United Methodists emphasize values, character and responsibility as election approaches – Baptist News Global

With the US presidential elections with voting contests approaching, United Methodists are taking the final step to encourage their Wesleyan siblings to vote as a sacred duty guided by Christian values ​​and character traits.

Officially, the denomination, its churchwide mission and ministry units, local congregations and clergy are prohibited from endorsing any political candidate under nonprofit tax law restrictions. However, religious institutions that have obtained the coveted 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service can host candidate forums and publicly testify to their beliefs. Individual United Methodists are free to express their opinions and partisan support.

“Since mid-summer, United Methodists have been speaking out about how the former president does not represent traditional Methodist values.”

Many United Methodists have used their ability to criticize U.S. policy and examine the character of presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. A quick internet search of Trump supporters turned up no United Methodists publicly supporting the former president in the first five pages of results. A similar search also found no public support for Harris in the first five pages of results.

Additional search for Harris United Methodists’ criticism produced no results. Instead, a similar search of Trump’s critics found that United Methodists have been speaking out since mid-summer about how the former president does not represent traditional Methodist values.

The Council of Bishops assumed an unusual leadership in the political landscape on July 16 issued a statementcondemning political violence following the first assassination attempt on Trump. The bishops called on United Methodists to “pursue peacemaking” in their civic efforts in the face of the nation’s political polarization.

After the bishops’ announcement in August, reports came from three regional UMC units campaigns highlighting kindness and building civic relations during the electoral process.

As the election cycle progresses however, individual United Methodists have written and spoken out more forcefully against the themes being thrown around by the Trump campaign. Two prominent commentators were James C. Howell, senior pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Kenneth J. Bigham-Tsai, resident bishop of the UMC Annual (Regional) Conference in Iowa.

Howell is the author of 17 books and church resources series over 20 “Reflections” titled “Elections, your spirituality and the soul of our nation”. His topics included tribalism, race, weapons, war, the economy, the environment and immigration, as well as personal character, citizenship and the “absolute duty” to participate in politics by voting. He did not support any of the presidential candidates, but his reflections on the impact of Christian values ​​on society clearly contrast with the dominant attitudes. Among his observations:

Should we insist on stellar leadership? Or do we want anyone to do the job we want? Do we have the reasonable but dangerous idea that a politician who is not pure but a little perverse will actually cope in a corrupt world? (…) Over time, we should select candidates who stand out for their lives and morals. Not perfect or 100% saints (because no one is), but the kind of people you hope your children will grow up to be. Over time, we must become citizens and voters who care, who emphasize character, and who simply will not vote for ethically compromised people.

In her Post from October 15, Bigham-Tsai became emotional on Christian nationalism and its influence, citing the core beliefs of United Methodism.

We strongly condemn political violence that severs social bonds and displaces the rule of law. We equally condemn authoritarianism and secular and Christian nationalism, which promote the centralization and abuse of power accompanied by racism, xenophobia, tribalism and misogyny. Nationalism is a political ideology that opposes God’s love by pitting the interests of one group of people against another. Christian nationalism demands that laws, culture, and public policy be based on a distorted interpretation of the gospel that elevates power and control over love. These ideologies are in direct contradiction to our Christian faith because our “love for God is always linked to love of neighbor, passion for justice and renewal of life in the world.”

Other commentators spoke directly about Trump’s character traits.

Drawing on her personal experiences with abuse, retired California clergyman Schuyler Rhodes condemned Trump as “tyrant in chief”:

I watched with alarm and disgust as I came to the terrifying realization that the Republican candidate for President of the United States of America was a tyrant. We know he is more than that. He is a convicted felon. He is a narcissist. He is a sexual predator. He is greedy. He is a pathological liar. And he is not, despite his own protestations, a Christian. This former tyrant-in-chief is an assassin of the Spirit, tearing apart the fabric of the nation and community, leaving much of the nation in chronic depression and grief as civility and decent reciprocity have evaporated.

In the long one Post on Facebook, Retired North Carolina clergyman Mary John Dye lamented the number of her friends and acquaintances who support Trump despite what she considers his immoral character:

When facts do not matter, when insults are the common language of conversation, when lies are repeated without remorse, when people are baited into hating others, the good people who are our witnesses of the Christian faith know everything that is the opposite of Christianity. This is not a political party issue. The same standard would apply to every political party. For Christians, values ​​matter both in life and at the ballot box. And the two are deeply interconnected.

The leaders of the Church and Society General Board held a meeting webinar October 16 calling on United Methodists to vote according to their values.

– asked moderator Aimee Hong The newly appointed chief executive of Church and Society, retired Bishop Julius C. Trimble, and Kendal McBroom, director of civil and human rights, asked several questions aimed at describing the right to vote as a “sacred duty” of all Christians. Church and Society panelists emphasized that they did not want United Methodists to vote for a specific candidate, but to view the 2024 election as an opportunity to vote for values ​​that will create the “common good.”

“It is critical that the prophetic voice of Christians empowers those of faith to hold those in power accountable for their actions,” Trimble said. “We are bearers of the prophetic call to advocate for the marginalized, even as we celebrate the separation of church and state.”

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