What’s this site all about?
Last year I was talking with a Catholic ethicist who wanted to know more about social teaching in the United Methodist Church. As I gave him the background of the Social Principles and shared that our denomination would be considering a substantial revision in 2024, he asked me how Methodists across the world would prepare for such a monumental decision. “Mostly, we won’t,” I replied.
This is not due to lack of effort on the part of the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), who led the revision project and recently launched a website to promote the Revised Social Principles, submitted as legislation for the upcoming General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. from April 23-May 3, 2024.
Who really looks at these things, anyway?
The truth is, the vast majority of United Methodists are only vaguely aware—if they are aware at all—of the existence of the Social Principles. If they know anything specific within them it is likely related to one or two “hot-button” issues. A few studious Methodists may have used the study guide produced by the GBCS and The United Methodist Publishing House to learn about the breadth of topics considered, but this seems to be the exception rather than the norm.
Furthermore, in the lead-up to a typical General Conference, the process of reviewing proposed legislation is largely left to each delegation to do on their own, albeit resourced by the denomination. Beyond these General Conference delegates, it is up to individuals or congregations to educate themselves about proposed legislation. This is unlikely to happen, given the plethora of other priorities in everyday life and ministry (not to mention disaffiliations and a global pandemic that has made the last four years anything but typical).
The more likely scenario is that outside of General Conference delegations, not much attention will be paid to these proposed Revised Social Principles (RSP) until spring of 2024 when they are discussed on the floor of General Conference. Then, if the RSP are passed (as written or with amendments), some United Methodists might begin to look harder at the document—after legislative action has already been taken.
This is backwards. Shouldn’t United Methodists be looking at these Revised Social Principles before they are discussed on the floor of General Conference? Isn’t now the time to talk about them?
This project is an attempt to do just that. In 2022-23, while earning a Th.M. in moral theology at Boston College, I spent significant time with the existing SP and proposed RSP. I also studied social and structural ethics as they relate to race, gender, poverty and wealth, and medical ethics. As part of this work, I rediscovered what it means to be United Methodist in public life, and how our faith in Christ calls us to seek justice, mercy, and human flourishing for all.
The Public People Called Methodists
The Social Principles in their current form have only existed since 1972. But living out our personal faith in public, especially by meeting tangible needs of our neighbors, has always been a hallmark of the Methodist movement. Under John Wesley’s leadership, early Methodists in England founded schools, fought for workers’ rights, cared for people in prisons and people experiencing poverty, and attempted providing health care through free clinics.
As the movement grew in 19th century America, Methodists founded colleges and universities, including many of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that remain today. Later, Methodist women were a primary driver of the movement for the prohibition of alcohol in the United States because of the negative impact alcohol abuse was having on families.
Today, Methodist congregations, boards and agencies, and nonprofits continue to seek justice globally in a variety of ways, including protecting basic human rights and seeking greater equality and opportunity for all regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, socioeconomic status, sexuality, and many other demographic markers.
Sparking Conversations about the Moral Life
Much of this work today is built on the foundations laid by the Social Principles and the movement’s tradition that preceded them. Furthermore, the Social Principles serve as a conversational starting point about the moral life to which Christ calls us. The introduction to a separately printed version of the Social Principles frames it well, saying:
“It may be helpful to look at each social principle as an expression of a public position that reflects a set of personal convictions. While you may not agree with each of the Social Principles, they are a solid starting point for further dialogue.”[1]
Join the Conversation
That is what this project aims to do. About once a week, I will examine a small part of the proposed Revised Social Principles. In doing so, I hope to provide a way for General Conference delegates to discuss the RSP prior to their consideration at GC. I invite United Methodist clergy and laity to do the same, both as a matter of information and to rediscover what it means to be United Methodist today as we seek to live our faith in public.
This is my Offering and Prayer
I offer this work as a gift to the United Methodist Church, the denomination which formed me into the disciple I am today. You may find, as I do, that some positions in the existing SP or proposed RSP resonate with you more than others. Pay attention to these feelings of comfort and discomfort, but don’t let them keep you from exploring these positions more deeply, especially in conversation with other United Methodists. We cannot learn and grow as disciples unless we are willing to open ourselves to what God may be trying to teach us through the words of someone else.
This project is also my gift to the church in the sense that no one has asked me to do this. I have no formal affiliations with any general boards and agencies in the UMC, and I am not an elected delegate to General Conference. The interpretations, opinions, and reasoning here are mine alone unless otherwise noted. My purpose in this work is to offer a resource for my siblings in Christ, particularly those who call themselves Methodists, as we journey into a new chapter of the United Methodist Church potentially guided by a new version of Social Principles. Above all I pray that my work, and the ways this project is used by others to start conversations, will bring glory to God as we discover the future of the United Methodist Church together. Thanks for joining me on the journey.
Faith working by love 