Comments on: What are United Methodists Known For?

By: “I am a Methodist. I can believe anything.” « Kentucky Fried Methodist

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:37:10 +0000

[...] Craig Groeschel points out, and Matt Judkins comments on, Methodists are often commended for their “social consciousness.” While [...]

By: Craig G.

Craig G. — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:29:50 +0000

Hey Matt, I am excited to hear you see this is a challenge. I served 5 years at a great UM church. We would have hoped to embodied all the qualities as well. Many UM churches do. I pray the Methodist Church (and others) becomes all these things! Blessings.

By: John B.

John B. — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:59:18 +0000

When I was a kid in the 70′s, it did seem that the UMC was primarily known for social action and “believing whatever you want.” As I went through the candidacy-ordination process in and college seminary, there was beginning to be more of an emphasis on spiritual formation. I thought at the time that social action alone was leaving people, if not empty, at least spiritually dry. So folks began looking into spiritual formation to try to quench that thirst. Social involvement needs spirituality to sustain it. I also thought, and have pursued this idea ever since, that genuine spirituality needs a strong theological base. Good theology sustains spiritual formation that empowers social action.

This is kind of a long way of saying, “Yes, we need all of these.”

Reading Groeschel’s list reminds me of Richard Foster’s _Streams of Living Water_ where he describes six streams of Christian tradition, faith and life.

By: David

David — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:57:08 +0000

Hello Matt,

I just stumbled upon your blog, and I am enjoying it.

I certainly agree with you that Methodists should embody everything on the list.

However, this list seems to confirm the widely-held belief that “Methodist can believe anything they want to believe.” I am a student at Duke Divinity and also a pastor, and I hear this sentiment all the time. We (Methodists) just are not known as theological giants.

It’s time we recover (and promote) our theological depths…which are partially the impetus behind our social consciousness.

By: John Meunier

John Meunier — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:08:17 +0000

This reminds me of one of Brian McLaren’s books where he goes through each Christian brand and explains how he is one of them.

For Methodist he talks about faith being a journey and the historic system of class meetings.