Our United Methodist Book of Discipline describes the Methodist practice of using Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason as guides in making difficult decisions. Of these four, Scripture is considered the preeminent authority. These documents highlight a number of passages that address the role of the scripture in guiding the church in its role of social critique and prophetic witness.
Our Biblical Foundation (PDF Format) ~ This document provides a list of a number of pinnacle verses from Scripture related to social action and advocacy.
Kings Actions Condemned by Prophets (PDF Format) ~ At times we may be challenged by persons who claim the Church should be more supportive of the government and not challenge government decision makers. In fact, Scripture shows that very few of the Hebrew kings were judged to have done well in the sight of God. Many, many were judged to have done "evil in the sight of God."
Historical
United Methodists have a long and rich history of engagement on issues of social concern. John Wesley was a forthright advocate on prison reform, human rights, abuse of spirituous liquors, labor justice, healthcare, slavery, the humane treatment of animals. Slavery was a divisive issue within the church during the 18th and 19th Centuries with many Methodist taking strong abolitionist positions while others were less forthright. The women's rights movement, the labor reform movement, the temperance movement and the Civil Rights movement all saw leadership from a number of courageous and prophetic Methodist voices. These documents highlight our rich history of advocacy for justice.
Timeline of life of Frances Willard (PDF Format) ~ Willard was the world renowned leader of Woman's Christian Temperance Union and faithful Methodist. WCTU changed the way the nation viewed alcohol use. It was totally woman driven organization with chapters in almost every county in the United States.
A Brief History of the United Methodist Building (PDF Format) ~ Built in 1923, the Methodist Building on Capitol Hill is a treasure of the United Methodist Church. It has served for generations a hall of the prophets, a gathering place for advocacy and action on a broad range of social concerns: temperance, women's rights, family farms, war and peace, civil rights, immigration reform, healthcare justice and many others.
Quotations from John Wesley ~ John Wesley was not afraid to take on even the most controversial issues of his day. He spoke the truth as he saw it. Read here some of his statements addressing social justice and human rights.
Theological
The church is challenged to think clearly and logically about its role in both the local parish and the world at large. Where is God at work in our world? How can we support the work God is doing? What role has God given the church to play in the midst of a broken and hurting world in need of healing? Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that the church should neither dominate the state, nor be dominated by the state. Instead, the church is called to be the conscience of the state. How can we perform this vital role faithfully in a world that increasing relegates the work of the church only to the spiritual and private realm.
Talking Points for Church and Society Work (PDF Format) - What is the theological basis of Social Justice ministry. Here is a quick list of points supporting the call of the Church to engage faithfully in issues of public concern.
The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church
All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect. Economic, political, social, and technological developments have increased our human numbers, and lengthened and enriched our lives. However, these developments have led to regional defoliation, dramatic extinction of species, massive human suffering, overpopulation, and misuse and overconsumption of natural and nonrenewable resources, particularly by industrialized societies. This continued course of action jeopardizes the natural heritage that God has entrusted to all generations. Therefore, let us recognize the responsibility of the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic, political, social, and technological lifestyles to support a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world leading to a higher quality of life for all of God’s creation.
The community provides the potential for nurturing human beings into the fullness of their humanity. We believe we have a responsibility to innovate, sponsor, and evaluate new forms of community that will encourage development of the fullest potential in individuals. Primary for us is the gospel understanding that all persons are important—because they are human beings created by God and loved through and by Jesus Christ and not because they have merited significance. We therefore support social climates in which human communities are maintained and strengthened for the sake of all persons and their growth. We also encourage all individuals to be sensitive to others by using appropriate language when referring to all persons. Language of a derogatory nature (with regard to race, nationality, ethnic background, gender, sexuality, and physical differences) does not reflect value for one another and contradicts the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The rights and privileges a society bestows upon or withholds from those who comprise it indicate the relative esteem in which that society holds particular persons and groups of persons. We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We therefore work toward societies in which each person’s value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened. We support the basic rights of all persons to equal access to housing, education, communication, employment, medical care, legal redress for grievances, and physical protection. We deplore acts of hate or violence against groups or persons based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or economic status. Our respect for the inherent dignity of all persons leads us to call for the recognition, protection, and implementation of the principles of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights so that communities and individuals may claim and enjoy their universal, indivisible, and inalienable rights.
We claim all economic systems to be under the judgment of God no less than other facets of the created order. Therefore, we recognize the responsibility of governments to develop and implement sound fiscal and monetary policies that provide for the economic life of individuals and corporate entities and that ensure full employment and adequate incomes with a minimum of inflation. We believe private and public economic enterprises are responsible for the social costs of doing business, such as employment and environmental pollution, and that they should be held accountable for these costs. We support measures that would reduce the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. We further support efforts to revise tax structures and to eliminate governmental support programs that now benefit the wealthy at the expense of other persons.
While our allegiance to God takes precedence over our allegiance to any state, we acknowledge the vital function of government as a principal vehicle for the ordering of society. Because we know ourselves to be responsible to God for social and political life, we declare the following relative to governments:
God’s world is one world. The unity now being thrust upon us by technological revolution has far outrun our moral and spiritual capacity to achieve a stable world. The enforced unity of humanity, increasingly evident on all levels of life, presents the Church as well as all people with problems that will not wait for answer: injustice, war, exploitation, privilege, population, international ecological crisis, proliferation of arsenals of nuclear weapons, development of transnational business organizations that operate beyond the effective control of any governmental structure, and the increase of tyranny in all its forms. This generation must find viable answers to these and related questions if humanity is to continue on this earth. We commit ourselves as a Church to the achievement of a world community that is a fellowship of persons who honestly love one another. We pledge ourselves to seek the meaning of the gospel in all issues that divide people and threaten the growth of world community.
We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.
We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.
We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.
We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of all persons.
We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social distress.
We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world.
We believe in the present and final triumph of God’s Word in human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest the life of the gospel in the world. Amen.
(It is recommended that this statement of Social Principles be continually available to United Methodist Christians and that it be emphasized regularly in every congregation. It is further recommended that “Our Social Creed” be frequently used in Sunday worship.)
A COMPANION LITANY TO OUR SOCIAL CREED
God in the Spirit revealed in Jesus Christ,
calls us by grace to be renewed in the image of our Creator,
that we may be one
in divine love for the world.
Today is the day
God cares for the integrity of creation,
wills the healing and wholeness of all life,
weeps at the plunder of earth’s goodness. And so shall we.
Today is the day
God embraces all hues of humanity,
delights in diversity and difference,
favors solidarity transforming strangers into friends. And so shall we.
Today is the day
God cries with the masses of starving people,
despises growing disparity between rich and poor,
demands justice for workers in the marketplace. And so shall we.
Today is the day
God deplores violence in our homes and streets,
rebukes the world’s warring madness,
humbles the powerful and lifts up the lowly. And so shall we.
Today is the day
God calls for nations and peoples to live in peace,
celebrates where justice and mercy embrace,
exults when the wolf grazes with the lamb. And so shall we.
Today is the day
God brings good news to the poor,
proclaims release to the captives,
gives sight to the blind,
and sets the oppressed free.
And so shall we.
Downloadable Resources
Our Social Creed ~ our current Social Creed, adopted by General Conference in 2008
It is essential that the Church enhance its teaching ministry so that all United Methodists are familiar with the rich heritage of practical divinity embraced by our forebears. This heritage is manifest in our current Social Creed, Social Principles and Book of Resolutions. We, as United Methodists, are not afraid to talk about important, challenging issues. What would God have us do as people of faith with regard to the issues of war, environmental destruction, human rights, capital punishment, sexuality, church and state relations, immigration, global trade? The church has addressed all of these issues and many more in our Social Principles and Book of Resolutions. These documents serve as a “call to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and practice.” (The Social Principles, Preface statement) The following study material will help faith leaders in local churches, districts and other settings lead trainings on our Social Principles.
Assistance with Social Justice leadership and training can be found by contacting the General Board of Church and Society, division of Education and Leadership Formation. GBCS staff are available to provide resources and leadership on a wide range of issues. They are frequently called on to speak, teach or lead workshops.
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Our United Methodist Book of Discipline describes the Methodist practice of using Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason as guides in making difficult decisions. Of these four, Scripture is considered the preeminent authority. These documents highlight a number of passages that address the role of the scripture in guiding the church in its role of social critique and prophetic witness.
It is essential that the Church enhance its teaching ministry so that all United Methodists are familiar with the rich heritage of practical divinity embraced by our forebears. This heritage is manifest in our current Social Creed, Social Principles and Book of Resolutions. We, as United Methodists, are not afraid to talk about important, challenging issues. What would God have us do as people of faith with regard to the issues of war, environmental destruction, human rights, capital punishment, sexuality, church and state relations, immigration, global trade? The church has addressed all of these issues and many more in our Social Principles and Book of Resolutions. These documents serve as a “call to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and practice.” (The Social Principles, Preface statement) The following study material will help faith leaders in local churches, districts and other settings lead trainings on our Social Principles.
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