What Would John Wesley Say?

Title: The Decline in Church Attendance as Protestant Denominations Divide

Specific purpose: to tackle the schism in major Protestant denominations

Scriptures: Galatians 3:28, Romans 1:26-28, Acts 26:17-18, Matthew 5:18

Through the Twentieth Century, church membership in America stayed at roughly 70% of adults. In the last two-and-a-half decades, church membership has declined from 69% down to 48% today. This schism, this people leaving Protestant denominations, is because some churches members question the values deemed acceptable by their churches. Three of the most contentious questions causing the schism are: LGTQ - are these lifestyles right or wrong; parental control - parents should have a say in what schools teach versus educators making all of the decisions; and the right to life - pro-choice versus anti-abortion. Rather than settle these disagreements the Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist and Lutheran denominations have chosen to divide their churches. Many are the laity and pastors that ask, “What to do?”

Five hundred years ago, one Reformation leader, Martin Luther, said of a comparable problem, “The sin underneath all our sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and must take matters into our own hands.” Luther was writing about the Roman Catholic Church losing its way. Do we Protestants have a similar problem today? Is the schism because some Protestants have trusted in “the lie of the serpent” and taken “matters into our own hands”? Is the schism about what the scriptures say versus what some want them to say? To answer these questions, I looked at the denomination with which I have spent my eight decades, the United Methodist Church.

In 1786, John Wesley, the foremost leader in the Methodist movement, said, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. However, I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both [to] the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” In my opinion, John Wesley’s fear is now real; we have abandoned “the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” We are guilty of defection, apostasy.

John and Charles Wesley, both clergy in the Church of England, started a movement within that church based on the idea that being a real Christian rather than a nominal Christian required more than attending church on Sunday. Real Christianity required “simple living, ministering to the poor, the infirmed and the incarcerated.”

My family has been Methodist since the 1790’s; I expect I heard more Methodism around our dinner table than some pastors heard in seminar. After much thought, it pains me greatly to accept that my beloved United Methodist Church has moved far away from the Methodist movement started by the Wesley brothers and their Holy Club. John Wesley's Stance: Scripture is the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine. Wesley said, “If you need no book but the Bible, you are got above St. Paul.” We have gotten above St. Paul. I am now going to address briefly some of the questions leading to this schism.

There are several articles posted online by some in the United Methodist Church saying that Galatians 3:28 makes LGBTQ lifestyles okay. My findings: In that scripture Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Scholars dispute to what extent the verse actually means to negate all differences between Jews and Greeks, women and men, and so forth. However, there is near unanimous agreement that this scripture certainly means that all people have the opportunity to become Christians. Does Galatians 3:28 also make LGBTQ okay?

Some pertinent illustrations counter this absurdity: A man engaged in adulterer confesses Christ and joins a church. Is the church to say, if you enjoy an occasional fling, keep on committing adultery? A gossiper confesses Christ and joins a church. Is the church to say, you do not have to give up your gossiping, after all, it is certainly entertaining. A person practices one of the LGBTQ lifestyles confesses Christ and joins a church. Is the church to say, continue in that lifestyle?

Many respond to this last illustration saying, “You do not understand, sex is a complicated issue.” God knows that it is complicated; He invented it. Many of us are born with some inherent lust. For a parallel example, my youngest brother was an alcoholic. He inherited that trait from my father’s side of our family. Does that inherited trait make alcoholism all right?

Look at what the scriptures say about LGBTQ for yourself. Here is one example: Drag queens, Deuteronomy 22:5, “A woman shall not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for whoever does such things is abhorrent to the LORD your God.” Look the following up: Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Deuteronomy 23:1, Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:18-19, I Corinthians 7:2, I Timothy 8:9-11 and Jude 1:7-8. Thomas a’ Kempis summed up our current dilemma 600 years ago, “Many people, although they often hear the Gospel, feel little desire to follow it, because they lack the spirit of Christ.”