Artwork Courtesy of David F. Watson
Francis Asbury's Ordination
From the time of its founding when Francis Asbury was consecrated a bishop, American Methodism has been wracked by division. (File photo)
Special to United Methodist Insight
The headlines sounded ominous; 439 Texas congregations leaving the United Methodist Church. But truth be told, the Methodist Church has never been “United”. United was only added to the church’s name in 1968 when the Evangelical United Brethren merged with the Methodists. The name was changed to memorialize the two former denominations not to signal any newfound unity. In fact, the denomination has only been the Methodist Church since 1939. Prior to that it was the Methodist Episcopal Church. I, myself, was baptized in 1936 in a Methodist Episcopal Church in suburban Philadelphia.
Almost since its founding in 1784, Methodists have disagreed on many things, church governance, doctrine, worship styles, social principles, etc. Theologically Methodism derives from the Anglican Church of England which has its origins in Roman Catholicism. Historically the Methodist Church in America was founded February 28, 1784. A new denomination became necessary after the Treaty of Paris of October 1783 ended the Revolutionary War and severed all connections with England including the Church of England. The Episcopalians and Presbyterians faced a similar dilemma. John Wesley himself was an Anglican for all of his life. Before the Revolutionary War, Methodist itinerant preachers were appointed to form societies, but they were expected by Wesley to work within the Anglican Church, as they were not ordained. They were not allowed to administer the sacraments. When the Revolutionary War broke out many Methodist pastors returned to England.
The first schism occurred in 1828 over church governance when former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church broke away and formed the Methodist Protestant Church. They objected to the episcopal hierarchy which gave too much power to bishops and a centralized institution. They retained the Wesleyan doctrine and worship but adopted a congregational style of governance giving more power to local congregations.
The next great schism occurred in 1844 over slavery when the southern churches broke away to form The Methodist Episcopal Church South. They supported slavery and a belief in the superiority of the white race. They would quote scripture to support their beliefs. But they were in no sense a part of the Wesleyan tradition which strongly opposed slavery. Methodists were a major force in the abolishment of slavery in England in 1833 and the abolitionist movement in the United States. After the Civil War, the Methodist Episcopal Church South continued and prospered as a separate segregated all white denomination.
These divisions persisted until 1939 when the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Methodist Protestant Church merged to form the Methodist Church. But part of the compromise was that all-black churches would be separated into a Central Jurisdiction. This is when the Methodist Church supposedly became "united". However, the southern part never became fully assimilated. They always saw themselves as distinctly different, even today. With the 1968 merger between the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren the new denomination became the United Methodist Church, even though the church was anything but united.
Historically, the Methodist Church has always been a denomination divided over social and other issues. This has become fertile ground for political forces to exploit these divisions in order to win votes. Yet Methodists have never insisted on a litmus test to define its membership. Diversity of opinion has been tolerated and even encouraged. The Wesleyan theological formulation is the so called Wesley Quadrilateral. United Methodists believe in scripture, yes, but scripture informed by reason, tradition, and Christian experience. While slavery and race relations have been defining issues, issues of war and peace, sexuality, role of women, etc have also divided the church. Yet Methodists have always seemed to be able to come together for the common good despite their differences. As John Wesley has said, “Though we cannot think alike, May we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may.”
So division is underway. Perhaps it’s for the best as it recognizes the realities that have always existed. It will be interesting to see how the new denomination deals with differences in the future, differences that will almost certainly arise within its ranks.
United Methodist layman W. Richard Turner is a retired research chemist who lives in Hewitt, Texas.