled institution by refusing to talk about what's wrong. You save an institution by doing what's right. You don't save a hurting institution by maintaining the status quo. You save an institution by changing its present dysfunctional reality. And as important as they are, you don't make a divided church whole simply by listening or ultimately through dialogue. You must at some point provide courageous and, if need be, costly leadership that others will follow.

Like a good counselor, the one thing our leaders must not do is ignore our deepest issues or act as if they do not matter. They must lead us to those issues and they must speak truth to the Church so that with a unified voice we will speak truth to the culture that the world may believe.

We can be grateful that a number of the church's leaders have recognized the deeper issues that divide us, and some have been willing to address those issues publicly.  We have been praying for such voices and we are thankful that they have arisen.  Please, continue to speak clearly and courageously.  We are listening.  And if you lead, we will follow. 

Rob Renfroe is pastor of adult discipleship at The Woodlands United Methodist Church in The Woodlands, Texas. He serves on both the board of directors of The Confessing Movement as well as the General Board of Church and Society. This article is adapted from an address to the Methodist Laity Reform Movement within the Iowa Annual Conference.



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