Reader's Viewpoints

What do YOU think?

The Hoosier United Methodist News welcomes all letters to the editor. In order to be considered for publication, letters must be signed and should include the name of your local church along with a daytime phone number for verification purposes. All letters may be subject to editing for clarity or length. Deadline for each upcoming issue is the 15th of the month.

Our wish is to provide a forum wherein all voices and points of view have an equal opportunity to be heard.

Send to Editor, Hoosier UM News, 1100 W. 42nd St., Suite 210, Indianapolis, IN. 46208; fax: 317.924.4859; e-mail: editor

Headlines don't tell true story on gambling funds for conference purchase

Headlines in local papers on an AP story concerning the quandary of the South Indiana Conference's discussion about the purchase of property for the new Conference office site were very misleading -- headlines such as, "Methodists debate, then accept gambling funds for new office complex." The AP story which ran in papers all across the state got its facts straight; however, some of the headlines were plain wrong and reflected badly on our Church.

The South Conference plans to build a new conference center in Gateway Park, north of Bloomington. The eight-acre plot was purchased as part of a 60-acre development. Meanwhile the City of Bloomington accepted $125,000 from the Build Indiana Fund for the development of water and sewers.

The Church has a half century record of opposition to gambling. Both the North and South Conferences have gone on record recommending that "all churches and United Methodist institutions refuse all funds which come from legalized gambling, including but not limited to the Build Indiana Fund." The Build Indiana Fund is supported by Hoosier Lottery profits and riverboat casino taxes.

When this has occurred in Indiana, directly or indirectly, the Church has returned such funds.

After consultation with the developers, the South Conference Task Force, determined that their "share" of the $125,000 was $14,500. The Conference then voted in June to double that to $29,000 with half going to Gambling Recovery Ministries and half to advocacy programs challenging gambling.

Both Indiana Conferences, Bishop Woodie White, and the Indiana Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, of which the Conferences are a part, will continue to mount opposition to legalized gambling in Indiana.

John Wolf, ret., North Indiana clergy
President, Indiana Coalition Against Legalized Gambling

Minister without compromising

Letters in recent editions of HUM reflect the continued division within the UM Church regarding homosexuality.

Should the church be ministering to the gay community? Yes! All of us are children of God if we accept Jesus Christ as Lord. Must we compromise our beliefs to appease those who are determined to have behavior that is sin in the eyes of God be acceptable in the eyes of man? No!

Jesus made clear that he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law. Therefore, do not try to justify homosexuality by pretending that it would be acceptable to Christ.

Let us get back to the Bible, live lives that are pleasing to God, and quit trying to circumvent the teachings in God's Holy Word.

Ronald L. Scott
Mt. Zion U.M. Church
Kentland, Indiana

Worship is theology

In response to both Mr. Foster's "Content Over Style" and to Mr. Dare's "Worship Content is Important, but so is Style," it seems as if I have inadvertently begun a rather misplaced debate. First, in response to Mr. Foster, my original article "Beyond the Worship Wars" (March issue) was an attempt to demonstrate that the content of hymns, praise songs, skits, etc. does matter greatly for the life and discipleship formation of local congregations. My original article intended to convey that theological content does matter, but should not simply be equated with particular forms or styles of worship.

Second, in response to Mr. Dare, I must first commend him for rightly reminding us that at the heart of all truly Christian worship is salvation, and that such redemption is not merely "intellectual", but rather involves all physical, emotional, psychological, etc. aspects of the Christian life.

Having said this, however, I find it troubling that Mr. Dare seems to polarize the content of theological teachings as somehow not directly related to the more emotive "warming of the heart" feelings of God's grace that have characterized Wesleyan piety throughout our history. Rather than falsely elevating the "act" of faith over the "content" of historic Christian faith, instead these two aspects of faith must always go hand in hand.

Thus, both content and style are vitally important because without keen attention to both, salvation itself may become jeopardized. Hopefully, this recent exchange of letters (as well as the "worship wars" in general) have well demonstrated that worship IS theology, and as such requires our careful prayer and reflection concerning how we as church bodies are to perform it.

Rob Kin
Pastoral Assistant,
First UMC, South Bend
(Appointed as Ph.D. student in moral theology, Notre Dame University)

Last updated on 01/14/2004

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