Oh. I thought:
<|:)~
Posted on 06/21/2003 9:09:03 PM PDT by sinkspur
Methodist George W. Bush and Methodism's founder, John Wesley, share similarities. But the Rev. Wesley's example as a minister and social reformer provides instruction for Mr. Bush's own faith and presidency.
First, the similarities.
John Wesley, whose 300th birthday Methodists observe today, believed in personal spiritual discipline. He read his Bible daily. He prayed regularly. And he met with others in small groups.
President Bush started practicing personal spiritual discipline about the time he gave up alcohol in the mid-1980s. He regularly reads the Bible. He says he can't imagine doing his job without prayer. And his more formative adult spiritual experiences came through small groups in Midland.
There are more similarities: John Wesley thought practically, as Mary Jacobs noted recently in this newspaper's religion section. He wasn't a systematic theologian like John Calvin.
George W. Bush thinks practically as well. The son of West Texas prefers bold action over theoretical concepts. (Hence Mr. Bush's preference for the Charles Wesley hymn "A Charge to Keep," which he used for his autobiography's title.)
But there are other parts of John Wesley's legacy that could instruct his fellow Methodist, the leader of the Free World. For that matter, they can guide all people who take their faith seriously.
John Wesley, and his brother Charles, practiced a reforming faith. Their beliefs didn't stop with personal discipline. They took them into the social arena. And I don't mean simple charity. Their work often got at the root cause of social ills.
The Rev. Wesley organized health clinics in an England that lacked adequate care for its poor. He formed a credit union so the poor didn't have to go to debtors' prison. He served miners in poor parts of England.
In short, he took his Methodism to the masses. He and his followers ministered to the poor, while the Anglican Church ministered largely to the middle class. British historian Kenneth O. Morgan writes that "it was left to the rebellious daughter of the church, the Methodist movement, to offer the poor recompense in the next world for their sufferings in this."
There are many examples of this kind of Methodism today. Consider the Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston. Its work particularly should stand out to the president because his friend and spiritual confidant, the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastors the church.
Mr. Caldwell's congregation just doesn't preach the gospel. It just doesn't practice spiritual discipline. It just doesn't focus on discipleship. It involves itself in reforming a larger community.
The church prides itself on serving Southwest Houston with a Power Center that houses a school, a bank, a community college center, a clinic and even a ballroom. It also is helping to build a retirement community.
Mega-churches like Windsor Village think in terms of large systems as a way to attack a range of problems.
President Bush is attempting his own version of social compassion with his $15 billion commitment to fight AIDS. The large sum can help Africa and other parts of the world attack a deadly challenge, even if some complain the money isn't going through the right channels.
But Mr. Bush tends to think more about individuals helping themselves or others than about how institutions affect individuals. He conquered his drinking through personal discipline. And in his speeches, he often talks about individuals helping each other.
But individual action sometimes goes only so far. As hard as some people may try to improve themselves, they still need "systems" that allow them to progress.
They may need a health care system that offers access to insurance. They may need an economy that offers jobs with a livable wage. They may need schools that give them a chance.
Without those larger institutions, all the personal discipline in the world won't allow some people to realize their potential as God's children.
John Wesley grasped that point. He combined personal faith with social action. Three hundred years later, his example stands out for all of us, the president included. Personal faith and a passion for justice are part of the same gospel.
That's the Wesley legacy.
Oh. I thought:
<|:)~
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