Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof.

May Religious Pluralism Final Paper

Sacred Worth: A United Methodist Argument for Interfaith Cooperation

Since the beginning of humanity, there have been disagreements about what lies beyond the reaches of human logic and intellect. Wars have been fought and millions have died in the name of something that can ultimately not be proven. However, in a time that people feel is so turbulent, the world has seen one of the longest stretches of relative peace. It is up to a new generation of leaders to try and secure an everlasting cooperation that can bring an end to some of the worlds problems, evils, and injustices. Faith organizations can lead the way on a philosophy that agrees that religions do not have to agree on the divine to be able to agree that the world needs more medicine and fewer guns. We do not have to agree on what salvation is and how it happens to agree that that the world needs more schools and teachers and less drugs and violence. United Methodism can take its place in the world as a beacon of tolerance and cooperation for the greater good. Tolerance will simply not be enough in the 21st century. Christ demands cooperation. Interfaith Cooperation simply means that we can learn to move past our religious difference to work together for the common good. Tolerance simply means that we arent violent towards one another, but we do not positively interact or make it a priority to do so. Therefore the United Methodist Church must find a way. It is very much a part of the United Methodist Churchs tradition to look upon all people as created by God and possessing something sacred. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church has a section under Human Sexuality where this notion comes from. In section 161 of the Discipline there is a section that reads: We affirm that all persons are

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God.1 For United Methodist, this should be the ideal from where we start interfaith work and peace building. The United Methodist Church traces its roots back to back to the late 18th century in England where a man named John Wesley was starting to do things a little differently. John Wesley sought reform within the Church of England, but he started a revival movement that not even he could stop that led to the formation of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Methodists were seeking a new way of doing Church. In a growing globalized society where the ideals and values of other religions are becoming more and more accessible and relevant, the United Methodist Church should seek to harness Wesleys spirit to be a leader among protestant denominations in engaging these ideas for a positive outcome. Of the mainline protestant denominations, the United Methodist Church seems to have the most potential in trying to build the bridges necessary to secure peace and stability among the worlds religions in the 21st century. The United Methodist Church has a fantastic model of analyzing theology and doctrine that can absolutely be applied to the idea of interfaith cooperation. This model is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral has four angles through which an issue must be analyzed. These are: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. The base and most important of these 4 angles is Scripture. If a United Methodist argument to interfaith cooperation is to have any merit at all, it is essential that it be scrutinized under this model first.

The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2012.

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper Therefore, Scripture will be the first angle in which interfaith cooperation will be discussed. The question that lies here is What does scripture say about the merits of interfaith cooperation? One of the most obvious examples of the celebration of cultural and perhaps even religious diversity comes from the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke. The first thing that is important to understand about this parable is who the Samaritans were to Jesus 1st century audience. The Samaritans were a group to be considered on the outside of the Jewish faith. The Samaritans in the 1st century were an ethno religious group who were despised by the Jewish orthodoxy and by most common Jews. In the parable, Jesus shows a Samaritan man helping a wounded traveler after a priest and a member of the Levite tribe pass him up. Jesus praises the Samaritan for his action in what would have been an extremely scandalous story for a 1st century Jewish Rabbi to tell. This story is extremely important and relevant to the discussion of merit in practing interfaith cooperation. In the parable, Jesus argues that the mans faith difference doesnt have to hold him back from positively interacting with a man in need. The common humanity that they share is simply enough for the Samaritan to care for and rescue the stranger. One will notice that in the parable, Jesus does not say that the Samaritan faith or the Jewish orthodoxy is correct. He focuses on the fact that when people are in trouble, the proper response is mercy and love. It is important to look at another example from scripture where cooperation between different cultural systems are emphasized as important. In Galatians 3:28, the apostle Paul eloquently says to the church in Galatia There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, nor is there male or female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus. The

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper Apostle Paul is claiming in this verse that the Galatians need to stop having quarrels over their differences. The Church in Galatia was made up of Jews and Gentiles alike and Paul is saying that they have something bigger than themselves that draws them together in Jesus. It is important to note that Paul is not arguing here for interfaith cooperation. However, Paul is saying that the circumstances of our culture, gender and social status shouldnt keep humans from being together in union and harmony. One must remember that Islam had not yet been conceived and spread and would not be for another five centuries. Paul and his followers would have had little or no knowledge of the eastern religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, which were widely being practiced during the time in Asia. In Pauls world, this was an appeal that all cultures could work together to advance the cause of good, which Jesus fought for. The next piece in the Quadrilateral is experience. The questions that all United Methodists should be asking about experience and how it relates to interfaith work is this: What does our experience as Christians tell us about the positives of interfaith cooperation? The other question that should be asked is What are the negative effects of not cooperating between the faiths? Don Thorsen writes the experiential study and look at religion deals with both empirical and experiential knowledge.2 Empirical knowledge of history and facts will be the most useful to a Methodist and Christian argument for interfaith work.

Don Thorsen, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: A Model of Evangelical Theology. Lexington: Emeth Press, 2005. 130

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper Surely, most Christians can identify the negative effects within the experience of our faith when interfaith cooperation is not practiced or discouraged. In the Middle Ages around the 11th-13th centuries, The Christian Church launched numerous military campaigns against the Muslim Empire in an attempt to recapture the Christian holy lands. The campaigns did not succeed and left Europe in a continued state of economic distress. These campaigns also accounted for the death of thousands of people because interfaith dialogue and cooperation did not happen. For American United Methodists, hostilities and misunderstandings between Islam and Christianity have increased because of the September 11th attacks in 2001. The national media has portrayed Islam unfairly because of one small violent sect of a massive religion gets the spotlight for their crimes against humanity. These misunderstandings have led to even more violence from both Christians and Muslims alike. Our shared experience as Christians in the United States shows us that the when cooperation and dialogue does not occur, conflicts can lead to violence, which absolutely is not compatible with the scriptural teachings of Christ. In the wake of 9/11, the urgency and call to action for interfaith understanding is higher than ever.3 Our experience can also lend to the positive effects that happen when different faiths interact together to better our world. United Methodists have had great experiences in committing to interfaith understanding. The positive effects of cooperation are

Kenneth Cracknell and Susan White. An Introduction to World Methodism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 259

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper increased understandings between different groups of people in our community. This leads to more understanding, more love, and less hate. The third piece of the quadrilateral is tradition. What does the United Methodist tradition have to say about the merits of diversity and cooperation? It is appropriate to first start at the Social Creed of the United Methodist Church, which it recommended by the Book of Discipline to be recited regularly at Sunday Church services. The Social Creed was adopted by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1908.4 In the Social Creed it reads We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to the individual freedom for all people of the world.5 The people of the United Methodist Church share a rich tradition for fighting for the individual freedoms of all people. These freedoms should absolutely extend to the having the freedom to practice whatever religion you choose as valid for yourselves. As Methodists, we can maintain our commitment to making disciples for Jesus Christ and spreading the message of the gospel, while also committing to cherishing the diversity of other religions. In the companion litany to the Social Creed, there lies a phrase that is extremely compelling from the United Methodist tradition that cannot be ignored. It reads Today is the day. God embraces all hues of humanity, delights in diversity and difference, favors solidarity transforming strangers into friends. And the proper response from the congregation is And so shall we. This is an absolutely incredible argument for the merits of interfaith cooperation from the long standing traditions of Jones, Scott J.. United Methodist Doctrine: the Extreme Center. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002. 5 166, The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2012.
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Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper Methodism. Methodists are supposed to recognize that God delights in diversity. While it is okay for Methodists to believe that Christianity is the true way to God, they cannot deny that God creates and loves those who are different, as much God loves those who claim the name of Christ. There is also a rich tradition of United Methodists practicing interfaith cooperation and dialogue throughout the world. One example is from as early as the beginning of the 20th century with a man named E. Stanley Jones who became good friends with Gandhi and was renowned for his Round Table Conferences, which sought to increase interreligious understanding.6 These traditions of interfaith cooperation come from very Wesleyan doctrines, which Methodists have embraced for the last two centuries. Some of these include, but are not limited to the emphasis on common sense, faith and experience over doctrines, and the priority and emphasis of loving human relationships.7 The final piece of the quadrilateral is reason. Reason is extremely important in the formation of Methodist theology of practice. Quite simply, if it doesnt make sense, Methodists are not likely to practice or believe something. For instance, on infant baptism, there is no scripture that supports or forbids the baptism of babies. However, it reasonably makes sense within our experience and tradition, so therefore we practice this tradition. John Wesley thought quite highly of reason and wrote It is a fundamental principle with us Methodists that to renounce reason is to renounce religion, that religion

Kenneth Cracknell and Susan White. An Introduction to World Methodism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 258 7 Kenneth Cracknell and Susan White. An Introduction to World Methodism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 259

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper and reason go hand in hand, and that all irrational religion is false religion.8 Wesley fervently believed that God had created people in Gods image and that our reason was important in determining the meaning of Scripture and practice. The question Methodists should be asking here is Does Interfaith Cooperation make sense for our Church and our World? The world is changing extremely fast. In a growing globalized world, I dont think the United Methodist Church can afford not to engage and interact with other religions. Our teenagers, children, and young people are particularly exposed to other ideas in the world with the rise of the Internet and the ease of how information is shared across the world. The problems that society faces in the 21st century will require global solutions. Global solutions will require cooperation between the differing religions. The 21st century has great potential to be the greatest century of humanitarian achievement of all time. However, if we fail to cooperate as differing peoples of faith, then we will be unable to meet our challenges. Therefore, it is absolutely reasonable that we find some way to work together for common goals. Reasoning on this subject ties the Quadrilateral all together and makes interfaith cooperation a convincing Methodist ideal. Methodists should fight for a sustainable and peaceful future where all people can live in harmony. Currently the United Methodist Church does not have a firm stance either way towards interfaith cooperation and dialogue. This is something that will need to change in the future to further solidify cooperation between religions as a core

Don Thorsen, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: A Model of Evangelical Theology. Lexington: Emeth Press, 2005. 107

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper belief within the denomination. There will also need to be a great emphasis in putting these stances into practice in local congregations. Now that interfaith cooperation has been proven to hold up within the model of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, it is important to return to the subject of the Sacred Worth of all individuals. Above, it was stated that this idea should be the framework from which United Methodists should start when thinking on the merits of interfaith work. If Methodists truly believe and hold fast to the idea that God creates all people equally and that they possess this sacred worth, then it doesnt matter what a Methodist may believe when it comes to the validity of other religions. One could believe that all other belief systems outside of Christianity are false, but if they believe in this doctrine about sacred worth, then that person must believe that cooperating with individuals for the greater good must be the work of God. To deny that people of different faiths do not share the same sacred worth that Christians share is to deny Methodism and message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Future generations deserve a better world to live in. For United Methodists, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral has shown that interfaith cooperation fits well within many examples from Scripture, shared experience, traditions and it is a reasonable task for the Church to engage in. It is time for United Methodists to lead the way in forging a more peaceful future for Christianity and other religions alike. It is time to throw the word and idea of tolerance aside and embrace the Methodist ideals of unity and a deep commitment to love. United Methodists have all the pieces required to get started on this work. One day, the world really can stand united against the biggest demons that plague

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper our society. While we may disagree on the nature of the divine, we can come together on the basic principle that we all have sacred worth derived from our Maker. The United Methodist Church can be the trailblazer of a new era. This can be done if United Methodism everywhere takes a stand on the motto of Open hearts, open minds, open doors. This dream of peace can be realized if we march together as the people of the United Methodist Church.

Matthew Patrick 12-7-13 Prof. May Religious Pluralism Final Paper

Bibliography
Cracknell, Kenneth, and Susan J. White. An introduction to world Methodism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Jones, Scott J.. United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2012. Nashville, Tenn.: United Methodist Pub. House, 2012. Thorsen, Donald A. D.. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Scripture, Tradition, Reason & Experience as a Model of Evangelical Theology. Lexington, KY: Emeth Press, 1990.