A Brief History of the Last 8 Years
Sorting Us Out
Over the last few years, there has been an exodus of Christian Fundamentalism from United Methodist churches. Christian Fundamentalism emerged in early 20th-century American Protestantism as a response to Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, which introduced the theory of “Evolution,” as well as the developing fields of literary and historical Biblical criticism in mainline seminaries and institutions of higher education.
This movement employed an early slogan that said, “We’re looking for people who are willing to go to battle for the fundamentals,” which are:
the inerrancy of Scripture,
the virgin birth of Jesus Christ,
the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross getting us to Heaven when we die,
the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and
the authenticity of Christ’s miracles
*(These fundamentals are often accompanied by a belief that the details of how the world will end are made clear in the Bible as well.)
Christian Fundamentalism became intertwined with United Methodism over the last century, but in recent years, the two have been sorting themselves out.
In some instances, whole churches have joined other denominations, and in others (such as ours) large portions of the congregation left to join churches more in line with Christian Fundamentalism. The loudest presenting issue was over allowing same-sex weddings to happen in our churches, but that’s not really what it was about. It was about pulling apart these two incompatible expressions of faith in Jesus Christ so that they could both lean into who they are and serve the people they are best poised to serve. I expect that, while the departure was difficult, in the end it will be beneficial to both.
Heritage’s turn back toward its United Methodist identity is not meant as an indictment of other expressions of faith in Jesus Christ. It is simply an acknowledgement that United Methodism offers a valuable, important contribution to the worldwide conversation about who Jesus was and the difference he continues to make today, and that expressing both views effectively under one roof is simply not possible.
United Methodists would not profess that we have it all right and others have it all wrong. Surely when we meet God face to face no one will stand in the presence of the Almighty and declare “Hah! Just as I expected!” However, we have seen the fruit of the Holy Spirit borne in the Wesleyan expression of faith that lies at the core of United Methodist history and belief, and feel that it should be preserved and proclaimed as a valid way to welcome people to faith in Christ.
In contrast to Christian Fundamentalism’s strict literal interpretation, theologically precise boundaries, and the oppositional “battle” posture often used in its teaching and preaching —United Methodism approaches faith through the historic "Wesleyan Quadrilateral," balancing Scripture with tradition, reason, and lived experience, while placing primary emphasis on God’s grace, social holiness, and engagement with those both inside and outside of the Christian faith.
An Example from Noah’s Ark
Excluding insects, sea life, and animals that could survive in water, there are about 36,000 species of land vertebrates known to us—mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. In a Fundamentalist framework, kids are taught, if they’re asked whether two of every species—over 70,000 animals–lived for months and months on a large boat, they’re supposed to say “yes.” If the professor argues about it, they’re supposed to argue back. They’re supposed to see that professor for what they are–a false teacher undermining the Scriptures.
Those kids were sent to college with a difficult task. You cannot present evidence or logical arguments to defend everything that Scripture says. In the United Methodist Church, we don’t believe Scripture to be true because we can prove it. We believe Scripture is true because we’ve seen it. I can’t prove that Jonah was really swallowed by a whale (or “great fish”), but I can testify that when God sends me to serve someone I don’t like very much, it always goes better for me when I do than when I don’t.
