Site
Contents
 |
General Information about the Area Office
North Indiana Conference Office
South Indiana Conference Office
Prayer Guides
(Courtesy of the NIC Prayer Team)
Area United Methodist
Foundation
For resources to assist your congregation in welcoming guests,
click here
Seashore District Volunteer Center VIM project -- Completed
Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodists together |
October 2005 |
Social Principles guide church in justice decisions
The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice. Its members have often taken forthright positions on controversial issues involving Christian principles. Early Methodists expressed their opposition to the slave trade, to smuggling and to the cruel treatment of prisoners.
A social creed was adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church (North) in 1908. Within the next decade similar statements were adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and by The Methodist Protestant Church. The Evangelical United Brethren Church adopted a statement of social principles in 1946 at the time of the uniting of the United Brethren and The Evangelical Church. In 1972, four years after the uniting in 1968 of The Methodist Church and The Evangelical United Brethren Church, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted a new statement of Social Principles, which was revised in 1976 and by each successive General Conference.
Church's official stance
What The United Methodist Church says about social issues is what is written in the Social Principles, nothing more and nothing less. Only General Conference, the official legislative body of the church, has the power to change words in the Social Principles. However, each member of The United Methodist Church has the power every four years to petition the General Conference to consider changes in the Social Principles.
John Wesley, founder of The United Methodist Church, understood the Gospel to be both personal and social. The Social Principles in the form that we now know them was adopted by the 1972 General Conference. They have been revised by each successive General Conference.
The Social Principles have evolved over time in light of new information, new biblical and theological insight, and the changing face of the world. For example, only in recent years has the church needed to address issues like organ transplants, stem cell research or the Internet. These join long-standing positions taken by the church against the use of tobacco and alcohol, against the death penalty, advocating for stronger child labor laws and the request for a livable wage, among other issues.
Light of the Gospel
The Social Principles allow the light of the Gospel to shine upon parts of society that we think about but tend to ignore. This is why it is important to study all of our Social Principles and to prayerfully ask, "What does God want us to do?" They are a call to faithfulness and are intended to be instructive and persuasive in the best of the prophetic spirit; however, they are not considered church law. The Social Principles are a call to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and practice.
Today, the Social Principles fall into six paragraphs or sections. They include: The Natural World, The Nurturing Community, The Social Community, The Economic Community, The Political Community and The World Community. In future issue of Together, highlights of each of these paragraphs will be published and commented upon.
To order a 64-page copy ($1.25 each plus shipping and handling) of the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church, write to the General Board of Church and Society, 100 Maryland Ave. NE Washington, DC 20002, phone 202-488-5600, or log on to www.umc-gbcs.org and click on "online store." The Social Principles are also available as a PDF file online and in The United Methodist Book of Discipline on pages 95 to 125.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008