Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 33] 15 Oct 202016 Oct 2020 It was only a matter of time before the Methodist Church would move beyond the political turmoil of racial politics and into the realm of societal politics...national and worldwide. In…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 32] 8 Oct 2020 Even with the forward progress the Methodist Church had made in race relations, all was not yet well. Some black demonstrators protested at the 1968 General Conference in Dallas for…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 31] 2 Oct 2020 The 1963 Methodist Human Relations Conference was attended by 1,100 Methodists and featured activist James Meredith, comedian and activist Dick Gregory, and Martin Luther King Jr. It also sent a…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 30] 24 Sep 2020 The 1958 Council of Bishops were especially "disturbed by a growing disregard of law evidenced by the bombing of synagogues, churches, schools, and even private dwellings." They urged…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 29] 17 Sep 2020 Despite continued Methodist church segregation in the form of the Central Jurisdiction, Methodist bodies continued to denounce societal segregation. This is a form of hypocrisy...accepting segregation in the church but…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 28] 10 Sep 2020 The politics of segregation wasn't coming from outside the church but from within the church. Methodists were finding fault with each other. For example, in 1955 a white West Virginia…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 27] 3 Sep 2020 As I write about the hypocrisy of racism in the Methodist Church...or any church on the account...I am still amazed that it was or is even a controversy. How any…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 26] 27 Aug 2020 One of Methodism's first black bishops was Robert Jones, who was elected in 1920, and who spoke on human equality at Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta in 1951. "There is…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church- The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 25] 20 Aug 2020 In 1948 the Methodist Church was still dealing with the question of racism and segregation within the church. In that year 10,000 young people, including 500 "Negro" delegates, gathered at…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church – [Part 24] 13 Aug 2020 After World War II, Methodism struggled with racial relations and segregation, both within the church and within America. The 1939 reunification of the northern and southern churches had created a…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 23] 6 Aug 2020 In 1959, a Chicago Methodist minister mocked Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's claims to be a "champion of peace" as an "ironic and ludicrous spectacle." (Imagine an icon of liberalism being…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 22] 30 Jul 2020 Having largely won his confrontation with congressional critics, Bishop Oxnam continued to speak in defense of civil liberties and against communism. "In my view, the Communist Party is a conspiracy. …
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 21] 23 Jul 2020 During the MFSA conference of 1951, the conference chief McMichael denounced the Korean War. Even during this conference some division was starting to appear. Retired Bishop Francis McConnell, at the…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 20] 16 Jul 2020 Meanwhile, conservative Los Angeles Methodist pastor Bob Shuler in 1949 condemned his local bishop for publicly opposing the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as an alliance to defend…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 19] 9 Jul 2020 Last week we were left with the Soviet forces having invaded Eastern Europe. Soviet governments were placed in control and thus began the rule of evil by the anti-Christs that…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 18] 2 Jul 2020 On December 7, 1941 the United States was attacked by the Empire of Japan and the arguing was over. Within days we had declared war on Japan and its allies,…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 17] 25 Jun 2020 Throughout the 1920's and 1930's Methodists offered differing views about Soviet communism. Northern Bishop Lauress Birney, based in China, warned against Soviet influence there. ["Soviets Worst Peril in China, Bishop…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 16] 18 Jun 2020 This series was started all over the question of should Christians feel a duty to vote and if so, what principles should inform believers when they cast their ballots. Should…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 15] 11 Jun 2020 On December 7th, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor while their representatives were in Washington, DC, pretending to negotiate peace. After Japan's attack E. Stanley Jones, Methodist missionary to India, chose…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 14] 4 Jun 2020 Let me start this week's commentary with a short commentary of my own. I want to once again reemphasize that this subset of "Politics and the Church" is not a…
Politics and the Church The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 13] 28 May 2020 This week we will continue with the Methodist Church still trying to convince the US government to ignore the threats of Hitler and Tojo. Meanwhile Germany stepped up its preparation…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 12] 21 May 2020 Later in 1930, Sloan warned Goddard against a policy of "complete disarmament." As an "illustration" he cited "Red Russia", which is "without honor", and would not disarm even if they…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 11] 14 May 2020 Pacifism took root in northern Methodist seminaries starting in the 1890's. Its disciples attained Methodist leadership by the 1920's, politically strengthened by the horrors of WW I. Contrasting with strong…
Politics and the Church Politics and the Church – The Hypocrisy of Politics in the Church [Part 10] 7 May 2020 The 1934 New York East Annual Conference derided recovery programs as "only attempts to patch up and preserve a system that has already broken down." The New Deal did "not…
