Archive: 20 Years at a Glance

By Sara L. Anderson and James V. Heidinger II

PUBLICATIONS

In the days of high-speed, high-tech printing with computerized labeling and subscription lists,  the thought of producing a national magazine in a small print shop and assembling it in the editor’s  garage with a volunteer youth group affixing hand-typed mailing labels seems an impossible task.

But although the 6,300 digest-sized issues of Good News emerged from humble beginnings, their content struck a nerve. An Auburn, Ala., reader charged, “Your magazine is JUNK!” On the other side, Carl F.H. Henry, then-editor of Christianity Today, wrote, “A mighty fine beginning—congratulations!”

Obviously, not all recipients of a magazine directed to the overlooked evangelical portion of the Methodist Church rejoiced, but to those who felt isolated in an increasingly liberal denomination, Good News was as welcome as a seltzer in the Sahara.

In 1966 journalist-turned-pastor Dr. Charles Keysor wrote an article for the Methodist ministers’ magazine, the Christian Advocate, explaining the convictions of evangelical Christians.  The responses to “Methodism’s Silent Minority” conveyed two themes:  “I thought I was the only one left in the church who believes these things” and “I feel so alone—so cut off from leadership and organization of my church.”

In response to the apparent need and after much prayer, Keysor, pastor of a church in Elgin, Ill., decided to begin a magazine which would be a “Forum for Scriptural Christianity” within the denomination.  At the suggestion of his wife, Marge, he called it Good News.

As interest grew, Keysor chose 12 people as board members and Good News became a full-fledged organization with the group’s first meeting in May, 1967.

Like any 20-year-old, Good News has grown, matured and survived many transitions.

The magazine switched from digest to full-sized magazine format with the January/February 1985 issue, and circulation has grown to more than 20,000. The Good News Board has expanded as well to 40 pastors and lay people from around the country. The staff, from two, is now 20. The organization is developing a modest book-publishing enterprise as well, with the release of Basic United Methodist Beliefs, a compilation of evangelical Wesleyan doctrine, and The Problem of Pluralism by Jerry Walls.

But those facts provide only the skeleton for Good News activities, its triumphs and setbacks, in the last two decades.

For many Methodists earnestly seeking a breath of spiritual renewal for the denomination, Good News became a rallying point. Pastors and lay people began organizing sympathetic annual conference renewal groups. Over the years these have become the grass-roots network for the movement, and currently about 65 percent of annual conferences have some kind of renewal fellowship.

STAFF

Still, the Good News Board felt a larger gathering would be unifying and inspiring. Organizers prayed and planned, unsure what size crowd they’d attract. To their amazement, “The Convocation of United Methodists for Evangelical Christianity” drew a whopping 1,600 people to Dallas in August, 1970. It offered a new hope for renewal to evangelicals feeling alienated from their denomination.

The convocation became an annual event, changing location every year, and thousands of United Methodists have come from great distance to be encouraged by the fellowship and instruction. Current Good News Executive Director Jim Heidinger recalls a couple who told him after the 1986 Convo, “When we came here we were so discouraged, we were planning to leave the church.  But our hearts have been renewed and we’re going back to our church with new hope.”

Convo-goers have also benefited from programs introduced there, such as Marriage Enrichment, Trinity Bible Studies and Faith Promise Support for second-mile missions giving.

Another early Good News concern focused on Sunday school curriculum.  Evangelicals had long complained that church-published material often lacked a strong Biblical base and even departed from historic Methodist doctrines. In 1969 Good News leaders met to discuss the issues with the church’s curriculum editors and officials. The discussion was generally frustrating, but these dialogues continued, and gradually the Publishing House has become more responsive to evangelical concerns.

Then in 1975 Good News published the We Believe junior high confirmation material in response to United Methodist pastors who were dissatisfied with the materials. We Believe has gone through 11 printings and is currently being updated. In 1979 a senior high/adult version was published.

In 1983 and 1986 Good News released volumes one and two of the Let Your Light So Shine program books for United Methodist Women’s groups.

Probably the most significant area of Good News concern is the struggle against doctrinal compromise. When the movement began the church struggled with theological confusion. Some lay people grew discouraged by pastors who pooh-poohed historic Christian doctrines such as the Incarnation, the Resurrection and the authority of Scripture.

Meanwhile, at the 1972 General Conference, the church adopted theological pluralism as the guiding principle for theological formation. Though never defined, it was an attempt to accept the wide variety of theological views found in United Methodism. However, evangelicals felt this stance would lead to a lack of doctrinal clarity and to doctrinal error.

Their fears were well founded. When one young pastor challenged a United Methodist seminary professor for denying the bodily resurrection of Christ, his district superintendent reproved him, saying, “You must remember that you are in a church that embraces theological pluralism.”

Concerned that their evangelical faith be articulated clearly, Good News leaders authorized the formation of a “Theology and Doctrine Task Force” in 1974. Headed by Dr. Paul Mickey, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Duke University’s Divinity School, the goal was to prepare a clear statement of “Scriptural Christianity” faithful to the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren traditions. The “Junaluska Affirmation,” which presented statements on the Trinity, Humanity, the Scriptures, Salvation, the Church, and Ethics, was adopted by the Good News Board in 1975.

Then the 1984 General Conference authorized a task force to prepare and present a new doctrinal statement for approval at the 1988 General Conference. Many Good News leaders feel this was partially a result of their persistent efforts at doctrinal reform.

With concern for theological issues, Good News has also approached the problem of United Methodism’s 13 theological seminaries, all of which have been dominated by liberal thought. In 1975, United Methodist evangelist Ed Robb blasted the denomination’s theological education in an address at the Good News Convocation. His desire to bring Wesleyan thought back to the United Methodist seminaries led to a friendship with Dr. Albert Outler, the esteemed Wesleyan scholar. Together, and with the help of others, they formed A Foundation for Theological Education (AFTE).

Although AFTE is not a Good News program, it draws heavy support from its constituency. So far 45 evangelical scholars, called John Wesley Fellows, have participated in the Ph. D. scholarship program. AFTE leaders hope to see many of these men and women teaching in the United Methodist colleges and seminaries.

Many Good News emphases make public appearances at the annual convocations. Missions were no exception. In 1973 Dr. David Seamands, Good News board member and former missionary to India, told the convocation that the church missionary force was shrinking greatly. He also noted that the General Board of Global Ministries seemed more concerned about social reform than about matters of faith, conversion or church planting.

Then, in 1974, 72 United Methodist evangelicals from 23 states met in Dallas to discuss the church’s mission program. They established an Evangelical Missions Council (EMC) and authorized an executive committee to begin a dialogue with GBGM leaders to establish “a clear and trustworthy channel for evangelical missions within the church’s mission board.”

CONVOCATIONS

The dialogues proved less than productive and in 1976 the EMC became a Good News task force. Rather than just talking with leaders of the GBGM, EMC decided to get local churches enthused about world missions. Virgil Maybray was hired as full-time executive secretary and spent most of his time encouraging local churches to expand their missions giving, especially through second-mile faith promises.

During eight years with EMC, Maybray saw several million dollars raised for missions, at least one million of which was channeled through GBGM’s Advance Special program to support official United Methodist programs and personnel.

However, dialogue between the two agencies appeared fruitless as the United Methodist missions force became increasingly committed to radical liberation theology. A concerned group of large-church pastors and missions professors met in St. Louis in 1983. Out of that came a new supplemental missions agency, the Mission Society for United Methodists. While not officially related to the new society, Good News decided to phase out its EMC ministry and merge its resources with the new organization, while continuing to encourage GBGM to be faithful to its mandate to evangelize the world.

Another major emphasis for Good News is the church’s political process, specifically the General Conference. In 1972 for the first time, Good News staff prepared and distributed ten petitions and four resolutions, urging evangelicals across the church to send them in individually or from their local churches. On the conference floor Good News board members produced newsletters giving the Good News perspective on issues and contacted sympathetic delegates.

Still, the 1972 General Conference was a huge disappointment. It approved abortion and proponents of the homosexual issue gained strength. Delegates made theological pluralism official.

By 1976 Good News was better organized, with a team of 25 to observe the legislative committees and lobby for evangelical concerns. It was the first time evangelicals had been an organized presence at General Conference.

At that Portland, Ore. meeting the push to accept homosexuality gained the most notice. But the delegates rejected efforts to remove the key Social Principles statement, ” … we do not condone the practice of homosexuality…” Good News was a valuable asset in the defeat of this measure.

By 1980 the Good News effort was better organized and outfitted than ever—with a budget of more than $60,000 and a team of 65 in Indianapolis. More than 50,000 United Methodists participated in a prayer chain to support the effort.

GENERAL CONFERENCES

The movement sent out more than 14,000 petition packets with detailed instructions on writing petitions, with model petitions on 17 topics including designated giving, abortion, homosexuality, the family and strengthening the church’s theological statement. Also, Good News sent letters in advance to all delegates giving the Good News rationale for its stands.

The major victory for evangelicals came through the efforts of layman David Jessup who authored a petition on board and agency accountability after investigation of their spending habits. As a result, General Conference passed legislation requiring each general agency to report cash grants given to “organizations, individuals, coalitions, consultations, programs and entities not formally part of the church.”

Good News used a similar strategy for the 1984 General Conference in Baltimore. The results indicated it was the best year yet for evangelicals. Of twelve Good News petitions, seven were passed in one form or another. One bishop remarked that in 26 years of attending General Conferences, he could not remember sensing as much emphasis on prayer and spiritual concerns.

While Good News proved persuasive, it did not resort to highly visible strategies. Following one important vote, someone approached board member Virginia Shell and said, “I’ve been wondering just where Good News has been the past few days. But when that last vote was taken and they announced the results, I knew.”

Legislation was passed banning the ordination and appointment of self-avowed, practicing homosexuals. The conference authorized a task force to prepare a new doctrinal statement and expressed some consternation about the policies of the GBGM.

In a footnote to these recent activities, it should be noted that Good News founder, Charles Keysor, stepped down from Good News in 1981. Friends of the ministry were saddened when he died of cancer late in 1985.

James V. Heidinger II, a former chairman of the Good News Board has directed the work since then. He believes that renewal can come and is pleased by gains made in 1984. In all the effort expended toward reform, Heidinger says, “We have demonstrated a dogged desire to remain a part of the church and have shown we are willing to work for change within the system. However, we see critical problems that the church must be willing to face.”