Methodists Have a High Approval Rating-- Is this Good News?

As reported by United Methodist Communications, a recent Gallup Poll of Americans reveals that the culture largely views Methodism in a positive way. Forty-nine percent of those surveyed said that they viewed Methodism positively, forty-seven percent were neutral, and only four percent responded negatively.

At first glance, such a poll might hearten those of us with a Methodist bent, but I wonder if this is actually good news when it comes to our identity and mission as Methodists? It would be interesting to inquire further of those who view us so positively, why, in fact they do so. Is it because we have done and are doing much good in this society and around the world, which is, of course, quite true? Or could it be that we Methodists are becoming more and more of a culture church all the time, and because of that, we are losing the radical edge of the gospel? In other words, are we viewed so positively because we have become domesticated?

John Wesley expressed the very same concern in reference to Methodism's acceptance by the wider society: “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But 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 the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out" ("Thoughts on Methodism"). Wesley wrote this in 1786 as he looked back on the Methodist revival. Wesley was concerned that the movement would become domesticated and, therefore, irrelevant as an alternative Christian witness.

I am not suggesting that we Methodists should look for ways to be intentionally offensive; after all, St. Paul reminds us that the gospel in and of itself is foolishness and a stumbling block for many (1 Corinthians 1:23). Bishop William Willimon wrote in one of his many books (I cannot remember which one), that during his ministry, Jesus repelled more people than he attracted. I have expressed the view in previous posts, that while we United Methodists like to think of ourselves as practitioners of a radical gospel, in many ways we are in reality just status quo. Many of our Social Principles embody, not the Sermon on the Mount, but rather regurgitate with a little religious language sprinkled in, the political platform of the DNC. (By the way, they would be just as status quo if they resembled the political platform of the RNC.) I do not want to suggest that we Methodists have no radical Christian edge, but rather that, at the end of the day, we are more domesticated than we want to admit. We like being liked.

Many years ago, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon wrote a book entitled, Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, in which they called the church to embody the alternative to the world that Jesus meant for it to be. In responding as to why the book struck such a chord with so many, they wrote that after the UCC, "[o]ur fellow Methodists probably are next in line among those who dislike the book. Methodism, after all, has been the great Protestant religion of America and, having been once established, they certainly do not want to be marginalized people. To a denomination which likes to think that it is still the establishment, still sending more people to Congress every year than any other Protestant denomination, our call for the church to recover its alien status sounds like very bad news indeed" (In Good Company: The Church as Polis, 60).

I must also confess that I have wondered about my own domesticated status on more than a few occasions in reference to my own ministry. When I receive praise and recognition for my involvement in the community, is it because I have offered the gospel in a way that attracts people to Jesus, or have I just been a prop for the culture and done my part to fulfill Ben Franklin's understanding of the church's purpose as the place that produces virtuous citizens, or as I like to think of it, loyal lackeys for the state? After all, I like to be liked.

I have heard Stanley Hauerwas say time and time again, in his own uniquely Hauerwasian way, that Methodists have only two essential convictions: God is nice; and because God is nice, Methodists should be nice too. His expression may be somewhat exaggerated, but I think he is cutting to the heart of Methodism's culture church dilemma. We like to be liked; and what better way to make sure we are liked, than to be nice, which can unfortunately mean, compromising the hard edge of the gospel.

Now, to be sure, Methodism is not the only church that faces the culture church conundrum. This has been one of the great struggles for the church universal since the time of Constantine. Nevertheless, as a Methodist, I must be concerned with my own church tradition; I will let persons from other denominations deal with their culture church struggles.

I would very much like to hear from others in the Methoblogosphere on this one. Please feel free to post your comments.