Reviews for United Methodism At Forty

The average rating for United Methodism At Forty based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-08-03 00:00:00 Jose Sanchez This book was an interesting look at United Methodism over the last 40 years from three authors that were clearly liberal in their understanding of the history of United Methodism, as well as their desire for it moving forward. The book was fairly well written and provided a lot of interesting historical context from the last 40 years. This is a worthwhile read for understanding the social context of United Methodism. The problem with this book is the way in which it appeals to the founding of United Methodism. The popular thing to do, an rightly so, in writing the history of any movement is to appeal to the early foundations of that movement. For the liberal theologian in the UMC it is convenient to place the foundation of the UMC in 1968 when it merged with the EUB church. Doing this is not without some merit being as there was no 'UMC' prior to that merger. The Methodist church merged with the much smaller (1/10 the size) EUB church to become the UMC. Of course for the liberal the mid-sixties provides a perfect place to claim as the 'foundation'. The authors continually appeal to the issues that were being wrestled with in the sixties as the primary issues by which United Methodism was formed. Of course Methodism was founded long before the merger, and in all reality the function of the merger in practice was not as much of a merger as it was rolling the EUB into existing the Methodist church. This is not to downplay the role of the EUB in United Methodism, however it is to say that placing the birth of United Methodism at the point of that merger is a bit misleading to say the least. Again, I think the authors did a decent enough job promoting what they wanted to promote, however their appeal to 1960s theological exploration as the foundational moments of United Methodism was a bit disingenuous. I guess I would say that my primary beef with this book begins with the assumption of the very title, that the UMC is a mere 40 years old. I would attest that the Methodist church had a name change 40 years ago, but one can hardly look at 1968 and believe that it represents the birth of United Methodism. Doing so is a clever way for liberal Methodists to claim a historical foundation that happens to line up with their ideals. Finally, the treatment this book gives to respectable conservative movements within the church is low brow, and most center to right leaning Methodists will find themselves frustrated with it.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-11-22 00:00:00 Phil Salms A necessary read for me in the wake of the UMC's heartbreaking, awful decision to defrock Reverend Schaefer for performing the wedding ceremony for his gay son. I recently joined a UMC church (which is considerably more inviting than the institution as a whole). The book concludes, "We want you to know there is hope, and yet be shaken and disquieted by all that needs to be done." The authors accomplished that mission.