Christian mission is local and global, particular and universal; it encompasses both witness and service. There must be no bifurcation between personal holiness and social holiness. It is like the Mobius strip: the inside and outside converge and form one continuous surface, different aspects but one whole.
Mission and theology are two sides of the same coin. Theology moves the church to engage in mission, and mission enables the church to develop and express its theology. The early apostles became fully aware that the One who lived among them in flesh and blood was indeed the Christ and Lord, which enabled them to form a theology that served as the foundation of their mission as they moved out to engage surrounding communities and cultures.
Mission, Witness, and Christendom
While the cultural milieu and behaviors of adjacent society may change, the core essence of Christian mission and its gospel message remains constant. Christian mission and modes of witness evolve in order to remain effective and relevant. Every generation is summoned to hear beyond the siren call of communal noise and to filter out alluring cultural distractions as it discerns current opportunities for vibrant and faithful mission. That discernment must be rooted in sound theology and anchored in a thoughtful reading of human history and sacred scripture. Our theological and missional antecedents have often taken noticeable turns to meet the challenges of their day.
During colonial expansion and dominance, gospel messages and the power of the “Christian nations” went hand-in-glove. The symbiotic relationship between church and state, known as Christendom, occurred when Christianity was the protected religious tradition of the society and institutionalized by a church granted power and privilege. Christianity, as a faith practice and a way of life, ought not be confused with the favored religion of colonialism or the hegemony of Christendom.
Unlearning Christendom Mindset
Although the dynamics of the state and church have changed, through the preferences of the majority along with political lobbies and the patronage of those in power, Christendom culture has taken a new form in the United States.
Wherever religion and political power are intertwined, the integrity of religious witness is compromised, vulnerable communities are marginalized, and select scripture passages are treated as immutable laws. In order to purge itself from the historic stain and stench of Christendom, the church in the West, including The United Methodist Church, has accommodated and actively engaged in various benevolent activities that on balance are not much different from secular human rights efforts or well-greased charitable institutions such as Red Cross or United Way. The uniqueness of the Body of Christ and its sacrificial, selfless engagement in mission appear lost to a long ago past.
A metaphor comes to mind. In 1987, a Chinese artist, Hung Yong Ping, ran copies of two art history textbooks through a washing machine, later displaying the resulting pulp as “The History of Chinese Painting and History of Modern Western Art Washed in the Washing Machine for Two Minutes.” Predictably, neither original work was left intact and the two were thoroughly blended and indistinguishable. Today, any and every charitable act or human compassion carried out by a local church is interpreted as mission engagement. No wonder Stephen Neill, an Anglican historian of a generation ago, aptly said, “If everything is mission, nothing is mission. We are back in the dark alley where all cats are grey.”
Without a well-defined theology of mission, The United Methodist Church in its local and connectional expressions risks operating as though theology and mission reside in parallel silos. Disunity and schism within the church, compounded by Covid-19 and the struggle for racial justice, have revealed the denomination’s axial connectional code to be little more than a series of rusty pulleys and oxidized weights. A steady loss of revenue has indeed curtailed programs of many annual conferences and mission agencies, but never threatened any ordained clergy’s job security.
The Church and the State
When the government opened its financial spigot and access to $523 billion through its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in 2020, the Council of Bishops, several mission agencies and boards, annual conferences, and local congregations of The United Methodist Church were some of the first in line to submit their applications to obtain the loan. We do not know the total received by The UMC, but the Roman Catholic Church is reported to have received over $5 billion. The lofty principle of the separation of church and state seems highly compromised by these receipts.
Congress created the program to help small businesses retain their employees through what was expected to be a period of brief disruption. The loan provisions made it possible for the funds distributed to become a grant and fully forgiven, giving recipients a rare infusion of free money to help them endure economic shutdowns and health concerns as the pandemic wore on.
The wall of separation of church and state invoked by the authors of the Constitution was the work of bold thinkers who dared imagine a thriving America that protected religious and philosophical diversity. We need that wall today more than ever. That kind of separation and protection make it possible for a rich mix of people, cultures, and beliefs to live side-by-side.
It is troubling that the church that does not contribute to the U.S Government’s tax revenue, even though many that employ tax-exempt buildings for revenue-generating activities like thrift shops, daycares, adult services, etc., didn’t hesitate to welcome millions of tax dollars to subsidize clergy and bishop’s pay and benefits. How many members of the episcopacy and clergy were teetering to the point of totally losing their jobs? Some annual conferences used creative ways to subsidize the local church’s yearly apportionment, which we blithely call “missional obligation.” Substituting government grants for sacrificial and generous giving not only defeats the very purpose of the PPP fund, but also is a blatant example of modern-day Christendom.
Millions of our fellow United Methodists in Africa and Asia are living every day under the burdens of the same pandemic plus the specter of government persecution and intense societal discrimination. Many risk life and limb to stay physically and spiritually active. Their church’s programs and clergy benefits are paid with the tithes and free-will offerings of their equally encumbered members.
A Plea for Transformative Mission
We who wave the Book of Discipline and quote the Social Principles from the floors of the General Conference or annual conferences, or vehemently resist groups that work contrary to the Social Principles, must take into account that the PPP funds come from taxpayers of many stripes. Ironically, the taxes of for-profit prison companies and the like have trickled down to pay the salaries of pastors, bishops, and others who labor in behalf of the ministries of the UMC!
The United Methodist Church asserts its mission is to transform the world. We must likewise show evidence that our structures and programs are funded by the tithes and free-will offerings of the faithful. It is very disheartening that many are preparing to accept additional money, likely millions of dollars, from the second offering of PPP relief in 2021. Receiving these monies will be acts of moral compromise that contribute to a sharp power imbalance between the church in the U.S. and our connectional partners overseas who have no access to similar windfalls.
A few years ago, when CVS set their aim as being known for promoting health, a small group of activists pointed out that a reputable source of healthcare products and services could not also profit from selling cigarettes. In response, CVS decided to discontinue the sale of cigarettes in their stores and reduced their revenue by over $2 billion a year. That decision was the beginning of a total repositioning of the company as it aligned its practices with its stated values.
I pray and hope that our beloved denomination will make a determination to return all PPP monies to the government and that the General Conference will make changes to the Book of Discipline so that future generations may never be tempted to accept “free money” from any government.
The Body of Christ must never set a price for purchase of its commitment to mission and its heart for ministry. May the Lord raise more missioners like E. Stanley Jones who fought against Christendom-Christianity by making a bold witness in the public square as a friend of Mahatma Gandhi and millions of the oppressed and colonized!
-Jacob Dharmaraj, Ph.D.
An ordained Elder from the Methodist Church in Southern Asia, Jacob has served churches in Illinois Great Rivers and New York Annual Conferences. He is a member of The Connectional Table