Bogata to Burkburnett: Book of Discipline is candidate for burning

 

BY RICHARD B. HEARNE
NTC Board of Laity, Chair

I doubt any readers of this column supported the threats of the pastor of a 50-member Florida church to burn Qurans on 9/11. I clearly remember as a young teen watching film of Nazi storm troopers throwing books into a fire in the 1930s, and it struck me as one of the most disgusting forms of protest. I know I would be very displeased if someone burned a Bible.

As I watched the report on the pastor on TV, I wondered if I could ever approve the burning of a book. The answer is no, but what if there were a book that I would burn — which one would it be? My candidate: The United Methodist Book of Discipline.

One of the strengths of our denomination is the Book of Discipline — the method that makes us United Methodists. Yet the Book of Discipline is also the weapon that so many of us use to prove our superiority to others and that our position is correct. People of more progressive theology point to certain sections to prove their arguments, and traditionalists open to other sections to prove their points.

We say we are opposed to so many issues of the world and yet in the next sentence, paragraph or section, we approve a statement that says that it is OK. Name a social or theological issue, and we United Methodists have a written statement(s) that expresses our beliefs and views or those of the General Conference — often with conflicting views.

A book that was small enough to fit into a shirt pocket in 1902 now contains over 800 pages — so large that only a few serious discipline scholars really know what is covered on those pages. What I have learned in my 12 years of involvement with the general church is that hardly anyone really cares what the Book of Discipline states. No wonder the world, especially young people, look at us as hypocrites as we fuss and fight while claiming to be followers of Christ.

So if we did not have the Book of Discipline what would be our guidelines and the focus of our ministry?

What if we acknowledged that we are all sinners and that all are welcome in the United Methodist Church where in a relationship with each other we might show Christ’s love and grace. Could we not worship together and follow Jesus even if we have different beliefs on lifestyles?

I don’t know the answer on this issue, but I know what we are doing is not working.

Metaphorically speaking, anybody got a match?