Whosoever thou art, whose heart is herein as my heart, give me thine hand! Come, and let us magnify the Lord together, and labour to promote his kingdom upon earth! Let us join hearts and hands in this blessed work, in striving to bring glory to God in the highest, by establishing peace and good-will among men, to the uttermost of our power!
- John Wesley, “On Laying the Foundation of the New Chapel, Near the City-Road, London“
These lines from near the end of Wesley’s most awkwardly titled sermon would be a fitting theme for the upcoming General Conference of United Methodists.
That is an idle dream, I fear. Even now, many of us are plotting strategies and planning to deploy power. Rival camps seek out the weaknesses in their foes and talk amongst themselves in private and in public of victory and battle. They stir up fear and anger within their tribes to gird themselves for conflict. They smear on the warpaint of self-righteousness and call it humility.
Our hearts are quite often not with Mr. Wesley’s heart. As he writes:
Are you an happy partaker of this scriptural, this truly primitive, religion? Are you a witness of the religion of love? Are you a lover of God and all mankind? Does your heart glow with gratitude to the Giver of every good and perfect gift, the Father of the spirit flesh, who giveth you life, and breath, and all things; who hath given you his Son, his only Son, that you “might not perish, but have everlasting life?” Is your soul warm with benevolence to all mankind? Do you long to have all men virtuous and happy? And does the constant tenor of your life and conversation bear witness of this? Do you “love, not in word” only, “but in deed and in truth?” Do you persevere in the “work of faith, and the labour of Love?” Do you “walk in love, as Christ also loved us, and gave himself for us?” Do you, as you have time, “do good unto all men;” and in as high a degree as you are able? Whosoever thus “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Do we love God?
Not, do we have kind of a high regard for God? Would we recommend him to our friends? Would we write him a nice recommendation letter if he were looking for a better job?
For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. (1 John 5:3-4, NRSV)
The very first step of scriptural religion – as Wesley would call it – is to love God. But it is often hard for us to do that. Sometimes we do not understand what it is God wants of us. Sometimes we do not trust the Bible or church tradition to be guides. Sometimes we are faced with questions that seem outside the boundaries of all our theological categories.
But sometimes it is not really any of this. Sometimes we just don’t want to love God if it means obeying. If it means getting down in Gethsemane with Jesus and saying, “Not my will, but yours be done,” we take off running down the Mount of Olives.
I’ve done it. Maybe you have, too.
This is my dream General Conference for the next two sessions. Neither would pass any legislation other than budgets and other items necessary to keep the general church running. Both would be dedicated to two questions: What should we teach? How should we teach it?
The agenda in 2012 would be simple: What does it mean to love God? The agenda in 2016 would be its pair: What does it mean to love our neighbor?
I know this is unrealistic and demonstrates why I have no business being a bishop or responsible authority in the UMC. It is nonetheless my vision.
I am a part-time local pastor serving 
The doctrine of original sin is surely more humbling to man than the opposite: And I know not what honour we can pay to God, if we think man came out of His hands in the condition wherein he is now.
John, I like those themes for the next 2 General Conference sessions. My feeling is that if we all would get back to the basics of a scriptural faith as Wesley taught things would work much smoother.
I’m with you, Ed.
Perhaps we ought to nominate you!
: )
Thanks for thoughtful and insightful post!
Thanks for the kind words, Mike.
The agenda in 2012 would be simple: What does it mean to love God? The agenda in 2016 would be its pair: What does it mean to love our neighbor?
This is a fantastic idea. I hope that someone will listen.
I don’t think it’s fair to ask gays and lesbians and their allies to wait 8 more years to possibly have full membership rights.
I don’t think its fair to hold general conference hostage to an agenda that it has consistently kept the same view on again and again and again and again and again and again and again etc. The general conference has spoken multiple times on this issue, and always with the same outcome.