Archive: Best Book Yet on UM Episcopacy

SET APART TO SERVE: THE ROLE OF THE EPISCOPACY IN THE WESLEYAN TRADITION

by James K. Matthews (Abingdon, $13.95)

Although this book received many favorable reviews just after its publication three years ago, it is most appropriate that it should be reviewed at this time, following the election of a sizeable number of bishops. I know of no other book comparable to this one that will for years be of help to delegates in understanding the episcopal office and in making the best selection among the various persons being considered for this position in the leadership of our church.

Election to the episcopacy should not be a popularity contest Neither should it be achieved by the exchange of votes among a number of annual conferences, so that each gets its favorite son or daughter into office. The most competent persons in the ministry should be identified and sought after to fill this unique office of servant leadership in our church. This book clearly delineates the qualities a person ought to have to serve successfully as a bishop of the United Methodist Church.

Set Apart to Serve is much more than a Methodist concept of the episcopacy. It is a delineation of the concept of episcopacy in Christendom. The first two chapters set the Methodist episcopacy in historical context. The book begins where it should—with Scripture. Although, like Wesley, Mathews does not think that any one particular form of church government is mandated by Scripture (so that ecclesiastical policy can vary with circumstance and human preference), he believes that episcopacy was the prevalent, if not exclusive, form in the New Testament. He feels that in the New Testament the episcopacy and presbyterate were synonymous and originated at the level of the local congregation. Only gradually did episcopacy take on a larger dimension in scope and function so that the bishop came to preside over an area, while the presbyter remained localized as the chief pastor of one congregation.

This was basically Wesley’s position as well. It was not Bishop Asbury’s position, however. He thought the episcopacy was the continuation of the apostolate, and he said he could prove this right out of the New Testament.

Certainly this view of bishops as successors to the apostles prevailed in the post-apostolic era, and it has been the dominant concept in Christendom ever since (as Bishop Mathews shows us in his remarkable survey of Christian history in the second chapter).

The third and longest chapter shows the development of the episcopacy in American Methodism. I found it fascinating reading. There is in my mind—though presumably not in Bishop Mathews’—a contradiction in Wesley’s understanding of episcopacy. He insisted bishops are of the same order as elders, but more than anybody I know of in modern history (except the Pope), he acted as if they were separate and distinct orders. He ordained Coke to the general superintendency; he did not consecrate him. This means that he did not install him in an office; he ordained him to an order. The reason Wesley claimed that elder and bishop were of the same order was to give himself, a mere presbyter, the right to make bishops. And he ransacked church history to justify his action. That is why Anglicans and Roman Catholics made fun of Wesley’s two American bishops by calling them lay bishops.

The last three chapters of the book are practical. They show how the episcopacy in the United Methodist Church really works today. One of the chapters deals with the general duties of a bishop in the governance of the entire denomination. If one studies this chapter carefully, he or she will see how foolish and even detrimental it is for one episcopal area over which a bishop presides to claim all of its bishop’s time and energy. Another chapter shows how the Council of Bishops functions. No one is more knowledgeable in this regard than Bishop Mathews, for he served in a remarkable capacity as its secretary. A third chapter shows how a bishop should operate in his or her own episcopal area.

The final chapter, “The Road Ahead,” is in a sense the author’s testamentary. Here Bishop Mathews unburdens his own heart. He sees the future of our denomination in terms of ecumenism and mission. Mission, of course, is much broader than missions. It is inclusive of missions, and without missions it is unfulfilled.

Prior to his episcopacy Mathews was a foreign missionary and a bureaucrat in the Board of Missions. As a bishop he has been an outstanding ecumenist. The material in all four of these chapters is the reflection of a man on his own episcopal career. It is the distillation of broad experience and profound wisdom.

This book is without rival in its field. It could only have been written by a bishop. Fortunately it was written by one of the ablest of our episcopal leaders.

Reviewed by Bishop William Cannon

 

WEALTH AND WISDOM

by Jake Barnett (NavPress, $7.95)

How refreshing it is to find a reliable book on the often controversial and sometimes aggravating subject of money. Jake Barnett establishes his credibility in a number of ways. The book is based on personal and business experience in practicing the principles he explains. He evenhandedly interprets Scripture contextually without distorting or exaggerating to make his point. Finally he judiciously agrees and disagrees with those in the Christian community who write on the same subject.

Barnett has much to teach us through his integrated view of the world (in which we live materially) and the kingdom of God (of which we are members by adoption). The first part of the book is an extensive investigation of the relationship of material possessions to Christian maturity, the biblical principles relating to God’s economic order and the difficulties of applying God’s order in daily affairs.

The second major section considers the Christian as an individual within the community, with special attention given to possessions. The issues of wealth, capital, giving, receiving, character formation and tithing are thoroughly developed on a biblical foundation with sometimes surprising results.

While none of this book is impractical, the final section on practical application is the most interesting. The chapter on creative giving is full of useful suggestions for multiplying the impact of gifts. The author’s discussion of money management is familiar, but it is better rooted in biblical principles than other similar discussions. The final chapter, while not essential to the heart of the book, relates to cross-cultural applications of biblical principles in oppressive economic systems.

This is a practical and thoughtful contribution on stewardship that will be read and reread. It is a book that can be given to friends.

Reviewed by Ivan L. Zabilka, Ph.D.

 

A TIME FOR REMEMBERING: THE RUTH BELL GRAHAM STORY

by Patricia Daniels Cornwell (Harper & Row, $5.95)

I remember well the day when, as a teenager, I met Billy Graham and Cliff Barrows. Now through her book, Patricia Cornwell has introduced me to Ruth Bell Graham.

Some of what I learned was no surprise; Ruth is a gracious lady, a student of the Word, a wife and mother devoted to her husband and children, a reflective person and a poet. But I observed some unexpected character traits—a quick wit, a daring spirit, a determined will and a passion for souls that would equal her husband’s. Cornwell writes, “Like the partially-read books scattered throughout her house, her life was full of projects and ‘unfinished’ people.”

This love for people fills her days with activity and purpose. Her involvement in others’ lives is her most distinctive and endearing characteristic. In Ruth’s younger days she dreamed of being a “pioneer missionary alone.” This vision turned into raising five children virtually alone while Billy traveled around the world in the role of an evangelist

Ruth gladly took up her task, managing the house, budget and children, determined to have an orderly, disciplined family. This sometimes resulted in battles between Ruth and her offspring (as well as between Ruth and herself). She relaxed the rules, though, when Billy came home. He enjoyed his family, often to the point of indulging them.

Some of the funniest episodes revolve around tourists trying to get a peek at the Grahams in their mountain home: one of the girls decided to take advantage of the opportunity and sell admission; on the spur of the moment Billy invited passersby to join the family for a cookout; fiercely loyal neighbors diverted tourists with a variety of tricks.

Two threads intertwine regarding Ruth and the children: a deep concern for their personal relationship with Christ and a spirit of play and adventure. The former kept her on her knees while the latter led her on one occasion to ride her son’s motorcycle. Both threads make fascinating reading.

Ruth’s world of evangelism did not stop with her children, for she never tired of helping others. The recipients of her helpfulness included the workers who built the Graham’s home in Piney Cove, the mountain-folk neighbors, a regular Sunday school class for college students and a young girl in London who had a warped view of the God of the Old Testament.

As you read this book you’ll learn about Billy Graham and his evangelistic efforts, about the people who knew and worked with the Grahams and about the five Graham children. But most of all you will read the story of Ruth Bell Graham. You will learn to love her and to love her Lord more.

When Ruth first met Billy she wrote of him in her journal, “No reserve. Just [giving]. Desiring only to be well-pleasing to Him.” The same can be said about Ruth.

Reviewed by Ann Coker