Foundational Principles of the UMRSP

The Social Principles have always included a preamble, outlining foundational theological principles upon which the rest of the SP are constructed. This Preamble has remained mostly unchanged since 1972. The proposed revised Social Principles (RSP) nearly double the Preamble’s length, both adding content and further clarifying existing content.

The Preamble to the RSP lays out five foundational theological principles:

1. God’s grace is available to all
2. All have dignity and worth
3. We affirm unity in Christ and differences among people
4. We seek to follow the calling of Micah 6:8
5. John Wesley’s General Rules guide our practices

1. God’s grace is available to all

The Preamble has always begun with an affirmation of faith in the Triune God, on complete dependence upon God, and in the goodness of life. In 2012, language was added to acknowledge the diversity within humanity and within the Church. Included in this language was a declaration that “God’s grace is available to all, that nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

The RSP move this theological principle to the first paragraph, signifying that it is essential to who we are as United Methodists. Later, the Preamble also states that

“Jesus . . . gave boundless love to all—the children, the outcast, the condemned and the confused. Jesus calls every generation to wholehearted discipleship.”

This “wholehearted discipleship” is defined as love for all whom we encounter, honoring the dignity and worth of all people near and far, and advocating for justice in all forms.

2. All have dignity and worth

This theological affirmation has always been a feature of the Social Principles. Frequent refrains in previous versions remind the reader of the “inestimable worth of each individual,” described in various places as “inherent worth,” “sacred worth,” “infinite human worth,” and/or “equal worth” regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, ability, race, cultural identity, immigration status, or socio-economic status. Furthermore, this principle guides the church’s concern for those who struggle with drug dependency, mental health, or HIV and AIDS, and guides the church’s rejection of the death penalty.

The Preamble to the RSP states:

“we honor the dignity of all beings and affirm the goodness of life.”

Two things are worth noting here. First, the RSP expand dignity and worth to include humanity and the entirety of creation, i.e.: plants, animals, and the created world in which we live.

Second, it is important to understand what United Methodists mean by the word “dignity.” While some definitions of dignity focus on a person’s ability to live independently and autonomously, this is not how the United Methodist Church understands dignity. For us, dignity is a recognition of life as a gift, not based upon ability or freedom but upon our identity as lovingly created by God.

3. We affirm unity in Christ and differences among people

If you haven’t heard, United Methodists don’t agree on everything. In what could be considered overcompensating for internal debates about human sexuality, almost all changes to the SP in the last two decades have been adding and/or removing language affirming the unity of the church as the body of Christ amid our differences.

In 2008, a 49-word paragraph was added to the SP to pledge continuing “respectful conversation with those whom we differ.” In 2012, that paragraph expanded to 283 words. The 2016 General Conference reduced it back to 51 words, and now the RSP not only reinstate of most of the 2012 paragraph, but expand it to more than 400 words.

Especially noteworthy are the following statements in the Preamble to the RSP:

“We recognize that the body of Christ has many parts, and all are valuable. Thus we respect differences.”

“Differences are a precious gift and daunting challenge.”

“We recognize the challenges before the church to engage with honest and compassion through deep listening, hard conversations, and shared ministry, even when we do not agree on all matters.”

The RSP are clear: the United Methodist Church strives to be a place where differences in opinion, lived experience, culture, and demographics are not just acknowledged and tolerated but affirmed and celebrated.

4. We seek to follow the calling of Micah 6:8

and

5. John Wesley’s General Rules guide our practices

While the first three foundational principles exist in some form in the SP between 1972-2016, the RSP add these two foundations for the church’s social witness:

“With God’s help, we accept the challenge to follow the high calling ‘to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.’ (Mic. 6:8, NRSV).”

“John Wesley’s General Rules continue to inspire United Methodists to faithful practices that will do no harm, do good, and follow the ordinances of God.”

Other notable changes in the Preamble:

Language of God as Father in the first paragraph is removed.

The second version of the SP, in 1976, removed male pronouns for God, but the affirmation of faith in “God our Creator and Father” has remained through 2016. The RSP remove the word “Father.”

New language about covenant relationships

In the RSP, the second paragraph declares:

“From the beginning, God called us into covenant, bound with God, with one another, and with God’s wonderfully diverse creation. God called us, further, to live lovingly in those relationships . . .”

New acknowledgement of unjust social structures

The RSP confess our participation in “unjust and life-destroying social systems” and that we have not sufficiently loved and ministered with “the least of these.”

These three changes further help move the UMC toward gender neutral/inclusive language, affirm covenantal obedience to God, and recognize that sin is an emergent reality within the social structures and systems we humans create. This last point serves as a reminder that even individual conversion or changing hearts to be more aligned with God’s will cannot eradicate the world of injustice. It is also necessary to recognize and dismantle the structures that privilege some people at the expense of others.

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Learn more about the proposed Revised Social Principles, and find resources to discuss the Preface and Preamble with others, at umcsocialprinciples2021.org