Church and Society is a long-standing ministry area of our denomination.  Under this heading comes other sub groups such as Religion and Race, Ministry of Women and Children, and Peace With Justice; there are many others.  In fact, at the highest level, The United Methodist Church’s “Board of Church and Society” is located in Washington, D.C.  Its building sits right beside the Supreme Court Building and next to the Capital Building.

The purpose of the Board is two fold: 

1. The Board of Church and Society serves to educate the greater Church about our public responsibility of being salt and light to the world.
        In Jesus day, as well as in ours, salt was used as a preservative, to keep food from perishing.  Salt was used for medicinal purposes as a means of healing.  And salt was used as a change agent as it flavored food and made it certain foods more enjoyable.
       Light, as Jesus implied, always brought a sense of security and historically was the mainstay for issues of safety throughout our world.  Jesus’ explanation about light was that light “cannot be hidden.”  Light will always be seen.  On a dark night the light of a match can be seen for miles.  The Board of Church and Society then, reminds us then that we Methodists have a responsibility to be salt and light to the world.
   
   
2. The Board of Society serves to represent us as a denomination when decisions are made, politically and socially, that go against the teachings of the Church.  These basic teachings are found in our published document entitled, “Social Principles of the United Methodist Church.”  This document is reviewed and approved at our General Conference that meets every four years.  An insert in your bulletin today gives you a flavor of these principles.  You can go on-line and read every one of the Social Principles that give foundation  but also limit the actions of the Board of Society in representing us in our social world.

As I share this sermon with you, I want to relate how thankful I am for two things today:

1. As an American I am thankful for the freedom that gives us the ability to publicly speak up and out about our social and political lives as Americans. 
        I thank God that we have a government that is of the people, for the people, and by the people.   Most of us would give our lives, as many have, to protect this important part of our freedom.
   
   
2. We are a church that believes our faith in Christ calls us to be involved in the world.

   Jim Wallis, the founder and editor of SoJourners Magazine, and the author of a seminal book, “God’s Politics,” says that there is no such thing as a “private faith.”  Your and my faith, or the lack thereof, will always surface every day in the way we think and act socially.  As a denomination, we are not a “private church!”  To represent Jesus as a Christian denomination, means that we must be willing to take a stand for those things that we understand are values that Jesus gave to us about life and the dignity of life for all people. 

     In Matthew 25, Jesus stated the guidelines that he would use for those who would enter eternal life.  He confused his disciples and they asked, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? [38] And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? [39] And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'  And Jesus gave them this answer:  'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’.”

     Jesus died on the Cross, not because of a private faith; he died on the Cross because of the faith he made public.  We are a church that believes our faith in Christ calls us to be involved in the world.

     Yes, We Methodist have a wonderful heritage of balancing piety with social concerns.  This example of fervency for evangelism, balanced with a strong social conviction came from John Wesley, the father of our church.  John Wesley had a tremendous heart for those left out of the status quo church of his day.  It was Wesley and his followers who reached out to the coal miners and the uneducated farmers seeking to give them the good news of the God’s love through Jesus Christ.  Wesley’s evangelistic spirit could be seen throughout his ministry.  He never lost it!

     This balance of evangelism and social concern began while John Wesley and his brother, Charles, were in seminary at Oxford.  There they organized a club they called the Holy Club.  They practiced disciplines of faith, and believed that the gospel called them to be involved in addressing the ills of society.  They were criticized and made fun of by the students and some professors, and were labeled with two words that stuck and took on new meaning for the early followers of Wesley:  “Enthusiasts and Methodists.”  “Enthusiasts” was a negative word used within the tired ways of the church of Wesley’s day.  And the word “Methodists,” was a word of mockery because of the systematic way Wesley organized people for worship and for social action.  Yet God in all of his sovereignity took something that looked bad and turned it into good.

     One historian credited Wesley and his followers in bringing many of the social reforms that were needed during his day.[1]  Many of us most likely saw the movie earlier this year entitled, “Amazing Grace.”  William Wilberforce was a Member of Parliament who, after many years of trying, was able to pass a law that ultimately led to the defeat of slave trade in England.  However, twenty years before this bill had passed, John Wesley sought to begin a movement against slave trading, and published an abolitionist tract entitled, “Thoughts on Slavery.”  He was highly criticized for this tract because society believed that ending the slave trade would upset their economy.  It was the same excuse given by we Americans as a reason for slavery.  Jim Forbes, pastor of Riverside Church is correct when he says, “money is the root of all evil.” 

      One of the last letters Wesley wrote was to William Wilberforce urging him to continue with his “glorious enterprise,” which Wesley called slavery, “the scandal of religion.” [2]

      We are a church that will always get our selves in trouble because we believe that we cannot exist in society without seeking to honor all of God’s teaching.  In 1906, our Church published an important document in the form of a creed.  It is named the United Methodist Social Affirmation.  In the day that this affirmation was written no other denominations that had such a document.  By reciting this Affirmation we Methodists are called to remember that we are a church that believes in the life and dignity for all God’s people, both in our country and people around the world. 

       But, some may argue that we are wrong in taking such a position.  Do we not believe in the division of church and state?  First of all this phrase will not be found in the Constitution.   It statement made by Thomas Jefferson, who used it to reflect upon a part of the First Amendment, which reads:  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”  There were two reasons, really two evils, as to why our founding fathers made this law:  First, our government nation would not follow the European states of establishing a state church/religion, which really weakens the government and the church; And secondly, the government would not control or give influence over what was right and wrong theology for a particular community of faith, and thus would justify its right to exist or not to exist.

     Separation of church and state is a statement against the involvement of government in religion, but it has never been the opposite…religion’s involvement in the state.  We Methodists believe it is our responsibility to be involved to honor what we interpret as the God given rights and dignity of all people.  Yes, I realize that we Christians will disagree on this very point, and there is nothing wrong with this.  However, when we become so focused on a political agenda that we demonize others for their beliefs, then we have forgotten the Greatest Commandment.  A review of history shows us that Barry Goldwater and John Kennedy disagreed greatly but they respected each other and were friends.  God is not a Democrat, a Republican, or a Libertarian.  God is God.  As citizens, the most important question that we will ever ask is in our social and political persuasions is, are we on God’s side?

     I am proud to be a United Methodist.  I am proud that as a denomination we are encouraged to take a stand for Christ’s sake on issues that detrimentally affect the dignity of life for all people.  However, there are limits to our involvement.   For instance, you will never see the United Methodist Church endorsing any candidate.  The reason for this is that the moment we endorse any candidate we give up our right to speak truth to power when it goes against the biblical standards of God given rights.  Also, we will never support a political party because it is not only divisive, it can cause us to become agents of corporate evil without ever intending to do so.  And, as a denomination, we will always believe in and cherish our form of government, but history teaches us that unquestioned nationalism can be the source of great evil, and that we Christians should never confused about the answer as to who is Lord?

      I will close with a writing from Martin Niemoller, a pastor who lived in Germany during the day of Hitler: 

"First They Came for the Jews"
By Pastor Martin Niemoller

Yes, we are the salt and light of the world…let us always be salt and light!

Amen!