It has been said that change is only hard for those who resist it. I suppose that is true but what is important to me is the type of change. There are some things that should never change because they are the very foundation of what we believe are God’s will and for the purpose of this blog what I believe to be the foundation of that belief. With that in mind let’s look at Webster’s definition of faith.

Simple Definition of faith

• :strong belief or trust in someone or something
• :belief in the existence of God: strong religious feelings or beliefs
• :a system of religious beliefs

In two of the dots above we see the word religious used twice in reference to feelings, beliefs or system. While this may be a bit radical and I know many will disagree but I view religion and faith to be two separate things. I believe that religious feelings and beliefs along with established systems can and will be changed from time to time. At the same time to me God’s will and word are the foundation of the “faith” and are not meant to be changed to meet the changing mores and social agenda of the politically correct. If you detect a bit of frustration with this, you are correct. I believe the Methodist church, which by the way is not the only denomination involved in this, is debating an issue that belongs in the secular world as I consider the gender question to be of a social type of thing. For lack of a better example give unto Caesar that which is Caesars and unto God that which is his. By faith we as Christians are charged to love everyone and welcome them to the fellowship. The key here is not to pre-judge. We are not bound by earthly laws to accept those things which God has rejected or amend the “faith” to meet the changing mores of the day.

If I am confusing you I am sorry but to me the path is clear enough. Those things that prevent people from living a holy life as God commanded, are not to ever be set aside using inclusiveness, relevance to today’s world and declining membership as reason for such a change in those things that are of the very foundation of the “Faith”. As a layman in the pew I can only go on what years of scripture study, guidance of the ordained elders and the statement of those things which we as Methodists have held to be the beliefs of our faith as taught by John Wesley. Each generation brings with it their own reasoning. Sometimes that reasoning is the product of study and debate about the issues of the day. What I am saying is when scripture says “and God said, or God told….” these are not policy items or doctrine that is open for debate. When I study scripture or prepare a Sunday school lesson I will read several different commentaries by respected scholars and seek a common thread among them to help me understand and share God’s word with the class. I have not burdened you with numerous scripture quotes but seek to keep it simple. As Methodists we are debating a number of issues which will soon come to a vote. The very nature of a debate requires that someone lose, and only one opinion can stand. I firmly believe that these issues are facing us because of societal pressures and those who seek to push the idea that our statements of faith are unfair to a segment of our society. I reject that reasoning. The foundation of our faith is not open to public debate, it is God’s word and can’t be changed to meet the needs of changing morals. I would say to these people what is said before every communion table; The Lords table is ready and all are welcomed to come.

I will welcome you, respect you, love you, pray with and for you and not judge you. I would hope you would understand that I try hard to live a Holy life as God has commanded me, do not ask me to do any less.

I also seek others comments and welcome them. You may reach me at kcarp4211@gmail.com

As the new movie God’s Not Dead Part 2 hits the theaters the usual chorus of discord can be heard from all sides of the religious spectrum as well as that of the unbelievers. People of faith over the last few years have been introduced to a kinder gentler vocabulary which can be misleading. Two words stand out to me in this battle for the very soul of the faith, “Inclusiveness and Tolerance.” I admit I am a layman and while I hold no office or committee posts in the church, I read, study and most importantly listen to those like me sitting in the pews. I have already written about inclusiveness in an earlier blog, as to tolerance, here is my view from the pew.

I’m sure most folks understand reasonably well the meaning of this word. I choose to not quote a lot of scripture, just keep this simple and to the point. Here is Webster’s definition of the word “tolerance”.

• 2a :  sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own

b :  the act of allowing something :  toleration

I consider the very “soul” of the faith to be the word of God given to the prophets of the Old Testament, carried into the New Testament as spoken by his son Jesus Christ and the good news that the Apostles took to the world, which the believers embraced with their hearts, minds and in some instances their lives. Having said this, I believe that God has spoken to his people as to those things which by belief or practice are in conflict with his will. To be even more direct I find no justification for Christian tolerance or sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with the word and will of God. Now here is where it becomes hard to be a Christian of the “faith” and defend the faith which has in the past been known to exclude and judge others harshly. Jesus said to love your brother as yourself and in Jesus’ ministry we see him time after time include all people in his mission. Now some would say that this is the very definition of “inclusiveness” and truth is you can’t argue with that. So what is my problem? Tolerance is a different matter altogether. Yes, Jesus did love all people but he did not tolerate those things which marginalized his father’s will for his people and disrespected the sanctity of his house and personage. We only have to look at the temple full of money changers and vendors to see his intolerance to such in his father’s house.

To sum up, our church is divided in many areas of our doctrine of faith. We should love and welcome all to God’s family but never allowing those things which God found unacceptable to be tolerated to the point of inclusion in the “Faith”. One last hard thing for all of us to grasp is that we are called to, whoa…. the word is commanded to love all. Judgement belongs to God.

I have not posted in some time now and it is not due to writers block. I have a condition which is quite common in my part of the pew. The confusion of direction and doctrinal abuse has left many United Methodists seeking answers through conversations among themselves, with their Pastor, or even leaving the pew to seek answers among the larger Christian community. My journey is one born of confusion and the need to truly know God’s will for me at this point of my life. How do I reconcile doctrine or church law to God’s law and as a layman however odd it may seem to some, God’s law to me is clear concise and plain in its intent and purpose; while the direction and intent of the Methodist church seems to be directed by whichever group or agenda driven model prevails at the moment.

Having taught Sunday school for a number of years and the little experience I have gained writing blogs have led me to prayer, study and a number of biblical commentaries and study literature that has helped me in understanding God’s word. I would in no way infer that I have reached the level or understanding of the writers of these materials but the value of their work has been a blessing and source of understanding and enrichment of this journey I am now on. I have come to the conclusion that the Old and New Testaments are inseparably woven together so that the true meaning and intent of God’s law and word in totality, requires the other for one to understand the whole of the word. I love the Methodist church but find myself confused as to the efforts of some to change the intent of God’s law and word as written in the bible to fit the social needs of our world today. John Wesley said it best:

It is therefore expected of all who continue therein that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,

First: By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind . . . ;

Secondly: By . . . doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all . . . ;

Thirdly: By attending upon all the ordinances of God. (see ¶ 103)

Wesley’s illustrative cases under each of these three rules show how the Christian conscience might move from general principles to specific actions. Their explicit combination highlights the spiritual spring of moral action. (From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2012. Copyright 2012 by The United Methodist Publishing House. )

I call your attention to the third rule above. This past Sunday I sat in a different pew and started this journey I have for so long sought to avoid. As I look ahead to the issues that we as a denomination will face in this new year 2016, I cannot help but wonder if we will respect all the ordinances of God as we decide the issues facing us. I covet your prayers and pray that the Holy Spirit will give me the discernment I need to stay in the pew.

Sometimes being nice just doesn’t work and being mean or nasty doesn’t work either but to avoid the latter there must be a reasonable attitude present to insure that the latter doesn’t rule the day. From my position in the pew, mine is just one of many opinions and is open for discussion, correction, or just plain ignoring. Now with the disclaimer intact we move on to the subject of this blog. I believe it is time for a little “righteous indignation”. I will use Webster’s definition for this subject. I should say up front so there is no misunderstanding, I am not advocating turning over the communion table, or any act that is destructive but just talking a little louder, being firm in our faith and not accepting that which God found to be un-holy.

Full Definition of RIGHTEOUS
1
: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin
2
a : morally right or justifiable

b : arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality

Full Definition of INDIGNATION
: anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean Continue reading →

My last few blogs have been about the same-gender debate that has consumed the energy and resources of our church for far too long. I wanted to write about something different this time but there it was again, that word difference, different and no matter what way it is used it always moves to dissention. You can even find dissention in the pews. “That’s where we always sit, they must go to a different service, and I have never seen them here before. They probably like the different music at that service.” Ah…yes, even among we Methodists and our great hymn singing tradition and the over 6000 hymns Charles Wesley wrote, there are those that want something different.
I guess I am getting tired of differences as it seems to be that by just adding one letter “s” we find ourselves deep in dissention. God has a way of slapping us in the face and we never see it coming. I just got slapped in the face and want to share with you the miracle of different. This is always a busy time of the year for me even though I am retired. For the past eight years of my retirement I have spent a great deal of time with some folks that are different. I have been blessed to be a part of a different world filled with special people whose difference does not define who or what they are. Their difference has made me a better person and created in me a heighten awareness that there is always a purpose in anything that God has done or created, and it is good. God himself said that. So what is this about? Special needs folks, Down syndrome and Autism the very nature of which makes them different.
So where is this Miracle of Difference? The love they have for life, other people and the trust they have in others, although I will tell you, you have to earn it. Faith, in God and their love for Jesus is honest and without conditions; I have been with them in Chapel service and bible study for six years now and I have seen the miracle God has wrought through those who are different in many ways but love and accept without condition. I am reminded of a great old hymn:
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,
By our Love,
Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

I invite you to visit the Trousdale School website (http://www.trousdaleschool.org/) and meet these remarkable men and women. Their presence in my life, their difference demands the very best of me and they have made me a better person. There are some very serious differences in our church today. Maybe we should pray for The Miracle of Difference.

I was reviewing some of my earlier blogs and pulled some content from a post of April 2015. There are some other posts in which I have addressed this same-gender issue and like many of us in the pew I find the debate to be confusing and at times a collection of scripture verses that seek to justify the many different positions that are being offered. I would dispute the wisdom of making this a social issue with civil, gender or individual rights being the basis of our decision.

As a layman I often use different commentaries as I study the bible or prepare for a Sunday school lesson. There are several respected elders of the Methodist Church and many in key leadership positions who have given their “commentary” on the issue facing our church today. There are several outside organizations that seek to put their agenda before the church and influence the direction the Methodist Church chooses to address this issue.

Does the church accept same-gender relationships as being compatible with Christian teachings and is marriage to be defined as a joining together of a man and a woman? This is where I step from behind scripture and like many of us in the pew simply try to say what I believe. I believe that in any situation, intent, that core thought or reason which brings something into being is the defining principle and meaning of those things that creation has given life to. God’s words as written speaks to the creation of man and woman, the intent being that they be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and have dominion over all things. The creation of the sexes was God’s intent to populate the creation in the manner God chose. So the question of whether marriage is defined as being between man and woman, that was and is God’s intent.

This question of same-gender relationships has been a part of biblical writings from the earliest of times. The bible had different terms or words to describe such practices, none were favorable. Many people point out that Christ never made reference to such and I believe it may have been because The Father had decided that issue long before he sent his son to live among us. Jesus’ ministry was to reconcile God’s children with the Father. He spoke of love, forgiveness and seeking the will of the Father by repentance and holy living. Jesus would not have justified any perversion that separated us from our Father in heaven; even if the social norms of the day were changing. So I believe that such lifestyle is not compatible with Christian teachings. But…..I am very aware that Christian teachings have a habit of changing with the times. With that in mind I would like to change the compatible statement to read “not compatible with God’s will.” The determination of God and if you share my view of “intent” should not be decided by legislative stratagems and votes. Regardless of how you feel about all this there is still one other thing to be considered.

We know as Christians that God’s Grace is for all. How do we extend that loving grace to those whom we believe to be estranged from God because their life style is not compatible with God’s will? If there is to be any peace among us we must accept that God’s grace is available to all who seek it. We must allow God’s judgement, not ours to be decided by God not us. The question the Methodist church needs to ask and address is simply this. How do we as Christ did, eat with the tax collectors, go among the lepers, kneel in the dirt with the adulterous, and how do we go among those who because of sin are estranged from God or better yet how do we bring them among us without being caught up or enticed into the sin that holds them captive? How do we show this grace and love and not give the impression that what God found to be unacceptable is now acceptable?
jk

Acts 2:41 KJV
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

The numbers game for want of a better term, of which I am open to, started that very day; The Day of Pentecost. There were no Church buildings, no organizational structure and only one mission statement.

Matthew 28:19,20 King James Version (KJV)
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Simple, pure and to the point; the number was important to the story and notice it referred to souls. Saving souls is far more worthy than just filling pews. They had a number, they had a mission statement and now they needed a way forward and a plan. Whoa! How are we going to do this, everyone will have a way they think is best. Now past events should tell us that God’s way is often high jacked by well-meaning people but we seldom learn from history. They had a way which they received on that day…The Holy Spirit would be their guide.

This is going to be a short blog today. There is a numbers game going on in the church. We have in some instances become too caught up with structure, what kind of music people like and if we build it they will come. Yes I heard you Pastor, you said it was a numbers game, you can’t deny that. But……then you went and spoke about bringing people to Jesus. Whoa! You are counting souls. Now that is a numbers game worth playing; preaching the word to all people, loving all people, studying to grow in faith and seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance through pray and Christian fellowship. Yes I heard you Pastor. We are going to fill the pews with souls, not numbers. I will be here in the pew next week, come back and bring a soul or two with you.

We live in a world that demands we label everything and place it in it proper category. After having done this we then turn to numbers to decide if we need to change anything and what is needed to make that change, which by the way, will be good for all of us. We assume that the greater the count the better the thing. About four years ago on another blog I lamented that many of our smaller churches were being closed. Some of course because they hadn’t been successful at the numbers game and to be fair they were just dying out as the membership aged.

Here are a few of the church labels of the day. A “Mega Church” for those of you who aren’t familiar with the term is a church so large that if the last person to leave were to turn out the lights it would be the next week. Then there are “large churches”, they have valet parking, at least three morning services, Family life Center and two or more Pastors. Then there are the “big churches”. They have everything the large churches have but they’re having a hard time paying for them. That brings us to that “nice little church”. They don’t have any of the above. Everyone knows everyone; the Pastor is either a nice old guy or a brash young man filled with the spirit that preaches long and loud. The sound system if they have one came from Radio Shack and there is a piano that old Aunt Nettie played for years before she died. Now the newer younger lady is Nettie’s younger sister. Amen! Today there is something bigger than numbers, well it is said it leads to good numbers. That something is “Service”.

To grow a church has to have a lot of different programs other than worship itself. It’s all about how you present yourself; make people want to come, offer a range of services that meets every need. Family things, what do you have for the kids, is there a Youth Director, what type of Music Program do you have? Is there a Family Life Center and what does it include? What about the young adults and seniors, do you have programs for them? Now I could go on and on but the point is this. Church today is about the services it can offer to its members. Most of the things I have listed are the ones people ask about. I have never really heard anyone ask, do you preach the gospel of the Living Christ and is the pastor anointed by God preaching the word and led by the Holy Spirit? When I shared this with some friends they had a question for me. What does it matter how large or small a church is, or what services it offers its members, as long as people are saved and their lives are better? Well I can’t argue with that. I do still wonder why the success of a church is determined by its size. Religion is a weird science for lack of a better term. I think I will stick with John 14.6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That’s the way it looks from my spot in the pew. Come back next week. The pews aren’t full yet.

For several weeks I have been looking at the possibility of change in the Methodist view of same-gender issues which are dividing our church leadership and creating uncertainty among us in the pew. According to Webster sin is an offense against religious or moral law or an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible an often can be a serious shortcoming. The Christian view of sin is that it is a transgression of the law of God which can tarnish the state of human nature in which a person is estranged from God. We have all heard it said that God is the same today as He was yesterday and for all the days to come. I have written about church law versus God’s Law and my belief that God’s intent was for marriage to be between a man and a woman. I do not believe that any amount of discussion however well-intentioned will change that. That brings me to the inescapable conclusion that we are about to witness the evolution of church law. Evolution by definition is a process of continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state. It is a growth process of gradual and relatively peaceful social, political, and economic advance. I can see no better state when the cost is the perversion of God’s intent and the redefining of scripture to be more compatible with the ever changing morals of today’s life style. Many of the changes that take place in any church now days are driven by statistics.

We know as Christians that God’s Grace is for all. How do we extend that loving grace to those whom we believe to be estranged from God because their life style is not compatible with God’s Law? If there is to be any peace among us we must accept that God’s grace is available to all who seek it. We must allow God’s judgement, not ours to be decided by God not us. The question the Methodist church needs to ask and address is simply this. How do we as Christ did, eat with the tax collectors, go among the lepers, kneel in the dirt with the adulterous, and how do we go among those who because of sin are estranged from God or better yet how do we bring them among us without being caught up or enticed into the sin that holds them captive? How do we show this grace and love and not give the impression that what God found to be unacceptable is now acceptable? I have reached a point where words do not come easy. I turn to the Word….. From Romans 12: 9-13

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

We must never accept that which separates us from our God. Only that, that which the Father sent to be among us, will guide us and sustain us in the days ahead. Come Holy Spirit, Come. Next week “The Numbers Game”. Hope you come back. I’ll be waiting here in the pew.