{"id":1443,"date":"2012-06-22T19:49:20","date_gmt":"2012-06-23T02:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/gc2012\/?p=1443"},"modified":"2012-06-22T19:49:20","modified_gmt":"2012-06-23T02:49:20","slug":"winkler-brings-prophetic-voice-to-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/winkler-brings-prophetic-voice-to-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Winkler brings prophetic voice to conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ellen Johanson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several hundred clergy and laity gathered on the first full day of Annual Conference to hear the Rev. Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society. Winkler shared an inspiring message starting with his assertion that our Annual Conference theme of\u00a0Everybody Fed: Hope for Tomorrow\u00a0can be viewed as \u201cpie in the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winkler shared that in the last four years, the average American family has lost almost 50% of its wealth, while banks have made more than $29 billion in fee income. We face grave social, political, and environmental concerns such as global warming, increased societal violence, human trafficking, racial tension, international turmoil and wars. It is easy to see why many people may agree with New York Times journalist, Felix Salmon, that \u201cRich people have more power than poor people and they use that power to get what they want–which is normally more wealth and more power. This is now a country run by the rich, for the rich and nothing\u2026gives me reason to believe that there\u2019s any hope of changing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps Salmon is not familiar with the hopeful work of faithful United Methodists who are transforming the world – or perhaps he is unfamiliar with the words of the Biblical prophets. The condition of our time is really not so different from theirs asserts Winkler. When people neglect the poor and ignore God\u2019s will, God seeks ways and people to turn their hearts around. Being wealthy isn\u2019t the problem but letting wealth or good fortune turn one away from God is; so prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and Amos preached repentance and pointed out the need for God\u2019s people to change, restore shalom and renew their care and compassion for the poor.<\/p>\n

Winkler also shared that the role of the ancient prophet \u201cis to speak for God and tell the truth. Prophetic speech, in the words of Obery Hendriks Jr., author of\u00a0The Politics of Jesus\u00a0is \u201ccharacterized by two elements: an overwhelming sense of an encounter with God and a message of moral and political judgment that the prophet feels divinely compelled to proclaim, particularly to those in political authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal of this is to bring about social and political change. Dr. Hendricks further says that prophets never uncritically support the status quo. Rather their role is to challenge it. \u201cIn our time, when many seem to think that Christianity goes hand in hand with right-wing visions of the world, it is important to remember that there has never been a conservative prophet.\u201d Prophets don\u2019t conserve social orders based on the unjust distribution of power, privilege and wealth; instead they are called to change these systems so that all of God\u2019s children can have access to God\u2019s bounty.<\/p>\n

\u201cFaithful followers of Jesus Christ live in love with the world\u201d, says Winkler. They are called to do good works, to obey God\u2019s word and to realize that personal salvation always involves serving others in our world. We love the world because God loves the world.\u00a0When we are called to be new creations in Christ we need to live in ways that show that to the world.<\/p>\n

Winkler\u2019s message was fully appreciated by the members of Annual Conference as shown by the standing ovation he received and the comments of many clergy and laity. Monica Corsaro, pastor of Rainier Beach UMC, said \u201cWhat an energizing morning to be reminded that the bible calls us to be prophetic and that we don\u2019t have to be poor to advocate for the poor.\u201d Earl Lane, pastor of Lyle and White Salmon UMCs, used the words \u201cwonderful, intellectually intuitive, enlightening and captivating.\u201d What David Reinholz of Battle Ground UMC found most challenging was Winkler\u2019s statement that we are enamored the institution rather than the mission and that too much of what we do is focused on structure rather than reformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s refreshing for someone to speak a truth that isn\u2019t said often enough, so to hear with such precision of the problems going on in the world and that juxtaposition of\u2026hopefulness \u2013 I think gave me a sense of purpose that is very refreshing\u2026one of the things that struck me the most, perhaps not the key point, but being someone who just finished seminary and has graduated with student loan debt\u2026his mentioning of\u2026loan debt was \u201cimpressive\u201d\u2026and I think it is something the United Methodist Church needs to start taking on because we are a church that is\u2026proud of its education, of its contributions, its creation of universities\u2026and I think that this is something that is stifling the possibilities for our future\u2026. and something that we need to be a lot more vocal about as a church.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Winkler later spoke at the Laity Session to help remember their roots as the backbone civil and human rights movements.<\/p>\n

\n

Conference Voices<\/strong>
\nWhat did YOU think about Jim Winkler\u2019s teaching sessions at AC?<\/em><\/p>\n

Vincent Hart<\/strong>
\nRetired clergy member<\/em>
\n\u201cI thought it was really exciting. I\u2019ve been very concerned about what\u2019s happening in our country in terms of sucking our money upwards in the name of Christianity, sometimes. I\u2019ve been doing some study in my local church about this issue and trying to future out how to prod the national discussions into taking a serious conversation about the 1% and the 99%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Suei<\/strong>
\nClergy, Kalevaria UMC, Tacoma, Washington<\/em>
\n\u201cVery informative\u2026it was exciting to hear where the General Board of Church and Society stands. Also \u201cthe lost, last and least\u201d was interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

If you would like to respond to this article, e-mail channels@pnwumc.org. Ellen Johanson serves as the Regional Media Center Manager.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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