More UMC Reflections

Takeaways from 27 years of ministry

This blog is usually focused more on issues of rescuing victims of the Sexual Tsunami. Even the articles on spiritual warfare focused on specific aspects of sexual brokenness. But as I’ve reflected on the breakup of the United Methodist Church, it is clear to me there are institutional aspects to our warfare.

Whether you are from a mainline denomination or not, these are days which call upon the prophetic among us to speak with great wisdom, compassion, and courage. The stakes are too great to remain silent.

“We wrestle not . . .” (Ephesians 6:12a)

As stated last week, my initial approach to the institutional chaos was to simply find another institution! You may not be part of a body that is battling over these ticklish Tsunami issues. Regardless, there is always a tendency to get cloistered with the likeminded, moan about “those people” who disagree with you, and lob from afar the occasional combative comment into the fray.

Hence, we wrestle not. We hide. Sometimes it’s because we are ill-equipped, but I dare say it is mainly out of fear and despair.

My first eight years of pastoral ministry were served in The Christian & Missionary Alliance—a small and wonderful movement of God focused upon healing, holiness, and missions. Cultural skirmishes around homosexuality and abortion seemed a distant din from over the horizon.

But when I was hired onto the staff of a wonderful UMC church, I found it impossible to stay silent in the evangelical silo.^[1] I now had dear friends who were gay and trying desperately to stay free. They found few conservatives who cared enough to walk with them, however, many kindhearted liberals would welcome them with open arms.

So in 1996, before blogs and emails were ubiquitous, I self-published a newsletter and sent it free of charge to over 600 UM pastors in Western Pennsylvania. Known as Of Mercy & Reason, it served as an apologetic for the traditional view of sexuality while also prodding conservatives toward compassionate ministry. Written, formatted, printed, folded, and mass mailed with the assistance of a handful of volunteers, it landed in the mailboxes and trashcans of my colleagues.

Was there fear? Oh, baby! My first clergy gathering was a Christmas party of about 100. I walked in, feeling I would be the target of cold shoulders, snarky comments, and uppity smirks. Not so!

Over the next few years, the only harsh criticism I received came from the far right. They accused me of being soft on sin.

Years later, at our legislative gatherings known as Annual Conference, I finally found the courage to stand up before the 1200 delegates to enter the debate on the floor. Again, I was terrified. But I had tired of hearing the fearless far-righters grabbing the mics and spouting harsh and harmful rhetoric to defend our views. As I spoke, I laced my comments with humor, facts, and anecdotes in an attempt to winsomely sway the debates.

Again, no verbal stabbings, doxing, or canceling from left leaning colleagues.

Of course, that was before Covid, wokeness, and the heated hostility of the current cultural climate. Times are more caustic and volatile. There certainly is a place for picking and choosing our battles wisely. But we should not cower in fear.

Speak truth clearly, confidently, and compassionately.

“. . . with flesh and blood, . . .”

People are not our enemies. We may caricature them as such, especially if they are rudely raging in our faces. But truly they are simply tools or captives of the Enemy.

In fact, I have found some of my ideological opponents to be a lot more kind, courteous, and God-fearing than those on my side of the fence!

Twenty-five years ago, my favorite liberal feminist and friend was asked to help serve communion. She declined, saying, “I don’t think I will have time enough to prepare myself spiritually.” I found that far more Christ-like than my evangelical colleague who quipped, “Sure, I’ll help! Little cups and cubes? Or are we doing the good old rip and dip?” Ugh!

There’s a Presbyterian seminary not far away that used to have two professors who were very outspoken on the topic of homosexuality. The conservative was Presbyterian and authored a well-known text which examined every scripture passage touching on the topic. Progressive theologian Walter Wink once referred to the book as the “neutron bomb” of the conservative position.

And yet this author was and continues to be snide and combative, especially on the internet.

Now the progressive at the same school was United Methodist. I had sparred with him once on the floor of our Annual Conference, and personally questioned him on several occasions about the biblical passages he was basing his arguments upon.

But Steven was always gracious, kind, humble, and even a bit jolly!

It always comes back to the simple principle of speaking the truth in love. One prof spoke the truth. The other one spoke falsehood with great kindness. Speaking the truth in love is the point of the spear when it comes to institutional spiritual warfare.

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness . . .”^[2] Kindness wins favor and perhaps paves the way for receiving truth. But the love of God shed abroad in our hearts is what convinces.

“. . . but against principalities, against powers . . . in the heavenly places.”

Leanne Payne had great insight into institutional spiritual warfare that was won from hard fought battles. As she describes in Restoring the Christian Soul: Overcoming Barriers to Completion in Christ through Healing Prayer, she would seek God for the right way to do battle. As she pioneered inner healing for sexual brokenness back in the 1980’s, she gained many ideological enemies. So she petitioned God, asking how to pray for them.

And God promised to give me a blueprint! Several days later, as I was praying, He did. We on the team call this our “paint-the-dragon red” prayer. We’ve helped many other Christians embroiled in spiritual battle by sharing it with them.

She  went on to explain the principles:

1) Pray that the eyes of all who surround these persons be opened to see the situation as it really is.

2) Pray that their associates will be given ways to speak truth and light into the situation.

3) Pray that any demonic power within these persons or within these situations manifest itself—that it may be clearly discerned and seen by all the people.

And this all falls in line, doesn’t it, with the repeated prayers of Paul in Ephesians for God to open the eyes of believers to see spiritual realities as they really are?

Concluding Thoughts

Once again, I am so very thankful to have retired as a United Methodist. Yes, those 27 years included a lot of conflict over an issue I had earlier tried to avoid, but facing my fears and advocating for the sexually broken with the truth of God’s word was a key purpose God had for my life. As I will explain in the next article, the people called Methodist cannot sigh with relief: “Whew! Glad that’s over with!” Institutional spiritual warfare over sexual issues will continue to evolve and invade the Church.

As darkness wins over institutions, it only adds force to the Tsunami that is destroying young lives in our culture and around the world.

---

^[1] Yes, I know the terms evangelical, liberal, and traditionalist have been replaced by orthodox, progressive, and conservative. But those were the very familiar terms of that time.

^[2] C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: Macmillan, 1962), p. 28.