In news over the last few weeks, with today included, we have had various stories put forth by the United Methodist Church that can only be described as attempting to move itself farther to the political left in the public eye.
First, we had news that the church was threatening to divest itself of Caterpillar stock, of which it owns quite a substantial quantity, because of the perception that Caterpillar was complicit in recent actions taken by Israel against Palestinians. Then we had news that they were going to be discussing the variety of topics that fall under the heading of transgender/homosexuality, with an eye to possibly changing the current position against practicing homosexuals from serving in the ministry. This was followed by an announcement that the leading Methodist court had been reshuffled to the political left (they're going even further?). And now we have news that they are calling for vast immigration reform.
First of all, each of these issues is something a church body should be addressing. Israel is not always right. I'm not certain about the practicing homosexuals serving in the church, but I do know that God forgives them just as He forgives me, and too often Christians forget the notions of forgiveness and tolerance when it comes to homosexuals. And the concept of being kind to the alien in your land goes back to the book of Genesis.
However, it seems odd to make such a concerted effort at this point on all these issues. One has to wonder whether there aren't other, real motives behind these announcements. Methodist membership has dwindled in the U.S. and Europe, though it has grown in areas such as Africa and China. Are they trying to redraw their image in America to be attractive to the growing liberal audience that is turned off by the evangelicals and the Southern Baptist Convention? A move away from the tenets of the SBC and the evangelicals is not necessarily a bad thing, and yet we must be careful that we don't create a sort of two-party Christianity in this country. We cannot blithely politicize the Bible without serious consequences to the foundations of our religion. Choosing a position because it is correct is one thing. Choosing a position because it is "left" is something else entirely.
First, we had news that the church was threatening to divest itself of Caterpillar stock, of which it owns quite a substantial quantity, because of the perception that Caterpillar was complicit in recent actions taken by Israel against Palestinians. Then we had news that they were going to be discussing the variety of topics that fall under the heading of transgender/homosexuality, with an eye to possibly changing the current position against practicing homosexuals from serving in the ministry. This was followed by an announcement that the leading Methodist court had been reshuffled to the political left (they're going even further?). And now we have news that they are calling for vast immigration reform.
First of all, each of these issues is something a church body should be addressing. Israel is not always right. I'm not certain about the practicing homosexuals serving in the church, but I do know that God forgives them just as He forgives me, and too often Christians forget the notions of forgiveness and tolerance when it comes to homosexuals. And the concept of being kind to the alien in your land goes back to the book of Genesis.
However, it seems odd to make such a concerted effort at this point on all these issues. One has to wonder whether there aren't other, real motives behind these announcements. Methodist membership has dwindled in the U.S. and Europe, though it has grown in areas such as Africa and China. Are they trying to redraw their image in America to be attractive to the growing liberal audience that is turned off by the evangelicals and the Southern Baptist Convention? A move away from the tenets of the SBC and the evangelicals is not necessarily a bad thing, and yet we must be careful that we don't create a sort of two-party Christianity in this country. We cannot blithely politicize the Bible without serious consequences to the foundations of our religion. Choosing a position because it is correct is one thing. Choosing a position because it is "left" is something else entirely.
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