Course Review: Methodist Identity-Beliefs

 Information about the Course

This is a course offered by BeADisiciple.com called Methodist Identity: Beliefs. This is a course offered as part of the Wesley Academy for Advanced Christian Studies, created in partnership with Wesley Theological Seminary and BeADisciple.  The course instructor is Rev. Scott Gallagher. The course is eight weeks long. Each week a video of different experts in the field of Methodist Doctrine, including non-United Methodists (but from related Methodist denominations) as well as United Methodists.  Each week students are asked to do some additional readings (including some of Wesley sermons), post answers to 3 or 4 questions on a Discussion board, and participation in online discussion. 

The course can be part of a certification called Certificate in Advanced Christian Study.  The certificate involves completion of six courses such as this one.  The course can also be taken as a stand alone option.

Summary

From the website: This is an adult education course hosted by Gregory Ingram featuring contributions by 9 of the world’s leading Methodist scholars. It builds on the history of Methodism by examining Methodist beliefs and focusing especially on those doctrines that make Methodists distinctive.

Eight half-hour long presentations by leading Methodist theologians offer valuable information and insight concerning core Wesleyan ideas. The course will benefit both lifelong Methodists and those coming to Methodism from other traditions.

Lessons include:

1. The Nature of Methodist Doctrine – Sharon Grant & Ted Campbell
2. Divine Trinity and Christology – Scott J. Jones
3. Prevenient Grace and Repentance – Elaine A. Robinson
4. Justifying Faith and Assurance – Walter Klaiber
5. Sanctification – Sondra Wheeler
6. Baptism and Christian Initiation – Henry Knight
7. Eucharist – Lawrence Hull Stookey
8. Eschatology – Randy L. Maddox

Impressions

This course is one of two required courses for a Wesleyan Emphasis for the Advanced Studies certificate. 

I did enjoy the course and am grateful for the opportunity to work my way through it.  It expanded my knowledge of what we belief together as United Methodists and provided the opportunity for me to read our two doctrinal statements and discuss them with others, along with other questions that arise from consideration of the doctrines.

I believe this course will be beneficial both to my work at the Foundation and as I teach the Conference CLM Course.

The only drawback I found is that our course enrollment was  low and a couple of people dropped out of the course as we moved through the weeks.  We ended up with four students:  this complicates my goal of responding to at least two other people's posts since one of the four was me.  It worked out though.  The leader's participation adds to the course.

While I worked through the course, I read the book Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials by Ted A Campbell and read at least three of John Wesley's sermons each week.  I would recommend doing this if you have the time. It adds more dimensions to the course - although the course would stand alone without it.

Throughout the next weeks, I will share a few posts based on my responses to some of the questions.

Great course - I recommend it.

Posts about the Class

Posts about the class will have the tag Methodist Identity: Beliefs

Perspectives: All in a Line

It struck me how lined up these bells are.  All in a row.  Like well organized ducks.  (as in, getting your ducks in a row).  Is this our expectation of how life should be?  I think our ducks, and our bells, are rarely as lined up as we anticipate.

Prepare for the odd note.  Sometimes it is in the odd note, the unlined duck, the bell out of place, where we find ministry.

 

The Grace of Disagreement

One other thought from Rabbi Jason Bonder's video about Rambam's Ladder (I talked about it earlier).  He says that if you review it, and you don't agree with it, or you don't think it applies today (since it was originally created as an illustration in the 12th century, then that is OK.  In fact, he says it is Good!

"Jewish tradition encourages the next generations, one after the other, and each individual to grapple with the texts that are put in front of them.  Disagreement is a theme that is baked into Jewish thought.  The Hebrew name Yisrael, given to the biblical patriarch Jacob, is often translated as 'wrestles with God.'... The key is to tell someone why and find deeper meaning within it."

Do we do that? Do we find it "good" to disagree and to join with others in Christian Conversation (hint - I capitalized it so that it would remind you of the name of one of the Means of Grace Wesley talked about)?  Or do we stick so firmly and stubbornly with the traditional about scripture we have been thought that we leave no room for the grace of disagreement?

Belong, Behave, Believe

As part of my Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising, I'm watching videos from the online resource for the course  The one I just finished was by Rabbi Jason Bonder.  As part of the video, he talks about the "three B's of religion."  I had never heard of those before:  they are believing, behaving, and belonging.  The are used to help describe people's faith journey.

The three B's are not always used in the same order.  Isn't that interesting? Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, a "great Jewish thinker of the 20th Century" puts them in this order: belong, behave, and believe.

What do you think?  Does that order make sense to you? It does create a picture of a person belonging to a faith community, and then acting in service.  Those two experiences: belonging and behaving would then, in this order, help lead to belief.  Is that a "fake it till you make it approach?"  I don't ask that question to be facetious, but to say that sometimes that is the way of it.

I'm not sure if this is a related thought or not, but this did bring to mind John Wesley's assertion that we could not do good works - works of God - until we had the assurance of salvation that comes from justification.  In one of his sermons, Justification by Faith (III, 5), Wesley says this about good works:

If it be objected, "Nay, but a man, before he is justified, may feed the hungry, or clothe the naked; and these are good works;" the answer is easy: He may do these, even before he is justified; and these are, in one sense, "good works;" they are "good and profitable to men." But it does not follow, that they are, strictly speaking, good in themselves, or good in the sight of God. All truly "good works" (to use the words of our Church) "follow after justification;" and they are therefore good and "acceptable to God in Christ," because they "spring out of a true and living faith." By a parity of reason, all "works done before justification are not good," in the Christian sense, "forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ;" (though from some kind of faith in God they may spring;) "yea, rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not" (how strange soever it may appear to some) "but they have the nature of sin."

It seems that Wesley would put belief first. 

I'm not offering an answer; I just think it is an interesting question.

Perspectives: The world

This image is another one from Wesley UMC in Morgantown.  The children's moment for the day centered around the solar system - this is the sun and the earth, waiting their turn to be used in worship.

Do we talk about our world often enough in worship? Or is it always sitting on the sidelines?

Book Review: Rambam's Ladder

 Information about the book

Rambam's Ladder: A Meditation of Generosity and Why it is Necessary to Give by Julie Salamon.  Workman Publishing. New York. 2003.  (Amazon)

Summary

From Amazon: Nearly a thousand years ago the great philosopher and physician Maimonides, known to Hebrew scholars as Rambam, pondered the question of righteousness Out of it came the Ladder of Charity.

Rambam's Ladder, written by Julie Salamon, the bestselling author and New York Times culture writer, is a book that will inspire every reader to get a toehold on the ladder and start climbing. In eight chapters, one for each rung, the book helps us navigate the world of giving. How much to give? How do we know if our gifts are being used wisely? Is it bettter to give anonymously? Along the way, Rambam's Ladder will help all of us make our lives, and the lives of those around us, better.

Impressions

I read this book as part of my reading assignments for the Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising.

Each chapter of the book focuses on one rung of Rambam's Ladder - a "ladder" with each rung describing "ranks" of charitable giving.  "Maimonides starts at the top - the highest level of giving - and works his way down, moving from idealism to realism."  "The lowest level belongs to the grudging giver; the summit belongs to the person who helps a poor man become self-sufficient"  (both quotes from the Introduction to the book).

The ladder itself is interesting - I've written about it - and provides a thought-provoking look at charity and how we can improve and change ourselves in light of our philanthropy.  It isn't a be-all end-all, but that in itself creates lots of opportunities for discussion.

I would recommend the book, although at times I felt it difficult to connect her chapter topic to the ladder rung.  It would be more helpful to pay attention to the chapter titles because they do describe more fulling her focus for the chapter. 

Posts about book

Posts which reference this book will have the tag Salamon Ladder

Prayer for the Church

In May, I was asked to preach at Wesley UMC in Morgantown.  As part of that, I offered the "Prayer of the Church" which is below:

Creating, loving, sustaining God, we come to you in gratitude for this community of faith.  Thank you for all the good and joy-filled ways you have walked with this congregation through its history. We pray the legacy of those who have come before us – strong in faith – may shine forth in us, as we reach out in your name to bring light to those around us.

 

We lift to you the concerns weighing heavy in our hearts this morning. (pause) 

• We pray for those who are sick, for those who need healing, and for those who cannot imagine that healing can be found. 
• 
  We pray this morning for those who are grieving loss – whether that is the loss of a loved one or a friend, or the loss of a dream or an expected future.
• We pray this morning for those seeking recovery from addiction, for those who not desire recovery, and for those who can’t imagine recovery.  We pray for those who care for them.
• We pray for those who are lonely, who are afraid, who are lost. Surround them with your grace.
• We pray this morning for the caretakers, the parents, the nurtures – give them encouragement.
• We pray for those who lead us – give them wisdom and strength.

 

This morning we lift up the joys in our lives – for laughing children, grown-ups who tell stories, smiling faces, and accomplished minds. 

 

As we leave this sanctuary, may your spirit walk with us so that our eyes are opened to those who need help – food, love, home.

 

We pray in the name of the one who taught us to pray…

 

 

Perspectives: Price's Creek Lighthouse

This is Price's Creek Lighthouse.  It's on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Southport, North Carolina.  It's hard to see - this image is taken from a ferry that goes to Bald Head Island.  It's nothing much to speak of as far as magnificent lighthouses go, but it still sits there, a testament to what it used to do.  It's a little sad, and a little inspiring.

And it would be easy to miss.  What do we miss?

Rambam's Ladder

I'm working through the steps to receive an Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising from Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, a part of the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.  As part of the class, I read the book Rambam's Ladder: A Meditation on Generosity and Why it is Necessary to Give by Julie Salamon. 

Rambam's ladder is an illustrative ladder that consists of eight rungs - each run another step in Charity.  It was conceived by a 12th century rabbi named Moses ben Maimon, known by his Greek name of Maimonides.  Rambam is an acronym of the first letters of his name.  The first rung is to give begrudgingly.  The next one is to give a small amount, but to do so cheerfully. As you "climb" the ladder, the focus shifts more to the dignity of the donor and the recipient, until you reach rung seven: To give to someone you don't know, and to do so anonymously.  The final rung is the gift of self-reliance, so that the recipient no longer needs to ask for help. 

Often in churches we talk about proportional giving - encouraging people to increase the percentage of their income that they donate to the church, with a goal of tithing.  What struck me about Rambam's ladder is that it is less transactional and more relational - with a focus on both the donor and the recipient. It seems to me that the Rambam's ladder approach (even if the rungs are not what we would choose) places more of an emphasis on spiritual development than proportional giving. Maybe we need to examine our approach to encouraging people to give in the church.

Merciful God

Inspired by Psalm 145: 8-14

Merciful God

God of grace.

Patient God,

Loving God.

I offer gratitude to you.

I need your mercy and your grace.

I know there are times when I should feel your anger,

and yet you are patient with me.

You love me.

You love all of us.

Even the person I steer away from.

Everything drips with your grace.

Abundantly raining down upon us all.

Your creation and your creatures offer praise.

Your people sing of your goodness and mercy,

They shout of your magnificence.

We want the world to know of your power,

your goodness,

your grace.

You are forever,

and your kingdom will not end.

You keep your promises ,

and your actions are a light to the world.

Loving God,

You lift us up when we fall,

In your patience, you encourage of to keep going.

Your generous grace overwhelms us,

and in your mercy,

we can start again.

Perspectives: What do you see?

 What small things do you see? What are you missing?

Psalm 145 Collects

One of the projects I like to ask my CLM students to do is to write a collect.  A collect has a specific structure

• An address to God
• An attribute of God is named, or God’s action in scripture is briefly recalled.
• A petition is made that relates to that attribute or narrative
• The intended result of the petition is stated – often with a clause that begins with that
• A final doxology or praise is offered, often in Trinitarian form.

Below are collects inspired by Psalm 145:8-14

Verse 8: The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Loving God, you are unimaginably gracious and merciful, slow to anger and full of loyal love.  Help us to release our grudges and offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us so that your light is seen clearly through us. Through the motivation of your holy spirit and in your son's name, Amen.

Verse 9: The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.

Almighty God, in your kindness and compassion, you are good to all of us.  Grant that we may share your goodness with the world so that lives are healed, as ours have been.  In your son's loving name we pray, Amen.

Verse 10:  All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your faithful shall bless you.

O Lord, you created the world and breathed life into all of us.  Awaken in us an awareness of your presence so that all of your faithful will praise you name and offer thanks to you. Amen.

Verses 11 and 12: They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

O, our powerful and glorious God, who presence in our world brings light and grace, give us voice to sing your praise so that others may come to know you. Amen.

Verse 13: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.

Faithful, gracious God, your kingdom is everlasting.  Give us the voice to declare your good works so that all generations will know of you, and your spirit will dwell among us all.  Amen.

Verse 14: The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.

Loving God, who lifts up those who have fallen, strengthen us to recognize those who need our help and encourage us to reach out in service so that your love surrounds all of us. Give us the courage to live as your son showed us how to live, Amen.

Book Review: Wholehearted Faith

 Information about the book

Rachel Held Evans with Jeff Chu. Wholehearted Faith. Harper One, New York, 2021.  Amazon Link.

Summary

From the Amazon description:

At the time of her tragic death in 2019, Rachel was working on a new book about wholeheartedness. With the help of her close friend and author Jeff Chu, that work-in-progress has been woven together with some of her other unpublished writings into a rich collection of essays that ask candid questions about the stories we’ve been told—and the stories we tell—about our faith, our selves, and our world.

Impressions

I have owned this book since December of 2021, when we gave it to the Foundation donors as a Christmas gift.  This is the first time I have picked it up. I'm not sure why I delayed reading it, but I think it is because it felt sad to read her LAST book. I remember when Rachel was sick, and I remember the day she died. It felt like the world, and me, had lost such an important voice of faith. I still feel that way.

But when I finished the Barbara Brown Taylor book I had been reading, I looked at my TBR stack and finally picked this one up.  I was right; starting and finishing it was sad.  It begins with a letter from her husband Dan, and intro by Jeff Chu, and finishes with an essay by her friend Nadia Boltz Weber.  There was a sadness in all of those for me. 

But the rest of the book was great.  Not sad.  Just Rachel's insightful voice.  The first half is about Wholehearted Faith and what that means, and the second half is a collection of less connected work - essays.  All of it has Rachel's theme of grace and love. I highlighted, marked with post-it notes, and wrote blog posts from it. It was great to hear her talking again, for one more time (until I pick up one of her older books and read it again!).

I highly recommend.

Posts about book

Evans Wholehearted