Social Principles and the Political Community

Politics is among the topics most often abhorred as a dinner-table discussion. The United Methodist Church believes the place of politics in God’s world must be addressed, nonetheless, especially if not at the dinner table.

The denomination’s Social Principles declare that allegiance to God “takes precedence” over that to any state, but acknowledge government’s vital function as “a principal vehicle for the ordering of society.” Consequently, The United Methodist Church is compelled to ministry in the political community because “we know ourselves to be responsible to God for social and political life.”

The United Methodist Church has a long history advocating social justice in the political community. In 1908 the Methodist Episcopal Church became the first denomination to recognize a need for stated principles on political issues. That first Social Creed became the blueprint for subsequent revised creeds and the Social Principles that first expanded on them in 1972.

The Social Principles are meant to assist in fostering prayerful dialogue among United Methodists. They offer a solid theological and biblical interpretation of social problems. Every four years the Social Principles are updated to meet new concerns.

6 subject areas

The current Social Principles comprise six subject areas: The Natural World, Nurturing Community, Social Community, Economic Community, Political Community and World Community. This article addresses ¶164 in the United Methodist Book of Discipline: The Political Community.

Just as politics constantly undergo ebbs and flows, issues addressed in The Political Community have changed. The 1972 Social Principles included just four segments pertinent to The Political Community. The current edition (2008) includes human rights, political responsibility, relationship between church and state, freedom of information, education, and the death penalty. None of which was included in 1972. Others, such as freedom of information, became significant issues in the aftermath of Watergate, the birth of the Internet, and the passage of the Patriot Act.

It is a duty of government to bestow these rights on its people.

Underlying the statement that all deserve certain basic human rights is the denomination’s belief that all people are created equally in God’s image. The Social Principles state that it is a duty of government to bestow these rights on its people. These rights, which the Social Principles call for across the world, include the freedom of speech, religion, assembly, press and petition to redress grievances.

The Social Principles also call for certain basic human needs to become rights. These are the need for privacy, food, clothing, shelter, education and health care. The Social Principles say these needs are universal. The Social Principles declare that denial of these basic needs prohibits each of God’s children from attaining their fullest life.

Role of government

The United Methodist Church also believes that governments must be held accountable for these rights to be universal. Free elections must take place in every society. The right to vote should be universal for all adult citizens, according to the Social Principles, because all people are affected by the actions of their government.

The United Methodist Church opposes any means of force or fear that governments may inflict on political opponents. The Social Principles say torture is wholly incompatible with Christian teaching and must be abolished.

Torture is wholly incompatible with Christian teaching and must be abolished.

The Social Principles also reject activities that debilitate basic freedoms. Slavery, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity all are antithetical to the idea that all humans must be valued as children of God, according to the Social Principles. These actions destroy freedoms and human rights that should be available to all.

Political engagement is the best way to ensure governments do not overstep their authority and detract from citizen’s basic human rights and freedoms. The Social Principles call for all United Methodists to “exert a strong ethical influence upon the state” by promoting laws and programs consistent with the denomination’s beliefs.

Separation of church and state

Political activism by the faith community does not conflict with the concept of separation of church and state. Indeed, The United Methodist Church encourages separation of church and state in governments around the world because of its belief that all people should have the right to religious freedom.

Separation between church and state does not mean complete exclusion from the affairs of the other, though. A balance must exist wherein neither church nor state attempts to exert undue influence over the other. One way the United Methodist Church observes this balance is by assigning the General Board of Church & Society with promoting social justice by advocating for laws and programs consistent with the Social Principles.

Under the auspices of national security, governments often withhold information from the public. Time and again, however, transparency has proved the best way to enable governments to make informed decisions consistent with the will and needs of their constituents. The Social Principles also say that governments should refrain from using their power to execute illegal activities “under the guise of national security.”

The Social Principles state that citizens should have access to “all essential information” concerning their government.

Right to education

Education is the key to building and maintaining healthy governments and societies. The United Methodist Church asserts that all people have the right to an education. The duty to ensure equal opportunities in education falls upon the family, faith community and government, according to the Social Principles.

While the United States supports a public school system that allows free elementary and secondary education, the Social Principles call for free access to post-secondary schools as well. While scholarships and loans will absorb some of the ever-rising high cost, rising tuition prohibits a significant portion of the population from an education that would benefit every facet of their lives. Thus, the church calls for free access to education at all levels because no one should be “precluded [from an education] by financial barriers.”

Laws are considered a necessary role of government, and citizens should follow the laws that have been laid out for their benefit. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that governments also “are subjects to the judgment of God.” When citizens believe that the laws upheld by their government do not serve the people or promote respect and equality, they have the right to dissent by peacefully “disobey[ing] laws that they deem to be unjust or that are discriminately enforced.”

Central to support of civil disobedience is the notion that it may be engaged in peacefully. The Social Principles do not condone violence as a legitimate expression of rights.

Reject death penalty

Effective governments must have power to enforce legislation. The United Methodist Church urges governments to reduce crime rates through programs that maintain the dignity and freedom of citizens. The Social Principles state that governments have a duty to remove “social conditions that lead to crime” by improving education and health care and reducing poverty and unemployment.

The Social Principles reject laws that discriminate against citizens, those with disabilities, and those who do not speak the language of law enforcement officials. The Social Principles call for a restorative justice system that “seeks to hold the offender accountable to the victimized person, and to the disrupted community.”

The United Methodist Church resolutely rejects the death penalty because it “denies the power of Christ to redeem, restore and transform all human beings.” All people are of sacred worth, according to the Social Principles, and deserve redemption from their sins. The Social Principles point out that the death penalty obstructs that opportunity by degrading death row inmates and limiting “all possibility of change” by ending their life.

The United Methodist Church abhors war. As a consequence, the Social Principles “yearn for the day when there will be no more war.” The United Methodist Church urges the peaceful settlement of all disputes among nations. The Social Principles recognize that some United Methodists prefer force of arms to unchecked aggression, genocide and tyranny. But only after peaceful alternatives have failed, the Social Principles point out.

Military conscription is “incompatible with the Gospel” and cannot be condoned because the church does not accept the need for war. The denomination affirms the right of persons to refuse military service, and urges all who consider entering the military to engage in dialogue with the church before making a decision.

Ultimately, the Social Principles recognize that “neither the way of military action, nor the way of inaction is always righteous before God.”

The Social Priciples offer an instrument to help you discern your own understanding of political issues through a theological and biblical lens. The denomination hopes that United Methodists will acknowledge that the political community is subject to God’s will, and will begin to assert their voice as active, engaged citizens, who are United Methodists.

The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church:

The Social Principles are available in a 64-page booklet from Cokesbury. The booklet is a tool to help individuals and small groups study the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church. It contains the official text of the Social Principles from The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2008 along with exercises for individuals or small groups, a topical index and "Our Social Creed."

Studying the Social Principles provides opportunities to examine your own theology and ethics, and to practice discipleship. For more information, go to Cokesbury.