Fall 1990 Quarterly Review - Theological Resources for Ministry y

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QUARTERLY REVIEWA Journal of Scholarly Reflection for MinistryA publication of The United Method ist PubUshing H ouseRobert K. Feaster. President and Eublisherand the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and MinistryRoger W. Ireson, General SecretaryEditor, Sharon J. HciaEditorial Director, J. Richard Pec kComposition Editor, Sheila W. McGceE d i t o r i a l B o a r dUoyd R Bai leyDuke Divinity SchoolWafred BaileyCasa View United Methodist ChurchDallas, TexasGeorge W. BashoreBishop, Pi tUburgh AreaThe United Methodist ChurchPamela CoutureCandler School of TheologyEmory Univers i tyFredB. CraddockCandler School of TheologyEmory Univers i tyBrita Gill-AuatemAndover Newton Theological SchoolJanice RiggleHuIeManchacQ United Methodist ChurchManchaca, Texas

Mary E llen KilabyFirst Congregational ChurchLong Beach, CaliforniaRobert C. NevilleBoston University School of TheologyJudith E. SmithGeneral Board of Higher Education and MinistryThe United Methodist ChurchMaijorie Hewitt SuchocklWesley Theological Sem inaryJohn L. TopolewskiDistr ict Sup erintendentWyoming ConferenceDonald H. TrecseGeneral Board of Higher Education and MinistryThe United Methodist ChurchF. Thomos TrotterAlaska Pacific University

Quarter iy Raview (ISSN 0270-9287) provides cont inuing educat ion resources for lay andprofessional ministers in The United Methodist Church and other churches. QR intends to be aforum In which issues of significance to Christian ministry can be raised and debated. Publicationof an article in QR does not Imply endorsement of Its views by the editors.Articles for consideration are welcome from lay and professional ministers. United Methodists,and others , and shouW be mai led to the Editor , QR, Box 87 1, Nashvi l le . TN 3 7202 . M anuscriptsshould be In English and typed double-spaced, Including notes. Writers are strongly encouragedto enclose a copy of the m anuscript on 6 .26" 25GKdiskette , M S/D OS format, ASCII document f i le .(To follow ASCII format, single-space text, double-space between paragraphs, and remove specialtext styles. )QR Is published four times a year, In March, June, September, and December, by the UnitedMethodist Board of Higher Ed ucat ion and Minis try and The U nited M ethodist PubU shhig House .Editor ia l Ofnces are at 1001 19th Avenue. South, Box 871, Nashvi l le . TN 37202. Second-c lasspostage paid at Nashvi l le , Tennessee .QR Is available at a basic subscription price of $15 for one year, $26 for two years, and $33 forthree years . Subscript ions may be obtained by sending a money order or check to the BusinessMa n a g e r , QR , B o x 8 0 1 , N a s h v i l l e . T N 3 7 2 0 2 .Postmaster Address changes should be sent to The United Methodist Publ ishing House . Box8 0 1 . N w h v U l e , T N 3 7 2 0 2 .

Subscribera wishin g to not i fy publ isher of their change of address should wri te to the Bu sinessManager , QR , Box 80 1, NaehvIUe. TN 3 720 2. An Index Is pr inted in the winter Issue of each ye ar(number 6 for 1981 only , number 4 thereafter). QR Is printed on acid-free paper.L e c t l on i v e Wktn ttom C o m m o n L r c U o n t r y : T h e L e c ti o n s P rc p o s e d b y t h e C o n i u l t a t J o n o n C o m m o n T p x t j( N e w Y o r k : C h u r t h H y m n a l C o r p o r a t i o n , 1 9 8 3 ).S


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VOL . 10, NO. 3 FALL 1990

CONTENTSI n t r o d u c t i o nSharon J, Hels 2T h e T e a c h i n g Offic e in t h e Un i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c hThomas A, Langford 4C. Er i c L inco ln , Scho la r and P ro ph e t o f B lackRe l ig ious S tud iesMary K Sawyer 18Bap t i sm and New Bi r th : Evange l i ca l Theo logy and theUni t ed Method i s t "Bap t i sma l Covenan t I "Ted A. Campbell 34A New Li t e ra ry Read ing o f Exodus 32 ,T he S to ry o f t h e G o lden Ca l fJohn a Holbert 46Im ages of Ch r i s t i an Vic to ry : N o tes fo r P rea ch ingfrom the Book of Revela t ionCornish Rogers 69

Q R L e c t i o n a r y S t u d yBring ing O u t of t h e Gosp e l -Tre asu re W ha t is Newand W ha t is Old : Two Parab les in M at th ewDaniel Patte 79

R e v i e w a n d C o m m e n t

S c h u b e r t M . Og d e n . Faith & Freedom: Tow ard a Theologyof LiberationReviewed by Roderick T, Leupp 109


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QR 10/3 (1990) 2-3Introduction

p j H R I S T I A N E DU C A T OR M a r i a Ha r r i s te l l s o f a n u n e x -^"^pec ted g i f t she once rece ived f rom a s tuden t , who hadbe en a sked to de f ine t each ing . H e pu t h i s de f in i ti on in t h e fo rmof a ha iku:We m eet awkwardly.I invite you to wall^I find you dan cing.

T hi nk of th e f irst day of an y c lass you 've tak en (or tau gh t ) :t h e a l ien c l a s s room, th e sea t t h a t i s no t you rs , t h e vagu e sm i l e so f g ree t ing , t he sound o f one vo ice t a lk ing . I t i s a l l ve ryp e d e s t r i a n a t t h e b e g i n n i n g , u n t i l t h e c r u c i a l m o m e n t wh e nq u e s t i o n s - t h e k i n d t h a t c ou l d b e r e p h r a s e d , "h ow s h o u l d Ith ink abou t . . ? " "a re posed . The dance o f t each ing has begun .W h a t i s t h e c h u r c h ' s s t a k e i n t h e t e a c h i n g p r o ce s s ?In h i s a r ti c l e on th e t each ing of fice in t he U n i t e d M etho d i s tChurch , Langfo rd con tends tha t we do no t mere ly have in

d iv idua l c l a s s rooms , i nd iv idua l t eache rs and l ea rne rs , and d i s c re t e i nc iden t s of Ch r i s t i a n in s t ruc t ion . In s t ead , we have a t o t a lv is ion of educat ion tha t i s a par t o f evers^ th ing a layperson ,deacon , o r o rda ined m in i s t e r does . T he t eac h in g m in i s t ry o f t h echur ch i s fund am en ta l ly a s t ance towa rd li fe , w ha t R icha rdRo bert Os m er ha s ca l led "a tea ch ab le sp ir i t ," La ngfo rd 's a r t ic lewi l l ap pe ar in a co l lec t ion of essay s t i t l ed Teach ing Authority inThe United Methodist Church, ed i t ed by Char l e s Fos t e r , t o bepub l i shed by Ab ingdon Press i n Oc tobe r , 1991 ,A s u p e r b e x a m p l e of t h e h a r m o n y b e t w e e n t e a c h i n g a n done*s deepest convic t ions i s C. Er ic Lincoln , who was DukeUn ive rs i ty ' s Teac he r o f t h e Year i n 1989 . M ary Sawyer h as

^Maria Harris, Teaching and the Religions Imagination (New York:Harper & Row, 1987) 23.


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INTRODUCTIONwr i t t e n a t r i b u t e t o h e r t e a c h e r t h a t i n c l u d e s s a m p l e s o f h i swr i t i ng , wh ich o f t en ve rges on poe t ry . I f you a re i n t e r e s t ed inrea din g m ore , f ind a copy of Linc oln 's rec en t novel , The Avenue,Clayton City, Co ns t r uc t e d a s a se r i e s of v ign e t t e s t i ed t og e th e rby th e sm a l l t own se t t i ng o f C lay ton C i ty in t h e yea rs be tw eenW orld W ar s I an d II , i t is a pow erful w ork of fiction.

T e d C a m p b e l l e x p l o r e s C h u r c h of E n g l a n d a n d M e t h o d i s th is tor y for a look a t th e evangel ica l pos i t ion on th e re la t ion sh ipb e t we e n b a p t i s m a n d c o n v e r s i o n . F o r h i m , t h e e v a n g e h c a lemphas i s on repen tance and dec i s ion fo r Chr i s t canno t beneg lec t ed , even a s t he chu rch s t rugg les t o o f fe r a t heo log ica lra t iona le fo r t h e p rac t i ce of i n fan t bap t i sm . Cam pbe l l ' s a r t i c l eund ersc o re s t h e fac t t h a t l i t u rg ica l l anguag e no t on ly exp resse sou r beUefs, bu t t ea ch es th em . ,In t he anc ien t t rad i t i ons o f I s rae l , Aaron and Moses wer^b ro the rs . A aron wa s a p r i e s t and Moses was a p ro phe t . Aaro n ,we recal l , was a fine public speaker; Moses, seized with stagesfr igh t before h i s peop le , conv ersed wi th God, "as w i th a f r ien d . 'Jo h n H o lbe r t ' s c lo se read ing o f Ex odu s 32 l e t s u s see th es e twob r o t h e r s p i t te d a g a i n s t o n e a n o t h e r o v e r t h e il l e g i ti m a t e wo r sh ip o f t he Go lden Calf, one o f t he mos t i n famous ep i sodes int h e He b r e w B i b l e .

I su spec t t ha t Corn i sh Rogers , l i ke many p reache rs , hagshaken h i s head ove r l ec t iona ry t ex t s f rom apoca lyp t i c l i t e ra t u r e . I t m u s t h a v e g i v e n h i m s o m e c o m f o r t t o l e a r n t h a tscho la rs have a l so ha d the i r p ro b lem s w i th i t. B u t Reve la t ion ' 3kale idoscopic v is ion has captured h is imaginat ion ; h is a r t ic locha l l enges u s t o work wi th these t ex t s t o see the p romise o fsa lva tion the re , and to ce l eb ra t e i t i n ou r co ngrega t ions .F ina l ly , Dan ie l Pa t t e has t u rned the l ec t iona ry s tudy in to iun ique t each ing too l on the pa rab les . Wi th a s l i gh t change o f

pe rspec t ive , t hese s imp le , fami l i a r s to r i e s abou t a mas t e r andh i s se rvan t s , a fa rmer and h i s h i red hands become pa r t o f ou rcontemporary world . Now they are f i l led wi th s ig i f icance aboutth e na tu re o f Go d ' s p re sen ce , ou r need fo r s i s t e r s and b r o th e rs ,and th e qu es t fo r j u s t i c e . May the se new read ings en l iven yoi^ re n c o u n t e r w i t h t h e wo r d !


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QR 10/3 (1990) 4-17

The Teaching Off icein the Uni ted M ethodist C hurch

T h o m a s A . L a n g f o r d

O U R C O N C E R N I N t h i s p a p e r is : h o w c a n a c h u r c h w h i c hexpl ic i t ly cal ls i t se l f "apos tol ic" be ar fa i thful wi tne ss t ot h e C h r i s t i a n g o s p e l ? H o w c a n t h e U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c he x e r c i s e t h e a p o s t o l i c t a s k o f e n s u r i n g t h a t i t p r e s e n t s t h erece ived gospe l au then t ica l ly? Or , aga in , how can the Uni tedM e t h o d i s t C h u r c h m a i n t a i n t h e t r u t h o f t h e go s p e l fo r i t s o w nli fe and for the sake of the wor ld?T h e i s s u e is t h e n a t u r e o f t h e t e a c h i n g offic e w i t h i nM e t h o d i s m . H o w i s t h e c h u r c h ' s p r o c l a m a t i o n t e s t e d ? H o w i si t s l if e j u d g e d ? H o w a r e i t s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s a s s e ss e d ? B y w h o m ?Accord ing to what c r i t e r ia?A d e s c r i p t i o n o f h o w w e h a v e t a u g h t i s i m p o r t a n t . L e t u sb e g i n w i t h s o m e h i s to r i c a l o b s e r v a t io n s . M e t h o d i s m , a s t h eWes leyan rev iva l movement , he ld theo logy to be inex t r icab lyj o i n e d w i t h p r a c t i c e . T o p a r a p h r a s e L u d w i g W i t t g e n s t e i n : t ohave a theological language is to possess a form of l i fe . TheThomas A. Langford is William Kellon Quick Professor of Theology andMethodist Studies at the D ivinity School , D uke Univers ity, Durham, NC 2770 6.


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dominan t imp l i ca t ion o f t h i s conv ic t ion in Method i s t h i s to ryh a s b e e n a t y p e of p r a g m a t i s m - t r u t h i s k n o w n i n i t s ap p li c at ion . P u t d i f feren t ly , th eology i s to be jud ge d by th e qua l i ty ofthe Ufe i t p roduces . Theology , in th i s t rad i t ion , has no t beena b s t r a c t , r a t h e r i t h a s b e e n u n d e r s t o o d p r e d o m i n a n t l y a s u n de rw r i t i ng pe rso na l and com m una l sp i r i t ua l and mor a l l if e. Toknow God i s to love and serve God; t ru th about God i s t ru thabout hfe .S u c h a n o r m h a s m u c h t o c o m m e n d i t . No t h i n g i s m o r es tu l t i fy ing than se l f -ce r t a in and se l f - r igh teous ra t iona l o r t h o d ox y ; b u t t h i s h a s n o t b e e n M e t h o d i s m ' s p r o b l e m . O u rp rob lem has been the l ack o f c l ea r au tho r i ty fo r de t e rmin ingth e in t e r re l a t ion o f t heo logy wi th wo rsh ip and wi th m ora l l if e;

we have bee n de f i c i en t in c la r ify ing th e g rou nd in g and t e s t i n gof our prax is ; we hav e bee n overb alanced to wa rd ac t ion incon t ra s t t o re f l ec t ion . As a re su l t , Me thod i sm has been toouncer ta in in i t s se l f -cr i t ic im and too prone to conform to non-theologica l (or no t d is t inc t ive ly Chris t ian) in f luences and cu l tura l va lues . Hence our ac t ions are of ten pr imari ly po l i t ica l lyor sociological ly or economical ly formed. The lack of clari tyabout the teaching off ice in Methodism is ref lec ted in inadequa te gu idance of t h e tho ug h t and l ife o f t h e chu rch .The i ssue we are consider ing i s : how wi l l the gospel bep rese rved by the consc ious in t en t ion o f t he chu rch? How candoc t r ine p ro t ec t t h e t ru e p roc l amat ion o f t h e gospel? T he ro l e sof teac hing , in ter pr e ta t io n and c lar i f ica t ion are essen t ia l to th ep reach ing and in s t ruc t ion fo r Chr i s t i an l i fe and nu r tu re . Ourques t ions a re : how does Un i t ed Method i sm do th i s? How we l ldoes i t do this?I n J o h n We s l e y ' s t i m e , a n n u a l c o n f e r e n c e m e e t i n g s s e r v e da s t h e magisterium o f t h e M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h . T h i s r e p r e s e n t e da conc i l i a r i s t unde rs t and ing , namely , t heo log ica l j udgmen t s

r e q u i r e t h e c o n c e n s u s of t h e c o m m u n i t y t h r o u g h i t s r e p r e sen ta t ives . The ro l e o f Wes ley was pa ramoun t and even impe r ious , bu t he ac t ed w i th in a con fe rence s t r uc tu re . Th i s mod eof theologica l consul ta t ion expressed Wesley 's convic t ion tha tChr i s t i an con fe rence ( in i t s seve ra l gu i ses -as band , c l a s s o rcon fe rence ) can be a means o f g race . The sup remacy o f Confe renc e a s t h e "L iv ing W es ley" was m a in ta in ed in B r i t i sh


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Method i sm th rough con f l i c t and cha l l enge a s exp ressed in t heLeeds Organ Case (1820s ) , t he Warren i t e Secess ion (1834-5 ) ,and the F ly -Shee t Con t rove rsy (1849-53 ) .N o t e m u s t b e t a k e n o f t h e a t t i t u d e w i t h i n M e t h o d i s m t o wa r dth e educa t ion o f min is te r s. "^ Bo th in En g lan d and in N or thAmer ica the re was deep re s i s t ance to e s t ab l i sh ing theo log ica lin s t i t u t e s and to fo rma l edu ca t ion o f m in i s t e r s ; and , conse que nt ly , a fa i lu re to recog nize a wel l develop ed tea ch ing off icef o r p r e a c h e r s . I n Gr e a t B r i t i a n t h e Wa r r e n i t e d e b a t e s i n t h e1 8 3 0 s r e v e a l e d s t r o n g a n t i - i n t e l l e c t u a l i s m . An d i n N o r t hAm e r i c a t y p i c a l n e g a t i v e a t t i t u d e s t o wa r d c o l l e g e - t r a i n e dp r e a c h e r s (s e e f or i n s t a n c e P e t e r C a r t wr i g h t ' s a u t o b i o g r a p h y )res i s t ed any educa t iona l p rog ram beyond the ind iv idua l i zedCo urse of Study .^ A lack of t r u s t in expl ic it theologica l leade rsh ip was ev iden t a long wi th a conse rva t ive a t t i t ude towarddoc t r ina l fo rmula t ions (no te t he re s t r i c t i ve ru l e s i n t he Discipline), Al l o f t h es e fac to rs re in fo rced a hes i t anc y to engage inongoing an d s ign i f ican t ex erc ise of th e teach ing of lice. G en era lConference re ta ined power but l i t t l e wi l l to exerc ise the off iceexcep t where p ressed by po l i t i ca l necess i ty ( such a s t he i s sueof Ch ris t ia n hol ine ss in th e 1890s) . Cr ea t iv e theologica l re f lect ion was of ten focused in moral i ssues , as found in the Socia lC r e e d .

I n No r t h Am e r i c a n M e t h o d i s m , Ge n e r a l C o n f e r e n c e f u n c t ioned a s t he in t e rp re t ive au tho r i ty fo r t he chu rch . Po l i t y ,t h e o l o g y , a n d e n g a g e m e n t w i t h c u l t u r e we r e i n t e r t w i n e d a n di n a ll of t h e s e a r e a s Ge n e r a l C o n f e r e n c e wa s t h e a u t h o r i t a t i v evo ice o f w ha t was au th en t i c , necessa ry , o r al lowab le . In t h eb r e a k u p of t h e N o r t h A m e r i c a n c h u r c h i n t h e 1 8 40 s , n e wa u t h o r i t a t i v e s t r u c t u r e s e m e r g e d . I n t h e M e t h o d i s t E p i s c o p a lCh urc h , Sou th , t he C ounc i l o f B i shop s beca m e the f inal c ou r to f appea l fo r a l l d i sc ip l ina ry ma t t e r s ; i n t he Method i s t Ep i s c o p a l C h u r c h t h e Ge n e r a l C o n f e r e n c e r e t a i n e d i t s s u p r e m epos i t i on . One o f t he compromises o f t he 1939 un ion was thecrea t ion of th e Jud ic ia l Coun ci l as th e f inal a rb i te r (sup erce dingbo th G ene ra l Confe re nce a nd th e Counc i l o f B i shops ) of w ha tt h e Discipline m e a n s or w h a t t h e Ge n e r a l C o n f e r e n c e i n t e n d s .M o r e a n d m o r e i n t e r p r e t i v e a u t h o r i t y is e x e r c is e d t o m a i n t a i nl eg i t im a te p ro ced ure and to ad jud ica t e cou n te r c l a ims ; subs t an -


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t i ve t heo log ica l i s sues a re no t d i rec t ly dea l t w i th by th e Jud ic i a lCounci l . The Genera l Conference , i f i t wi l l , can s t i l l exerc iseth e power o f t heo log ica l i n t e rp r e t a t ion . As a m a t t e r o f fac t, t h i si s ac tua l ly done , bu t u sua l ly ind i rec t ly and th r ou gh d i scuss iono f pa r t i cu l a r i s sue s o f p rac t i ce im d pol i ty .In ac tua l p rac t i ce , a secondary bu t pe rvas ive se t o f i n f luencesi s t o be found in some o f t he boa rds and agenc ies , such a s t heBoard o f Di sc ip l e sh ip and the Board o f Globa l Min i s t r i e s andthe Pub l i sh ing House wi th i t s re spons ib i l i t i e s fo r cu r r i cu lumr e s o u r c e s . T h e s e u n i t s a r e g i v e n t h e i r m a n d a t e f o r t e a c h i n gact iv i ty by the Discipline a n d a r e i n t h i s s e n s e u n d e r t h eju r i sd i c t ion o f t h e Gen era l Confe re nce . Ord ina r i l y , however ,t h e y f u n ct io n w i t h i n d e p e n d e n c e . A t h o r o u g h s t u d y of t h et each ing o f f i ce i n Un i t ed Method i sm mus t t ake these in f luen t ia l bodies in to account .

Th i s l eaves th e b i shops o f t h e UM C in an am biguo us p os i t ion .In most po l i t ies b ishops p lay a cr i t ica l ro le as " teachers" of thec h u r c h a n d a m ^ o r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f a b i s h o p ' s r e s p o n s i b i li t yi s h is or her teaching off ice . This has no t h is tor ica l ly been thecase in Method i sm (wi th the poss ib l e excep t ion o f t he b i shopso f t h e M EC , So u th ) . B i shop s a re sp i r i t ua l l ead e rs and con fe rence managers . ' * In Un i t ed Method i sm, t hey a re v i ewed asexe cut ive s in confere nce affai rs; th ey poss ess in f luen ce of off iceand pe rson bu t s ince th ey have no vo te i n G ene ra l Confe rencet h e y d o n o t d ir e c t ly p a r t i c ip a t e i n j u d g m e n t s a b o u t w h a t t h echu rch shou ld t ea ch o r do . W ha t t he y in fac t do i s t o e xec u tethe po l i c i e s made by o the rs . Even i f func t iona l ly one cand e m o n s t r a t e t h a t t h e b i s h o p s e x e r c is e g r e a t e r po we r t h a n t h e ya re exp l i c i t l y g ran ted , i t r emmns the case tha t t hey canno tspeak o f l i c i a l l y and au tho r i t a t i ve ly in rega rd to t he au then t i c i t y o f t he apos to l i c message . The b i shops have no d i rec t lyde lega ted t each ing o f f i ce i n t he UMC.T h e r e w a s a p e r i o d - u p u n t i l 1 9 0 8 - w h e n t h e b i s h o p s i nNor th Amer i can Method i sm d id possess a d i rec t t heo log ica li n f lu e n c e a s t h e y w e r e e m p o w e r e d t o a p p r o v e all a p p o i n t m e n t sto facul ty posi t ions in the church re la ted theologica l schools .T he he res y t r i a l s o f 1905-1908 , how ever , mad e the b i sh ops ' ro l ed if fi cu lt an d the i r c l ea r a re a of re spons ib i l i t y was su r re nd e re d .I t i s no t an ove rs t a t emen t t o say tha t cu r ren t ly b i shops in t he


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UMC play an ins ign i f i can t ro le in speak ing fo r the church inm a t t e r s o f t h eo l o g y an d a so m ew h a t m o r e i m p o r t an t r o l e ,though s t i l l undef ined , in gu id ing mora l app l i ca t ion . The l as tr eorga n iza t ion o f th e Counc i l o f Bi shop s in 1976 c rea te d fourcom m i t t ees , one o f wh ich i s "Teach ing Concerns ," w i th a sub com m i t t ee on "Theo log ica l Edu ca t ion ." Th i s i s ev idence o f th ein ten t ion to exerc i se a g rea te r in f luence in th i s a r ea .A c lear excep t ion to th i s gen era l cond i t ion i s th e r ec en tb i sh o p s ' p a s t o r a l . In Defense of Creation. (I t is signif icant ton o t e t h a t t h i s i s a " p a st o ra l " s t a t em en t - w h i c h m i g h t b e u n d e r s t o o d t o m ean t h a t i t p o s se s se s t h e s am e au t h o r i t y an d p o w erof a papal "pastoral" b u t w hic h, in real i ty , m ea ns t h a t i t i s adviceof coUeaguesh ip and i s , t he reby , a con t r ibu t ion to conc i l i a rd i scuss ion . ) Th i s par t i c u la r pas to ra l may p rove to be an impor t a n t in i t i a t ive . Theo log ica l adv ice was sough t , ca re fu l fo rmulat i o n w as m ad e , w i d e co n t r i b u t i o n w as ach i ev ed , an d m u chdi scuss ion has fo llowed . Th i s ac t ion m ay adu m br a te a n o ngo ingini t ia t ive by th e Co unci l of Bis hop s to lead theologica l ref lect ion of th e ch urc h ; i t m ay r ep res en t a c l a im fo r a t eac h in g ro le .I f so i t r ep r e s en t s a c l a im i n i t a t ed b y t h e b i s h o p s - r a t h e r t h ang r an t ed b y G en e r a l Co n f e r en ce - an d t h i s m ay c r ea t e a s i g ni f icant p lace for the bishops in the theological l i fe of thech u r ch . W h e t h e r t h i s w i ll b e r em a i n s t o b e s een .

In r egard to Genera l Conference , one par t i cu la r ac t iv i tym us t be no te d . T he 1988 r ev i s ion o f th e theo log ica l sec t ion o ft h e Discipline i s a n i m p o r t a n t e x p r e s s i o n of t h e G e n e r a lCon ference ' s exerc i se o f i t s au tho r i ty in th e t eac h ing o ffice.T h i s i s a co m m en d ab l e an d p o t en t i a l l y i m p o r t an t m o v e - e sp e cia lly i f i t i s no t l im i ted to one sect io n of th e Discipline or to anoccasiona l ac t iv i ty o f Ge ner a l Con ferences .One consequence o f the l ack o f c l a r i ty abou t the t each ingoffice beyond or in addit ion to the off icial role of GeneralCon ference i s th a t func t iona l ly th e r espons ib i l i ty for exerc i seof th is of f ice devolves on each ordained minis ter . In the act ofo rd ina t ion , a u th or i ty " to p rea ch th e word" i s g iven , imply ing at each i n g re sp o n s i b i li t y . F u r t h e r , i n t h e d i sc i p li n a ry s t a t em en tof "Du t ies of a Pas tor" (par . 438) two possible refer en ce s can b etak en to r e fe r to a t ea ch ing r espons ib i l ity ; "Among th e pas to r ' sdut ies are the fol lowing:


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"a) T o p r e a c h t h e W o r d , r e a d a n d t e a c h t h e S c r i p t u r e s , a n dengage the peop le in s tudy and wi tnes s . ""(1) T o i n s t r u c t c a n d i d a t e s fo r m e m b e r s h i p a n d r e c e i v e t h e mi n t o t h e C h u r c h . "T h e a s s u m p t i o n i n b o t h c a s e s s e e m s t o b e t h a t t h e r e i s a c l e a ra n d p e r s i s t i n g u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e g o s pe l w h i c h p a s t o r s a r eto convey . The mat te r o f as ses s ing th i s p roc lamat ion i s no ta d d r e s s e d .There a re bas ic mat te r s in th i s de lega t ion o f r espons ib i l i tyth a t ne ed to be no te d . F i r s t , a fu ll t ea ch i ng respons ib iUty i s no texp l ic i t ly g iven , so the ro le mus t be in te rp re ted f rom sugges t ions . Second , such a func t ion tends toward ind iv idua l in te r p r e t a t i o n a n d u n d e r p l a y s t h e c o r p o r a t e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t h ech urc h o r o f a congreg a t ion . Per ha ps we shou ld m ore c lea r lyacknow ledge the t ea ch ing respons ib i l i ty o f eve ry o rda ined m ini s te r and seek ways bo t h to es tab l i sh co rpora te r espons ib i l i tyand to enab le m or e cons i s ten t exp res s ion o f th i s r espons ib i l i ty .A t t h e p r e s e n t t i m e t h e r e i s l i t t l e e x p l i c i t u n d e r s t a n d i n g o fhow the t each ing o f f ice ough t to be exerc i s ed . Genera l Confe rence has des ign a ted powe r bu t l i t t l e com pete nce , su f f ic ien tt im e , o r h i s to r ica l ly fo rmed cha rac t e r to fu lf il t h i s t ask . (Th esec o m m e n t s a r e n o t m e a n t a s p e r s o n a l i n d i c t m e n t s o r a s c r ip t i o no f g e n e r a l i n c o m p e t e n c e ; r a t h e r t h e y a r e j u d g m e n t s a b o u t t h ecapac i ty o f G ene ra l Con ference to exerc i s e i t s t ea ch ing respo ns ibi li ty . ) Fu r th er , th e Jud ic ia l Cou nc i l does no t func t ion in su cha manner as to engage theo log ica l i s sues ; and the Counc i l o fBishops has no d i r ec t ly de leg a ted a u th or i ty o r h i s to ry o f ac t iv i ty which p romise l eader sh ip in th i s a rea . Pas to r s do haves o m e d e s i g n a t e d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , b u t t h i s f u n c t i o n r e m a i n sv a g u e ( p e r h a p s b e c a u s e i t a s s u m e s a c l e ar u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h egospel) .Ambigu i ty abou t the t each ing o f f ice ex tends to the ro le o fp e r s o n s w h o h a v e t e a c h i n g p o s t s ( s u c h a s p r o f e s s o r s i ntheo log ica l s choo ls ) wh ich be ar d i r ec t ly on th e ch urc h ' s l if e anddoc t r ine . For these per sons there i s l i t t l e gu idance as to how,in the i r t each ing ro les , they r e la te to the ongo ing l i f e o f thech urc h o r even to the i r o rd ina t io n r espons ib i l i t i e s . I l if t up th i smat te r , fo r we con t inue to l ive wi th an uns tab le r e la t ion between the genera l church and i t s theo log ica l s choo ls ; be tween


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per son s wh o hav e exp lic i t t ea ch ing ro les w i th in th e genera l l if eo f t h e c h u r c h a n d t h e i r o r d i n a t i o n r e s p o n s i b i li t ie s . O t h e r t r a d i t i o n s - s u c h a s t h e R e f o r m e d t r a d i t i o n - p r a c t i c e o r d i n a t io n t ot h e t e a c h i n g r o l e . A q u e s t i o n i s w h e t h e r U n i t e d M e t h o d i s mshou ld cons ider a s imi la r r ecogn i t ion .Yet I see poss ib i l i t ies : (1) for the b ishops to be asser t ive andc la im a cen t ra l ro le , (2) for th e Ge ne ra l Con ference and an nu a lconferences to es tab l i sh ongo ing theo log ica l commiss ions , (3 )fo r the re to be theo log ica l d i s cus s ion as a par t o f Genera lC o n f e r e n c e ' s r e g u l a r a g e n d a ( a n d d e r i v a t i v e l y , o f a n n u a l - a n ddistrict?"Conferences) , an d for c lar i f icat ion of th e " teac hingoff ice" for pas tors in local congregat ions , and (5) re th ink thero le o f tho se who se voca t ion i s t eac h ing . I s i t imposs ib le to ho pefor these changes?To pu rs ue t h i s pos s ib i l i ty I w an t to cons ide r s evera l i s suesw h i c h a r e i m p o r t a n t i n u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e t e a c h i n g o f f i c e i nU n i t e d M e t h o d i s m .

C o m m u n a l F o r m a t i o nT h e n a t u r e o f t e a c h i n g i t s e lf m u s t b e e x a m i n e d . I t i s n o t t h ecase tha t we on ly t each when we exp l ic i t ly in tend to do so o rw h e n w e a t t e m p t t o i n s t r u c t t h r o u g h s t e r e o t y p e d m e t h o d s . O f

p r i m a r y i m p o r t a n c e i s t h e f o r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d b y a c o m m u n i t y ,i t s l i f e and r i tua l s , i t s s ty les and concerns , i t s l anguage , i t smis s ion and i t s va lues .The church teaches by i t s common l i f e , i t s worsh ip , i t smis s ion and i t s d is c ip l ine . Th is to ta l e t ho s i s au tho r i t a t ive as i tm ak es pos s ib le com mu nal t r an sm is s io n o f i t s d i s t inc t ive l if e .Teach ing i s conveyed by s ty les and con ten t o f worsh ip , byh y m n o d y a n d p r a y e r s , b y c l a im s u p o n a ll c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r sto par t i c ipa te in the mis s ion o f God and by mutua l c la ims o fc o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s u p o n o n e a n o t h e r . T e a c h i n g is c on v ey e d

by the e n t i r e l if e o f be i ng in a com m uni ty . A pa r t o f sucht e a c h i n g i s s p e c i f i c r e f l e c t i o n u p o n d o c t r i n e a n d t h ecom m uni t y ' s way of l if e . Un for tu na t e ly , exp l ic it theo logy h asof ten been le f t a s ide in e f fo r t s a t s e l f -under s tand ing in thechu rch . Th is i s sue i s : how ma y theo logy and t h e l if e o f thech urc h be he l d tog e th er? O r , can we be consc ious o f th e m ul t i -


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p ie ways in wh ich we in s t ru c t i n ou r com mu ni ty , re l a t e t h i s t otheologica l se l f - ref lec t ion , and reempower the format ion ofwho le pe rso ns in mind a s we ll a s i n hea r t an d se rv ice?Fo r M etho d i sm th i s i nc lu s ive mode o f t eac h ing i s im po r t an t ,for i t i s in accordance wi th the ro le of theology wi th in the l i feand fa i th o f t h i s t rad i t i on . T he W es leyan t rad i t i o n i s no tpr imari ly theologica l ; bu t to the ex ten t tha t i t i s theologica l ,W e s l e y a n i s m h a s s t r e s s e d t h e wh o l e n e s s o f e x p e r i e n c e a sth ou gh t , a ffec t ion , wi l l, an d ac t ion . W esleyan th eolog y i s foundwi th in the h i s to r i ca l p rocess o f conc re t e Method i s t bod ies a sthey have worsh ipped and l i ved and t augh t , a s t hey havedeve loped in s t i t u t ions , a s sumed miss iona l t a sks , found comm on sym bols , r i tu a ls , and s ty les of l ife . As a pa r t , an d only as apa r t , o f t h i s t o t a l comp lex can Wes leyan theo logy be ade qua te lyapprec i a t ed .

These ma t t e r s have imp l i ca t ions fo r t he t each ing o f f i ce i nM ethod i sm . Th a t i s , t h e r e i s no i so l a ted body o f doc t r ine w h ichis to be tau gh t as f inally in de pe nd en t : no t on ly th e m et ho d oft ea ch ing -n am ely c l ea r recogn i t i on of t h e fu ll r ange o f comm u n i c a t io n , b u t a ls o w h a t i s t a u g h t - n a m e l y t h a t t h e o lo g y is ap a r t of a m o r e c o m p l e t e a n d m o r e a d e q u a t e r e s p o n s e o f h u m a nbe ings to God . Theo logy i s impor t an t bu t no t s ingu la r ; t heintel lectual love of God is one aspect of a more inclusive love ofGod ; t each ing has t o do no t on ly w i th tho ug h t s bu t wi th th eways in which "we l ive and move and have our be ing ." Theteaching off ice in Methodism, therefore , has a d is t inc t ive charac t e r and ro l e . To t each i s t o con t r ibu te t o t h e to t a l fo rm a t ionof Ch ris t ia n l i fe ; tea ch ing i s do ne by deed a nd a c t ion as wel l asby word . And w ha t i s t a ug h t i s no t doc t r ine in an abs t ra c t ed waybu t "prac t ica l d iv in i ty" ; th a t i s , doc t r ine un de rg i rd ing and enr i ch ing Chr i s t i an ex i s t ence .

G o a l s o f T e a c h i n gIn t rad i t i ona l Method i s t l anguage , t he goa l o f ou r t each ingis the sanct i f ica t ion of persons and of congregat ions . To s ta teth e goal in th i s way i s to m ove from an abs t rac t in te l lec t ua l i smtoward p rac t ica l agency a s pe rso ns in com m uni ty wi th God andne ighbors . Hence the goa l o f t each ing in Method i sm i s no tun iqu e ly focussed on ra t iona l consen sus in doc t r ina l cons t ru c -


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t i on . T he a im i s ho l i s t ic : t eac h ing i s i n o rde r t o p rov ide au th en t ic w ors h ip and serv ice ; teach ing i s for th e sc u lp t in g of l ife . T hemeans o f t each ing a re t o t a l i s t i c : t each ing i s a pa r t o f eve ryact iv i ty an d i s e ffec t ive as i t conveys way s of l iv ing . M eth od is t swere no t ca l l ed peop le o f me thod fo r no reason . The o rde r ingof lif e i n c o m p r e h e n s i v e t e r m s wa s t h e s h a p i n g C h r i s t i a nr e s p o n s e . Ye t we h a v e t e n d e d t o u n d e r p l a y t h e i m p o r t a n c e o ft h e m e t h o d s o f M e t h o d i s t s . On e d o e s n o t wa n t t o o v e r s t a t ewh a t t h e m e t h o d i c a l c h a r a c t e r o f M e t h o d i s t s p r o d u c e d o r p o r t end ed , bu t t h i s ve ry m ea ns o f fo rm a t ion po in t s in t h e d i rec t iono f a comprehens ive sense o f i n s t ruc t ion and o f t he goa l s o ft e a c h i n g .T he goal of th e sanct i f ica t ion of pe rso ns and of congre gat ion s

in fo rms th e re spons ib i l i t y of t each ing . Th a t i s , t h e t each ingoff ice i s in the serv ice of the achievement of these goals . Soteac h ing i s no t s ingu la r ly for i n t e l l ec tu a l m a tu ra t i on , ra th e rt eac h ing is for t he t rans fo rm a t ion an d en ha nc em en t of li fe a sthe worsh ip of God and serv ice to the ne ighbor . The off ice oft each ing is t h a t o f a pe r son o r a com m uni ty who a t t e m pt s t om ea su re th e ongo ing life o f t h e chu rch by i t s sou rce (nam elyGod in Chr i s t t h r ou gh th e Ho ly Sp i r i t ) and by th e ongo ing re ignof God and i t s eschato logica l hope .P e r h a p s t h i s r a i s e s t h e q u e s t i o n o f t h e r e s i d e n c e o f a u t h o r i t yi n U n i t e d M e t h o d i s m . A u t h e n t i c a u t h o r i t y i s c o n ve y e d b y c o m m un i ty and func t ions to o rgan ize o r sha pe l ife acco rd ing to t h eva lues o f t ha t communi ty . Au tho r i ty func t ions in a va r i e ty o fm o d e s a n d t h r o u g h n u m e r o u s c h a n n e l s . Au t h o r i t y i s a c c e p t e das va lid w he n i t nu r t u re s li fe t h ro ug h m ea ns and toward goa l swh ich a re acknowledged as possess ing in t eg r i ty , sens i t i v i ty ,and va lue . The au tho r i t i e s wh ich s t ruc tu re l i fe fo r Un i t edM e t h o d i s t s a r e t h o s e r e c e i v e d t h r o u g h t h e e n t i r e e n c o m p a s s ing l i fe of the loca l congregat ion and the e thos of the la rger

chu rch . To be aware o f w ha t au tho r i ze s one ' s ex i s t ence i si m p o r t a n t ; c o v e r t a u t h o r i t i e s a r e p e r n i c i o u s w h i l e o v e r tau tho r i t i e s a re no t on ly recogn ized bu t ma y be cha l l enged an dut i l ized .When we speak o f au tho r i ty we a re no t on ly a sk ing , whospeaks fo r t he chu rch? We a re a sk ing , how shou ld the chu rchspeak au tho r i ta t ive ly to i t s own li fe, in cr i t ique of i t s m ess age


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and in the order ing of l i fe toward i t s goals? The problem is no ttheo re t i ca l bu t i n t ense ly p rac t i ca l . Theo re t i ca l ly we have seentha t t he o f f i c i a l au tho r i ty i n t he chu rch re s ides i n Genera lConference; bu t a re no t unoff ic ia l and less expl ic i t au thor i t iesa l so po ten t? Do no t t he regu la r worsh ip se rv i ce , t he ongo ingtask s of mi ss ion , t he d i sc ip lines of Ch r i s t i an fo rm a t ion , and th es e n s i b i l i t i e s o f a c h u r c h c o m m u n i t y a c t u a l l y f u n c t i o nau tho r i t a t i ve ly in ou r denomina t ion ' s l i f e? Obv ious ly they do .Ye t a l l o f t hese modes o f au tho r i za t ion need to be c r i t i ca l lya s s e s se d , t h e y n e e d t o b e j u d g e d a g a i n s t t h e i r n o r m a t i v e s o u r c eand the con t inu ing in t en t ion o f God .

To look a t t he goa l s o f t each ing in The Un i t ed Method i s tCh urc h i s t o focus on w ha t ou r t eac h ing i s fo r, and cons eque n t ly , to ask abo ut our goals and a bo ut our effec t iveness in ach iev ing thos e goals . In a sens e ev ery d iscuss ion of po l icy or m iss iona lp r io r i t y i n a l oca l chu rch o r a t Genera l Confe rence a t t empt sth i s t a sk . The po in t I am p ress ing i s : shou ld th i s no t be moreregu lar ly , formal ly , an d in te n t io nal ly done? Is an expl ic i t g rou preq u i re d fo r t h i s t a sk to be done we l l? Does Ge ner a l Con fe rencene ed a t heo log ica l com miss ion?E c u m e n i c a l C o n t e x t

To ask the p reced ing ques t ions shou ld no t a l l ow us to t u rn ii nward and inves t iga t e on ly ou r own t rad i t i on . R a th e r , i t p l acesus w i th in th e con te x t o f Ch r i s t i an fa i th fu lness i n i t s b roa des t !con tex t . Over t h e cou rse o f h i s to ry , va r iou s chu rch t rad i t i on s 'have deve loped the i r own p rac t i ces o f au tho r i t a t i ve t each ing .Di f fe ren t h i s to r i ca l p res upp os i t i on s i s sue in to d i f fe ren t fo rms ^o f t ransmiss ion and d i f fe ren t p l acemen t s o f au tho r i ty . Al so ieve ry cu l tu re has i t s own fo rms o f au tho r i ty and t ransmiss ionof a u t h o r i t y . F r o m wi t h i n M e t h o d i s m a n d f r om t h e e c u m e n i c a lc o m m u n i t y we h a v e m u c h t o l e a r n . T h e r e a r e n o s t e r e o t y p e s jof a t each ing o f fice. O ur t a sk a s U n i t e d M etho d i s t s i s t o un de r - jt and our own l i fe , to be open from others , and to bu i ld newm e an s of be ing aflTirming, cri t ical , an d ob ed ien t .

P r e s e n t S i t u a t i o nAny contemporary teaching off ice faces profound d i f f icu l t i e s . I n d i v i d u a h s m , p l u r a l i s m , a n d d i s r e g a r d f o r a u t h o r i t y


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m a k e s t e a c h i n g s u s p e c t a n d l i m i t e d . A F a i t h a n d Or d e r s t a t e m en t says ba ld ly , "Today a l l concep t s , ways and m ode s o f t each ing are being tested."**I n h e r i t e d m o d e s o f t e a c h i n g a r e n o w q u e s t i o n e d . We a r echa l l enged to be c rea t ive in imag in ing how t each ing shou ld bedone in ou r t ime . We canno t t each au tho r i t a t i ve ly today bys i m p l y r e p e a t i n g t h e p a s t . Ne w t i m e s d e m a n d n e w r e s p o n s e s .

In Un i t ed Method i sm we a re e spec ia l ly i n need o f c l a imingthe task of teaching a t a var ie ty of levels and by a var ie ty ofg roups . The conc i l i a r t r ad i t i on wh ich i s ou rs can con t inue a st h e c o n t e x t of d i s cu s s io n , a r g u m e n t , a g r e e m e n t s , a n d r e c o g n it i on of ne w cha l l eng es .C o n c l u d i n g S u g g e s t i o n s

T he t ea ch in g o ff ice i n Un i t ed M eth od i s m i s o f c r i t ica l impo r t ance in o rde r t o en su re au th en t i c o ffe ring of w orsh ip , t ru th fu lp r o c l a m a t i o n , a n d e x t e n s i o n of s e r v i c e . N e v e r t h e l e s s t h i sre spons ib i l i t y has no t been a t t ended to i n a consc ious andtho rough way . Consequen t ly , t he fo l lowing sugges t ions a rem a d e .1. Ge n e r a l C o n f e r e n c e a n d a n n u a l c o n fe r e n c e s s h o u l d m a k ediscuss ion of theology a regular and s ign i f ican t par t o f the i ragenda . These a re t he po in t s a t wh ich conc i l i a r dec i s ions be come a rea l i t y . To se rve th i s pu rpose con fe rences shou ld ap p o i n t a p e r m a n e n t T h e o lo g i ca l C o m m i s s i o n t o wh i c h m a t t e r sm igh t be re fe r red and wh ich wil l hav e au tho r i ty t o s tud y i s sueson i t s own . Th i s com miss ion shou ld re po r t regu la r ly t o Gen era l ,Annua l and Di s t r i c t Confe rences where i t s repo r t s wi l l bes t u d i e d a n d a c t e d u p o n .2. T h e b i s h o p s of t h e c h u r c h s h o u l d c o n t i n u e t o i n i t i a t e s t u d yand make s t a t emen t s so a s t o p rov ide l eade rsh ip in t he d i scus s ions o f t heo log ica l an d e th i ca l is sue s . In o rde r t o s t re ng the n

th i s ro l e , pa rag raph 501 in t he Discipline should be rev ised toinc lude t each ing a s a pa r t o f t h e t a sk o f t h e b i sho ps .3 . Loca l c l e rgy shou ld be d i rec t ly encouraged to a s sumet e a c h i n g r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s , a n d c o n g r e g a t i o n s s h o u l d b e e n cou raged to suppor t t h i s ro l e .4. T h e r e s h o u l d b e r e c o g n i t i o n of p e r s o n s in c h u r c h s e m i n a r yteac h ing po s i t i ons w ho cou ld , a long w i th th e i r t a sk , be spec if i-


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ca l ly recogn ized a s i n t he i r appo in tmen t beyond the loca lc h u r c h .These sugges t ions a s sume tha t conc i l i a r i sm i s t he fo rm o fdec i s ion -ma k ing abou t t heo log ica l is sues and th a t dec i s ions wi llbe m ade by co m m un i t i e s and , f inally , by G ene ra l Con fe rencea s t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e l e a d e r s h i p g r o u p of T h e U n i t e dM e t h o d i s t C h u r c h .T h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a t e a c h i n g o ff ic e i n t h e U n i t e dMethod i s t Church wh ich i s consc ious ly se t and exp l i c i t l y ac k n o wl e d g e d wo u l d s i g n i f i c a n t l y s e r v e t h e c h u r c h . S u c h arespons ib i l i t y wou ld he lp to ma in ta in the au then t i c i t y o f t hegospe l we p rea ch ; i t wou ld p rov ide mo re ad eq ua t e bases fo r ou re th ica l and miss ional ac t iv i ty ; and i t would make us cr i t ica l ly

a wa r e of t h e v a l u e s wh i c h u n d e r w r i t e t h e wo r s h i p a n d o r d e r i nth e life of t h e ch u rc h . Ou r ch u rc h func t ions so a s t o t eac h inth e to t a l i t y o f i t s com m una l li fe . I t wou ld be s t re ng th en ed ini t s p rac t i ce if w ha t i t t ea ch es cou ld be regu la r ly and tho r oug h lyassessed .N o t e s

1. This is thoroughly discussed in John C. Bowmer, Pastor and People(London: Epworth Press, 1975) 121-125. (Quoted without footnotes.)"For Wesley's early preachers little formal train ing was necessary, for h esupervised their studies, and that was sufficient for their needs; but a veiydifferent situation faced their descendan ts of 1835, To th e zeal of the e vangelistmust no w be added a training in theology. Th e Preacher was now a lso a Pastorand teacher, ministering to people who w ere taking advantage of the increasingopportunities for education. Methodism was itself a force for improvement,and congregations did not take kindly to ill-educated preachers. He nce th e call,from certain quarters, for som e form of ministerial training."The need for som e kind of training for th e Preacher s had been acknow legcdsince the early days. At the first Conference (1744) the question was asked,'Can we have a seminary for labourers?' and th e a nswer w as, *If God spare u suntil another Conference.' In 1745 the m atter was raised again and shelveduntil 'God gives us a proper tutor.* M eanw hile Wesley was educating hispreachers by personal contact a nd through his Christian Library; som e of th emhe sent for a short spell to Kingswood School. After his death, the care of theyoung preachers was frequently before Conference. It became the duty of theDistrict Chairman to see that each probationer in his District produced a BookList and was examined orally at the District Meeting. In 1804 a plan for theintellectual im provem ent of the junior preachers was proposed by Ad am Clarkeand other preachers stationed in London, but it did not meet with muchencouragement. In 1823 a gowerful group of pr ea ch ers -Jo hn Gaultcr, JabezBunting, Thom as Jackson and Richard Watson -pre par ed a report but, again,


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nothing came of it. Others, equally influential m en in th e Connexion, stronglyadvocated the establishment of an academy, but it was not until 1833 thatConference took the matter seriously, and when they did the objections whichwere raised against it revealed both th e anxieties of the peo ple and the pop ularimage of wh at a minister is and ought to be. It is instructive to no te what tho seobjections were."1. In the first place it was said to bo 'at variance with the plans andpreceding of th e venerable Founder of Methodism.' In spite of the k now nattitude of Wesley and th e decisions of his early Conferences, t his was advancedas a serious argument, even by Dr. Warren. He argued that while there weremany brill iant scholars in the ranks of the Methodist ministry, basically theMethodist Preacher should remain untrained and that Providence wouldalways provide sufficient men of the academic type to meet the needs of theChurch.

"2. Secondly, th ere wa s an ingrained fear of losing what Dr. Warren called,'our primitive simplicity*. Th e pion eer Itinerants wer e honoured as men wh o*rough it*; rightly or wron gly, th ere w as a fear lest c ollege-tra ined m en, 'losingtheir simplicity and zeal. . .should acqu ire delicate habits by no me ans consiste ntwith the toils and privations to which th ey may afterwards be exposed.' Or asDr. Warren, in more picturesque language expressed it, 'The men thus raisedup are indigenous to the soil and climate in which they are reared. Instead ofbeing improv ed by th e salubrious fumes of a hot-h ouse Institution, th ey wou lddegenera te and becom e wor thless, if not even noxiou s. . .' A mo re balancedattitude is that of Wesley, the scholar-saint, who never set piety againstlearning, and while his Itinerants were mostly unlettered m en, gave them sucheducation as they had time and ability to assimilate. Jonathan Crowbar (sen.)ably summe d up the atti tude of reasonable men in Methodism wh en h e said,*It is not a pre-requisite for admission as a Preacher among us that a man bewhat is termed a scholar. Yet the Methodists neither despise nor neglectlearning.'

"3. Th ere wa s a third, and more serious objection; that academ ic considerations would become more important than the inward call . Wesley, and indeedthe Methodists since his time, knew enough of the university-trained clergyman whose moral l ife was, to say the least, open to question. He hadcommented severely on such men, for on their shoulders must l ie much of theblame for the cleavage between M ethodism and the Church of England. So o necan understand the fears of those who saw the danger if ever Methodismsubstituted learning for piety; nam ely, that th e wrong type of candidate shou ldbe admitted on th e grounds of academic attainmen ts alone."4. Finally, there were several minor and largely personal objections to theInstitution. Dr. Warren argued, for instance, that the Institution had not thesupport of the people, and he overstated his case with a personal attack onBu nting and his friends. He de noun ced 'the coalition of a few or the asce ndencyof an individual. ' At th e same time , it was widely thoug ht at the time that ifhe had been given a post on t he staff of the Institution he would have forgivenmuch that he censured in Bunting."So the Theological Institution was founded and Methodists were learningto l ink piety and learning. Understand ably so , for many of them had had theirfil l of well-meaning but unschooled preachers who did more harm than good;


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and they were coming to the conclusion that piety, however sincere, was notenough in the office of a Christian minister."On th e whole, the Co nnexion w elcom ed an educated ministry; so much sothat by 1847 circuits were asking for 'Institution men'! T he Wesleyan co nception of the ministry was undergoing a change. The minister was to be morethan an evangelist; he wa s to be also Pastor and Teacher."2. Jam es Turner in Without Ood, Without Creeds in speaking of the revivalisttraditions com me nts, "Their preachers becam e celebrated but not their professors." (Balt imore: T he Joh ns H opkins University Press , 1985 )75.3. In the disciplinary description of the "Nature of the Superintendency"(par. 501) the responsibilities of a bishop are listed as ordering the life of thechurch, as initating structures and strategies for equipping Christian peoplefor service, and as administering matters temporal and spiritual. All of thesetasks arc gathered under th e rubric of "leadership." Bo th here and in listingthe "Specific Responsibilities of Bishops" (par. 512) no mention is made of a"teaching office" or any equivalent responsibility. Officially, therefore, bishopsare not explicitly given this responsibility.

4. "How Does the Church Teach Authoritatively Today?" The EcumenicalReview 31 (January 1979): 77.


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QR 10/3 (1990) 18-33

C. Er ic Lincoln , Scholar and Pro ph etof B lack Rel ig ioi is Stu dies

M a r y R S a w y e r

O F T H E M A N Y b y - p r o d u c t s o f t h e c h a n g e - o r i e n t e d1960s, one o f t h e mo s t s ign if i can t wa s th e em erg enc e o fth e acad em ic f ie ld of b lack re l ig io us s tu d ie s . C en t ra l to t h ed e v e l o p m e n t o f t h i s n e w a r e a o f s t u d y wa s a u n i q u e l y p r e p a r e dscho la r , C . Er i c L in co ln . Now, twen ty yea rs l a t e r , L inco ln en joyst h e s t a t u s o f m a s t e r t e a c h e r a n d i t i n e r a n t s a g e . L i k e t h e f ie ldof b lack re l ig ious s tud ies itself, Linco ln i s i n t e rd i sc ip l ina ry : anhis tor ian , a soc io logis t o f bo th rac e re l a t i on s an d re l ig ion , an da re l ig ious e th i c i s t by t ra in ing . Bu t h i s academic t ra in ing ine th i c s accoun t s l e s s fo r h i s i n f luence than does h i s pa r t i cu l a rapp roa ch to re l i g ious s tud ies , w h ich in i t s pass ion i s una bas hed ly an ex te ns io n o f h i s pe r sona l va lues .

A w hi te co l league in th e f ield of re l ig iou s s tu d ie s w as oncehe a rd to of fe r t h i s a s s ess m en t o f L inco ln ' s work : "He ' ll be go inga long be in g a scho la r , and th e n he su dde n ly fee ls compe l l ed tob leed fo r h i s peop le . " In t en de d as a c r i t i c ism, t h e re m ar kMary R. Sawyer is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Iowa StateUniversity, 403 Ross Hall, Ames, lA 50011-1203. She is currently at work on aproject on black ecumenical movements as agents of social change.


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h igh l igh t s a fun dam en ta l s t r en g th o f b l ack re l ig ious s tud ies :the unequ ivoca l re j ec t ion o f t he no t ion tha t scho la rsh ip re qui res one to be ind i fferen t to the rea l i ty of h is or her exp e r i e n c e .In th i s re spec t , L inco ln ' s wo rk i s i n m uc h th e sam e t rad i t i o nas femin i s t and Th i r d Wor ld scho la rsh ip , wh ich ho no rs t h eexper i en t i a l , pa r t i cu l a r ly power re l a t ionsh ips and the inequ i t i e s a t t en da n t t o t h em . T he p r em ise of such scho la rs i s p rec i se l y t h a t v a l u e j u d g m e n t s a r e needed in order to excise rac ism,sexism, and c lass i sm. Al l such scholarsh ip i s thus in t r ins ica l lyconce rne d wi th e th i c s , wi th L inco ln ' s focus on th e m a t t e r o frace . I f one theme i s cons t an t t h roughou t h i s wr i t i ng , i t i s t het h e m e o f " th e Am e r i c a n d i l e m m a " - t h e d i s c r e p a nc y b e t w e e n

Am er ica ' s c reed o f equa l i t y and ju s t i c e and th e rea l i t y o f he rconduct .^F o r m a t i v e E x p e r i e n c e s

Beca use L inco ln ' s app roach i s expe r i en t i a l l y based , i t wi l l beins t ruc t ive , before tu rn ing to an overv iew of h is work , to exam ine b r ie f ly h i s ch i ldhood o r ig in s . L inco ln ' s voca t ion a s m ora lc o m m e n t a t o r o n Am e r i c a n s o c i et y h a d i t s u n l i k e l y b e g i n n i n g sin Athens , Alabama , where he was bo rn in 1924 . The c i r cum stanc es of h i s ch i ldhood w ere o rd ina ry en oug h fo r t h e t im e :pover ty and rac ia l segregat ion def ined l i fe ' s l imi ta t ions whi lefami ly , chu rch , and schoo l o f fe red avenues fo r t ranscendence .T he qu es t ions th a t we re to f rame h i s li f e' s wo rk w ere conce iveda t t he age o f n ine when , i nnocen t o f rac i a l p ro toco l^ hep r ese n te d h imse l f a long wi th a g rou p o f w h i t e ch i ld r en a t apub l i c im m un iza t io n c l in ic and was v io l en t ly i n fo rm ed by th ea t t e nd ing phys i c i an : "A// niggers have to waitl"^T h e r e we r e o t h e r l e s so n s , i n c l u d in g t h e b e a t i n g s uf f e re d a tage 13 a t t he h an ds o f t h e m an ag er o f t h e loca l co t ton g in wh en

Lincoln pr o te s te d be in g ch ea ted o ut of a fa ir p r ice for th e co t to nhe an d h i s g r an dm ot he r ha d p i cked to pay for h i s schoo l books .No l e s s i n s t r u c t i v e we r e t h e c o n s e q u e n c e s wh e n L i n c o l n , t h es ix teen-ye ar-o ld ed i tor of th e school pap er , def ied th e p ap er ' sfacu lty adv i se r by ed i to r ia l i z ing aga ins t t h e seg re ga ted sea t in gin th e school au d i to r iu m on th e occas ion of a p re sen ta t io n by


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t he schoo l cho rus . The ed i to r i a l " c rea t ed a fu ro r" and cos tLincoln h is a f te r-school job .Less ons of a d i f fe ren t o rde r w ere l ea rn ed a t ho m e , wh ichc o n s i st e d of L i n c o l n ' s g r a n d p a r e n t s , M a t t i e a n d L e s s C h a r l e sL inco ln , two cous ins who were rega rded a s s i s t e r s , and ana s s o r t m e n t of e x t e n d e d f am i l y r e l a t i v e s . B e t w e e n h i sg r a n d p a r e n t s , h i s g r a n d f a t h e r wa s t h e " g e n t l e a n d t e m p e r a t e "p e r s o n a l i ty , wh i l e h i s g r a n d m o t h e r wa s " f o r th r i g h t a n d a s s e r t ive . " T he e lde r M r . L inco ln was con f ined to bed nea r t he en dof h is l ife , an d d ie d whi le h is gran ds on wa s s ti l l in h igh school .H i s g r a n d m o t h e r c a r e d f o r t h e f am i ly , a d m o n i s h i n g t h e b o y s t oa v o i d a n y a p p e a r a n c e o f r a c i a l i m p r o p r i e t y , a n d g e n e r a l l yneg o t i a t i ng t h e ru l e s o f t h e cas t e sys t em in such a way as t op r o t e c t h e r h o u s e h o l d wh i l e k e e p i n g h e r d i g n it y i n t a c t . I t wa sa ls o h i s g r a n d m o t h e r wh o r e a d t o t h e c h i l d r e n f r om t h e B i b l e ,and in to ned t im e and aga in : 'You a re a ll Go d ' s ch i ld re n , and youar e as good as anybody ."

Disc ip l ine , mora l sens ib i l i t i es , and aff i rmat ion of se l f -worthc a m e n o t o n l y f r o m h i s g r a n d p a r e n t s , b u t f r om t h e m e m b e r s ofVi ll ag e V i e w M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h w h e r e y o u n g C h a r l e s ( t h e C ,E r i c c a m e l a t e r ) p a r t i c i p a t e d i n d r a m a t i c p e r f o r m a n c e s a n d , a sa t eenage r , se rved the congrega t ion in t he capac i ty o f Sundayschoo l t eache r . L inco ln l i t e ra l ly g rew up in t he chu rch , andla t e r wro te t ha t " the Vi l l age View Method i s t Church was fo r avery long t ime the symbol of God 's love and concern for me."Bu t t h i s on ly in t ens i f i ed h i s t heo log ica l ques t ion ing o f t hewor ld ou t s ide the chu rch , wh ich was ru l ed by con t rad ic t ions .W h i l e L i n c o l n ' s g r a n d m o t h e r wa s a f a it h fu l s u p p o r t e r o f t h efami ly 's ch u rc h , h i s g ran d fa the r nev e r g raced the bu i ld ing w i thh i s p r e s e n c e . L i n c o ln e v e n t u a l l y l e a r n e d t h a t t h i s s t a n c e s y m -boUzed not a re jec t ion of God or re l ig ion , bu t a pro tes t agains tt h e h u m a n i n s t i t u t i o n a l d e c r e e t h a t Go d m u s t b e wo r s h i p p e d

on a seg r ega ted bas is . T ro ub le d by th e incons i s t en c i e s be tw een" the fa i th a s t augh t and the fa i th a s exp ressed ," t he youngs t e rb roached h i s pas to r fo r an exp lana t ion . The pas to r ' s rep ly wasth a t " re lig ion is a som et im e th in g . I t depe nd s on w ho ha s i t , a st o w h e t h e r i t ' s this o r w h e t h e r i t ' s that. B u t Go d k n o ws it wh e nh e sees i t. " T hi s wa s , Linco ln w as to reca l l , "a b i t te r revela t ion ,"


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and he became "very grea t ly d is turbed" about th i s " two-levelfaith."Th ese theo log ical pe rp l ex i t i e s fo llowed L inco ln th r ou gh h i sacadem ic jou r ney , beg inn ing wi th T r in i ty Schoo l , a m i ss iona ryschool found ed by th e A m erica n M iss ionary Asso cia t ion fo llowing th e Civ il W ar (which provided th e so le op po rtun i ty for b lackch i ld ren in A th en s to con t inue the i r educa t ion beyond th es ix th g rade ) , and end ing wi th th e Bos ton Un ive rs i ty G rad ua teSchoo l , where L inco ln ea rned h i s M.Ed , and Ph .D. In be tweenhe a t tended the Univers i ty of Chicago evening d iv is ion ; Le-Moyne Co l l ege (A.B .) i n Mem phi s , Te nne ssee ; F i sk Un ive rs i ty(M.A.) in N ashvi l le ; th e U nive rs i ty of Chicago Law School ; andthe Univers i ty of Chicago Div in i ty School (B.Div .) . Whethert h e c u r r i c u l u m wa s s o c i o l o g y , l a w , r e l i g i o n o r e d u c a t i o n ,L inco ln ' s conce rn w i th th e con f li ct be tw een C hr i s t i an doc t r inea n d t h e r e a l it y of r a c e i n Am e r i c a wa s c o n s t a n t - a l t h o u g h t h a twas no t h i s so le i n t e r e s t .

Crea t ive wri t ing was Lincoln 's o r ig ina l career choice . Discouraged by a co l lege professor f rom commit t ing h imsel f to af ie ld in which t h e re "was no fu tur e for b lacks ," Lincoln nev erthe l e ss has made an avoca t ion o f c rea t ive wr i t i ng . Dur ing h i su n d e r g r a d u a t e y e a r s , and co n t inu ing th r ou gh h i s se rv i ce in t h eNavy, h e pu rs ue d th is f irst love , p rod ucin g ane cdo tes and sh or ts tor ies for Reader's Digest a n d r o m a n c e m a g a z i n e s , p o e t r y ,social essays, and biographical profi les.Dur ing h i s g radua te yea rs , L inco ln was fo rma l ly o rda ined ,in i t i a l l y i n t he Presby te r i an Church , and subsequen t ly i n t heUn i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h . H i s s o l e a p p o i n t m e n t wa s t o t wosmal l chu rches in Tennessee , one in Nashv i l l e and the o the r acou n t ry chu rc h nea r Co lumbia . Th e "one red ee m ing fea tu re" o fth e expe r i enc e , he was l a t e r t o reca l l, was th a t "once a m on thth e coun t ry ch u rc h fed me!" F ind ing "pas to ring" no t h i s fo r t e ,Lincoln "ducked in to th e f irst c lassro om I found an d ne ve r ca m eout ." In recent years , Lincoln has accepted occas ional preaching inv i ta t ions . But scholarsh ip has proved in a l l respects tob e t t e r s u i t h i s t e m p e r a m e n t a n d i n t e r e s t s .


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A c a d e m i c J o u r n e yA ye a r a f te r c om ple t ing h i s d i s se r t a t i on a t Bos ton U n ive r s i ty , t h e ma nu sc r ip t wa s pub l i shed in rev i sed fo rm as The BlackMuslims in America (1961) , In t he fo reword , Ya le soc i a lp s y c h o l o g i s t Go r d o n Al l p o r t - t h e n r e g a r d e d a s t h e f o r e m o s te x p e r t o n i n t e r g r o u p r e l a ti o n s i n t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s - d e s c r i b e dth e book as "one o f t h e bes t t echn ica l case s tud ie s i n t h e w ho lel i t e ra t u r e o f soc ia l sc i ence . " T he book no t on ly e s t ab l i shedLinco ln a s a scho la r i n t h e academ ic wor ld , bu t b ro ug h t h im andt h e B l a ck M u s l i m m o v e m e n t ( a p h r a s e h e c o in e d ) t o t h e p u b l i ceye . No l e s s t h an 55 rev iews o f t h e book w ere pu b l i shed . At age37, L i n c o ln h a d b e c o m e t h e a u t h o r i t y o n t h e B l a ck M u s l i m s f or

th e p r in t and e l ec t ron ic med ia , and inde ed , on th e b l ack l i be ra t i o n m o v e m e n t i n g e n e r a l . T h r o u g h o u t t h e 1 9 60 s a n d i n t o t h e1 9 70 s, h e wa s a f r e q u e n t g u e s t o n m ^ o r n e t wo r k n e ws a n dcommenta ry shows . He was rou t ine ly ca l l ed to t e s t i fy a s anexper t wi tness i n cou r t cases i nvo lv ing the B lack Mus l ims ,pa r t i cu l a r ly a round the i s sues o f consc i en t ious ob jec t ion tomi l i t a ry se rv i ce and the r igh t t o ho ld re l ig ious se rv i ces i nprison,"*T h r o u g h o u t t h e t u r b u l e n c e o f t h e 1 9 60 s , wh i l e h i s i n i t ia l

e s says w ere be ing repub Ush ed , L inco ln con t inue d to s tud y andto w r i t e on the B lack M us l im s and on th e nonv io l en t c iv il r i gh t sm ov em en t a s we l l . As clo se a s t h e i s sues o f t h e day w ere to h i sh e a r t " 0 r p e r h a p s f o r t h a t v e r y r e a s o n - h e e l e c t e d t o e x p r e s sh i s own soc ia l ac t iv i sm th rough obse rva t ion , ana lys i s , expos i t i on , and com m en ta ry . W hi l e h e dec l ined to j o in in t h e p ro t e s t sand demons t ra t ions , L inco ln ' s scho la rsh ip was f i l l ed wi th pas s ion , and h i s wr i t i ngs f requen t ly p roved p rophe t i c .Lincoln le f t Boston in 1960 to re turn to Clark Col lege inAt l a n t a , wh e r e h e h a d t a u g h t b e f o r e e n t e r i n g t h e d o c t o r a l

p rog ram. Dur ing the fou r yea rs t ha t fo l lowed he comple t ed asecond book , a s l im vo lu m e t i t l ed My Face is Black. Two of thef ive chap te rs ex t end h i s work on the B lack Mus l ims ; "MoodEbony : Th e Acc ep tance o f Be in g B lack," and "Mood Ebony : T heM ean ing of M alcolm X," in w hich Lincoln offers a n acco unt ofh i s p e r s o n a l i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h E l ij a h M u h a m m a d a n d M a l co l m


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X. P e r ha ps m os t s ign i fi cant ly , t h e open ing chap te r o f t h e bookhera ld s L inco ln ' s endur ing and au tob iog raph ica l t heme o f " theA me r ican d i lemm a." T he book beg ins :My face is black. This is the central fact of my existence, th efocal poin t of all me aning so long as I live in Am erica. I cannottranscend my blackness, but this is only a personal inconvenience. The fact th at A merica cannot transcend it-th is isth e tragedy of America.^

Linco ln ' s i n i t i a l wo rk on th e B lack M us l im s and th i s secondbook w ere p rodu ced in t h e con tex t of two l a rge r i n t e re s t s :i n t e r g r o u p r e l a t i o n s a n d b l a c k h i s t o r y . B o t h i n t e r e s t s we r ena tu ra l p rod uc t s o f t h e c iv il r i gh t s fe r m en t occu r r ing wh i l eLincoln was in graduate school a t Boston Univers i ty . He couldscarce ly have ignored the c iv i l r igh ts ac t iv i ty under any c i r cumstances , bu t Bos ton Un ive rs i ty had a spec i a l i n t e re s t , i nt h a t t h e y o u n g m a n l e a d i n g t h e m o v e m e n t , M a r t i n L u t h e rffing, J r . , ha d ju s t co m ple te d a Ph .D . a t th a t school as Lincolna r r i v e d t h e r e .Whi l e work ing on h i s doc to ra t e , L inco ln was e l ec t ed a s af ello w a t B o s t o n Un i v e r s i t y ' s H u m a n R e l a t io n s C e n t e r . T h e r ehe deve loped a pa r t i cu l a r i n t e re s t i n b l ack -Jewish re l a t ions .His f irst a r t ic le on th a t top ic , pub l i she d in 1966, chal len ged th econcep t o f b l ack an t i -Sem i t i sm, a r gu in g th a t t h i s was a mi s -cha r ac t e r i za t ion o f b lacks* re j ec t ion o f se rv i tude to w h i t e sgenera l ly . This p iece i s s ign i f ican t no t on ly for i t s explora t ionof b lack-Je wish re la t ion s , b u t a l so for i t s d i scuss ion of th e ideath a t t h e "black m asses" ha d moved f rom advoca t ing in t eg ra t ionto su pp or t for "b lack power ." Now th e "ex-Negro p ro le ta r ia t"took o n a "new conc ept ion of rol e and id ent i ty" as "black people,"This new posi t ion reveals a sh i f t in Lincoln 's thought as wel l .^

Lincoln a l so became ac t ive in the Nat ional Associa t ion ofIn t e rg r oup Re la t ion s Offi ci al s (NAIRO ) , now th e Na t iona l Assoc ia t ion o f Human Righ t s Worke rs (NAHRW), As a re su l t o fth es e invo lvem en t s , h e wa s com miss ioned by th e An t i -Defam at ion League of B 'na i B ' r i th to wri te an h is tor ica l chronology ofb l acks in Amer i ca . L inco ln wro te The Negro Pilgrimage inAmerica, pub l i she d in 1967 , wh ich bec am e a s t an da r d t ra in ingr e s o u r c e f o r h u m a n r e l a t i o n s d e p a r t m e n t s a n d c o m m i s s i o n s


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a round the coun t ry . A rev i sed and ab r idged ve rs ion o f t ha tbook, publ i shed in 1969 as The Blackamericans, i n t r o d u c e dLinco ln ' s imag ina t ive answ er to t h e p reva i l ing con fus ion abou thow to re fe r t o A m er i can s o f Afr ican descen t . Hi s i n t e re s t an dexper t i se i n b l ack h i s to ry l a t e r l ed to h i s co -au tho rsh ip , wi thL a n g s t o n Hu g h e s a n d M i l t o n M e l t z e r , o f t h e h i g h l y r e g a r d e dPictorial History of Blackam ericans, now in i ts f i f th edi t ion.

Before the f i rs t o f these books appeared , Lincoln had le f tC la rk Co l l ege , se rved a one -yea r pos t -doc to ra l i n t e rnsh ip inco l l ege admin i s t ra t i on a t Brown Un ive rs i ty f rom 1964-65 , andaccep ted a pos i t i on a t Po r t l and S ta t e Un ive rs i ty a s a p ro fesso rof sociology. A two-year stay at Port land was fol lowed by anappo in tmen t i n 1967 to Un ion Theo log ica l Semina ry in NewYork C i ty , w he re h e re m ain ed for s ix yea rs a s Pro fesso r ofSocio logy and R eUgion . In 19 73, Linco ln re tu rn ed to FiskUnive rs i ty fo r a t empora ry a ss ignmen t t o e s t ab l i sh and cha i rth e de pa r tm en t o f re l i g ious and ph ilo soph ica l s tud ies . T h r eeyea rs l a t e r , i n 1976 , h e mov ed on to D uk e Un ive rs i ty in D ur h a m , N o r t h C a r o l i n a , w h e r e h e r e m a i n s a s P r o f e s s o r o fRe l ig ion and Cu l tu re i n t he depa r tmen t o f re l i g ion .

As th e 1960s p rog re ssed , L inco ln ' s ch i ldhood pe rc ep t ion sfound vo ice in h i s p roc l am at ions on th e s t a t e o f race re l a t ion si n Am e r ic a . T h e s e e s s a y s , w r i t t e n d u r i n g y e a r s w h e n t h i s n a t i o n w a s s h a k e n b y e v e n t s r a n g i n g f r o m t h e m a r c h o nWa s h i n g t o n t o u r b a n r i o t s t o t h e b l o o d l e t t i n g i n B i r m i n g h a ma n d S e l m a , e x h i b i t a r e m a r k a b l e t e n s i o n . T e m p e r a t e i n t o n e ,t h e y n e v e r t h e l e s s v i b r a t e a t t i m e s w i t h u r g e n c y a n d i n d i g n a t ion ; a t o the r t imes they a re imp lo r ing and a lmos t wi s t fu l .Sev era l of th e essa ys w er e co l lec ted an d publ i s hed in 1967 asSounds of the Struggle: Persons an d Perspectives in CivilRights. Many of the se lec t ions are s t i l l t imely , as th i s excerp tfrom "Som e Theo logica l and Eth i ca l Impl ic a t ion s of th e BlackGh e t t o " a t t e s t s :The black ghetto is the monstrous symbol of our mutualdistrust. The perpetuation of the ghetto, its cultivation anddefense, is an extraordinary act of racial conceit and socialirresponsibility. Beyond tha t, it is a con tem ptuous disregardfor C hristian ethics and social justice ... The p romo tion of


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self-interest leads men to distrust the wisdom of God in hisestablishment of the beloved community. They substitutetheir limited judgment for his omniscience, and becausethe ir faith in the g rand strateg y of God isweak and irresolute,they play at little strategies to remedy w ha t God forgot...

A book e di t ed by Lincoln t h e fol lowing year , 7s AnybodyListening to Black Am erica? e x h i b i t s t h e s a m e q u a l i t i e s - w i t han unm is t ak ab le ove r l ay o f he a r t ac he . L inco ln no tes i n t h ei n t r o d u c t i o n :The murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. coincided with theconclusions of my research for this book. With all my heartI regret the occasion to honor him by dedicating this paltryoffering to his m emory. O ur perspectives wer e not always inagreement, bu t there w as never a tim e when his courage, hisnobility, and his love for humankind did not excite myadmiration and support. I can only hope that as he speaksagain from thes e p ages, someone will be listening.^

I t conclu des w i th a po ign an t ep i logue en t i t led "W eep for t h eLiv ing Dead ," which appeared or ig ina l ly in The Christian Century on May 1, 1968.Weep, yes weep for America. Weep for our Jerusalem. It isshe that killeth the prophets. It is she that consumes heryoung. It is America that fouls her nest with the feculenceand the filth of the racism th at is our sickness. Weep for you rcountry...and for mine...Do not weep for M artin L uther King. H e is dead; yet helives. Weep for us, th e living. Weep for ourselves, the dead.

In 1970, Lincoln e d i te d a vo lu m e of essays on King w hich wasrev i sed and re i s su ed in 1984 . Reg re t t ab ly , ne i the r ed i t i on in c ludes L inco ln ' s own e loquen t a s sessmen t s o f King : a poem,"Come Back , Mar t in Lu the r King ," and an e ssay pub l i shed int h e AME Zion Quarterly Review, "Mar t in Lu the r King , t heMagn i f i cen t In t rude r . "

Martin Luther King was an intruder. An improbable intrud er. H e did not belong to the privileged cult of those w hopresumed themselves the proper sha pers of the destiny of anation. But he was prepared; and h e wa s arm ed w ith pe rhaps


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the only philosophy which could have been effective in forestalling the American holocaust which was then in themaking. He was a man of love and peace, who dared to testhis own com m itme nts in a critical confrontation w ith h atredand hostility. He wa s a ma n o ut of time a nd out of place, animprob able person for the task laid before him ; a stran ger inhis own h ouse; an alien performer in a tragic drama abouthimself, his people, and his countiy.He was a n impro bable I ntru der . And he was magnificent.^*^

A l t h o u g h L i n c o l n ' s c o m m e n t a r y o n r a c e c o n t i n u e dt h r o u g h o u t t h e 1 9 7 0 S " i n c h a p t e r s of c o l l e c te d e s s a y s o nminor i ty re l a t ions and the soc io logy o f t he b l ack communi ty ,and in fo rewards and in t roduc t ions to o the r books t rea t ingthose top ics -h i s cen t ra l focus sh i f t ed in t h i s pe r iod to b l ackre l ig ion and th e b lack chu rch . I t was thes e ye a rs t ha t p roduce dth e C. Er ic Linco ln S er ie s in Black Rel ig ion , The Black Churchsince Frazier and The Negro Church in America, a n d The BlackExperience in Religion, a volume of readings ed i ted by Lincolnw hich con ta ined exc e rp t s f rom the w r i t i ng s o f two dozenAfr ican and Afr ican-A merican aca dem ician s and c lerjgy w ork ingin the area of the b lack church and b lack re l ig ion .^

In The Black Church Since Frazier Lincoln procla imed a newage in t h e Ufe of t h i s i n s t i t u t ion , dec l a r ing th a tThe "Negro Church" that Frazier wrote about no longerexists. It died an agonized death in the harsh turmoil whichtried the faith so rigorously in the decade of the "SavageSbcties," for there it had to confront under the most tryingcircumstances the possibility that "Negro" and "Christian"were irreconcilable categories...W ith sadness and reluctance,trepidation and confidence, the Negro Church accepteddeath in order to be reborn. Out of the ashes of its funeralpyre there sprang the bold, strident, self-conscious phoenix

1 ntha t is the contem porary Black Church,T h e pubUc at ion of h is two books on b lack re l ig ion in 1974 wa sfo l lowed by a ser ies of a r t ic les explor ing the charac ter of b lackre l ig ion and i t s re la t ion to the socie ty a t la rge , many of whichw e r e p u b h s h e d i n The Journal of the InterdenominationalTheological Center. ( ITC is a con so r t iu m o f s ix b l ack sem ina r i e s


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i n At l an ta , Georg ia . ) Am ong thes e a re "Aspec ts o f A m er i canPlu ra l i sm," "Con tempora ry B lack Re l ig ion : In Sea rch o f aSoc io logy ," " The B lack Church and the Amer i can Soc ie ty : AN e w R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , " a n d " T h e S o c i a l C o s m o s o f B l a c kEcumen i sm." Whi l e h i s ma in in t e re s t was exp l i ca t ing the na ture and value of b lack re l ig ion in American l i fe , Lincoln hasnev e r he s i t a t e d to po in t ou t t h e sho r t com ings of w h i t e C hr i s t i an i ty . A n exam ple was a 1976 a r t i c l e eva lua t ing deve lopm en t sin A m erica n re l ig ion s ince th e 1957 pubU cat ion of Lis ten Po pe 'sThe Kingdom Beyond Caste,

In h i s t ime , L inco ln wro te , Pope " s tood head and shou lde rsabove mos t o f h i s fe l l ow chu rchmen , who were qu i t e p repa redto consign the *american d i lemma' to an American God forso lu t ion , i n t h e fu ll expec ta t ion t ha t God wou ld requ i re no m oreo f t h e m t h a n p u b l ic p r o n o u n c e m e n t s a n d p r i v a t e p u r s u i t s o fth e s t a tu s quo an te . " Two decades l a t e r , t h e s i t ua t ion , inLinco ln ' s e s t ima t ion , had changed on ly marg ina l ly :

American religion, like American government, operates onlocal and national levels. The local church is whe re t he peopleare; but the local churches (alas. Dr. Pope!) are stillsegregated an d seem likely to remain tha t way for some tim eto come, despite the proclamations and the resolutions ofnational church leaders which ap pear in the national p ressfrom time to tim e. If God ever cancels his subscription to t heNew York Times, he will be hard pressed to know whose sideAm erican religion is on. 13 " i

In 1980~in see m ing an t i c ipa t ion of w ha t t h e Reagan yea rswo u l d b r i n g - L i n c o l n p u b l i s h e d w h a t i s p e r h a p s h i s m o s t f o rc e ful, and ce r t a in ly mos t l ega l -o r i en t ed s t a t emen t on race inAmer ica Th i s e s say on a f f i rma t ive ac t ion , ca l l ed "BeyondBakke, Weber a n d Fullilove," t ook excep t ion to t he cou r t s 'inc lus ion of b lacks in th e broad c a tegory of "minori t ies ," a rgu ingthat the d isab i l i t ies of b lacks were unique , der iv ing f rom ape rn ic ious rac i a l cas t e sys t em. Cor respond ing ly , t he s t a t e wasobl iga ted to uphold a remedy speci f ic to th i s c lass of persons .Lincoln a lso s t r uc k a b low a t th e not io n of " reverse d iscr im inat ion , " con tend ing tha t


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The issue is neither the deprivation of whites nor thepreferability of Blacks, but whether a reasonable, belatedeffort to make less consummate the institutionalizedprivileges, prerogatives and preferabilities of w hite s will betolerated in th e breach. Th e critical implications of th e B akkedecision transcend altogether the dubious issue of "reversediscrimination" and address them selves instead to th e re-for-tification of th e preva iling system of racial hegem ony b rou ghtunder seige by Brown vs. Board of Education twenty-fiveyears ago... **

In 1983 , L inc o ln ' s wo rk on th e B lack M us l im s wa s up da t edwi th an e ssay en t i t l ed , "The Amer i can Mus l im Miss ion in t heCo ntex t of A m eri ca n Socia l His tory ," In 1984, exc erp ts f romthe se e ssays and o th e r s w ere c rea t ive ly woven toge the r in Race,Religion and the Continuing American Dilemma, t h e i n t r o d u c t ion to which i s Lincoln a t h i s bes t :

Time h as a fugitive quality to it and the twe ntieth century,which w as once heralded as a brigh t new occasion for hum anenn oblem ent, is coming to a close. It is no longer bright, andit is no longer new. We still have no t found peace from oursins; nor is the evidence that w e entertain a serious commitmen t to th e principles of the Golden R ule one of the compelling features of our generation. Prominent among ourproblems remains the perennial problem Du Bois complained of w hen th e tw entieth century w as still in its infan-py...It is still a problem of the color line, and that problemramifies in all of our more critical relations, polluting theenvironment and straining the parameters of credibility inwhich the democratic ideal is somehow expected to function.

As fo r t h e ro l e o f Am er i ca ' s chu rch es in add ress ing th i sc i rcum stanc e , L inco ln tu rn s in t h e conc lus ion o f t h e book to are t ro spec t on the 1960s :

The 1960s w ere a mo men tous decade in the history of socialchange . Itw as t he un iqu e occasion for America to free herselffrom some of the chauvinisms w hich shackle us all to a pastm isadventure from which we have yet to recover fully. It was


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also the occasion for the modern Black Church todemonstrate its relevance and maturity. While America faltered, M artin L uthe r K ing, Jr. and his followers did mo re toembellish the name of Western Christianity than has beendone since the original Martin Luther tacked his challengeof corruptions on th e door of th e cathe dral at W ittenb urg inthe sixteenth century..,King was a living example of w hat thefaith claimed to be abou t; and K ing was by ironic necessity aproduct of the Black Church...

In a society like ours, the Black Church has no need tosearch for a viable future. It has a future t hr us t upon it....Solong as the re is hatred and evil in the world, so long as ther eare the poor in spirit and those who need to be comforted,until th ere is a voice in every place to speak the t ru th to th edisinherited of whatev er race, the Black Church h as a futurebecause its larger ministry is to th e world...(pp. 241,257-258)O t h e r M a t t e r s o f t h e H e a r t

Co ns i s t en t w i th h i s expe r i en t i a l o r i en t a t ion , L inco ln ' s i n t e l lec tua l ac t iv i ty has remained conjo ined wi th the rea l world ofo rd ina ry peop le . No t on ly i s h i s work on the b l ack chu rchemp ir ica l ly-based; i t i s re l ev an t for th e b lack ch ur ch ins t i tu t ion , an d in va r iou s way s i s m ad e access ib le to th a t co nst i tuen cy . In the 1980s , for example , Lincoln , v^ th Laurence Mamiya ,condu c ted a na t ion a l s tudy o f t h e b l ack chu rch w h ich wi llp rov ide the mos t comple t e and up - to -da t e i n fo rma t ion compi led s ince the 1930s . PoHt ics , f inances , the ro le of women,m u s i c , a n d e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t a r e a m o n g t h e a r e a s a d d ressed in t he s tudy , wh ich i s sched u led fo r pub l i ca t ion in t hefal l o f 1990. E ve n as th e re se arc h was in process , Lincoln w as af requen t speake r a t b l ack min i s t e r i a l ga the r ings and se rved a sa cons u l t an t t o b lack re l ig ious o rgan iza t ions .In a la rger contex t , the impact of b lack re l ig ious s tud ies as awhole on b lack minis ters i s mani fo ld . Much as the c iv i l r igh tsand b l ack power movemen t s t rans fo rmed b l acks ' s e l f -pe rcep t ion , scho la rsh ip on b l ack re l ig ion ha s fo s te red g re a t e r aware nes s o f t h e h i s to r i c b l ack ch u rc h t rad i t i on , and rea ff i rmed th eim por t a nce o f m in i s t r y i n t h e b l ack chu rch . In t h a t a f f irma t ion


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a r e t h e s e e d s fo r a m o r e p r o p h e t i c m i n i s t r y , a n d a m o r e c o m p r e h e n s i v e p r o g r a m o f s e r v ic e t o t h e c o m m u n i t y a t l a rg e .T h e s e i n f l u e n c e s a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y p e r t i n e n t f o r m i n i s t e r swho hav e ava il ed them se lv es o f fo rma l t ra in ing , for an ac c red i t ed semina ry wi thou t b l ack chu rch s tud ies t oday i s ar a r i t y . P e r h a p s t h e m o s t c o m p r e h e n s i v e p r o g r a m s a r e l o c a t e da t Howard

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