The View From Here: Respecting what others believe

Some time ago, one of our United Methodist bishops made a statement concerning the virgin birth of Jesus that ran contrary to what the majority of us believe. It made headlines giving the impression that The United Methodist Church didn't hold to the validity of the virgin birth.

Others picked up the report and used it against us. For example, in the past year, Dr. James Kennedy, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, preaching a series of sermons on what Presbyterians believe, showed a slide of the United Methodist logo (the cross and flame) stating what the bishop had said. Then Dr. Kennedy went on to say, in essence, "But Presbyterians believe in the virgin birth." And then there those of my congregation and community asking, "Don't Methodists believe in the virgin birth?"

My first response is to remind us that no one person, even if he or she is a bishop, speaks for the entire church. In our church we have several bishops who make up a Council of Bishops, but among them there is not a primary or superior bishop. When one of the bishops or the Council makes a statement, we must remember that they are speaking on their own merit and it does not represent the whole of Methodism.

The second response is to remind us that only the General Conference of The United Methodist Church, meeting every four years with equal representation from laity and clergy attending and voting, speaks for and on behalf of the whole denomination. The outcome of the General Conference gathering and its decisions are recorded in The Book of Discipline and The Book of Resolutions published soon after the Conference adjourns. These two documents represent the church's stance on all issues of practice and doctrine pertaining to our denomination.

Stated in The Book of Discipline are our church's doctrinal standards, including our belief in the virgin birth of our Lord, which are congruent with basic Christian beliefs; and are protected by a restrictive clause in our denominational constitution. These standards can not be changed without amending the church's constitution—a long and very difficult process.

The third response is to ask this question: As Christians serving God faithfully through our particular denomination, what do we believe and what does our church hold up as biblical and spiritual truth? And the second question is like unto the first in importance: how does what I believe impact my relationships with others?

These questions, then, serve as a spring-board for a summer sermon series my congregation titled, "The Faith We Hold." Using the Scriptures and The Articles of Religion of The United Methodist Church, I will preach a summer sermon series on what United Methodists believe and hold as spiritual truths.

In preaching this series, it will not be my purpose to make us look better or more Christian than our brothers and sisters in Christ whose doctrine and practice may differ from our own. And I will make no reference to what other denominations do or do not believe. For to do so is to deny what the Scripture says: "for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith (Galatians 3:26 NRSV)." You see, I made a pledge in a sermon to my congregation a few months back that I would no longer tell stories and jokes that ridiculed, put down, and belittled other denominations and fellowships of the Christian faith. My calling in ministry is to lift Christ up, not put others down.