Social Principles Study—Six Sessions
In preparation, order copies of the Social Principles from the 2004 Book of Discipline. (available from Cokesbury) Remind the class that every four years the General Conference reviews and revises the Social Principles according to current social concerns. If possible, have a few copies of older Books of Disciple (from your church library?) and compare sections of the Social Principles to see the changes. Also have a copy of the 2004 Book of Resolutions (available from Cokesbury) as an example of further discussions of social issues by the General Conference. Each week ask participants to bring in news reports of current issues pertaining to each section to add to those that you find during the week.
First session:
Read the introductory statement about Social Principles from the preface in the Book of Discipline:
“The Social
Principles are a prayerful and thoughtful effort on the part of the General
Conference to speak to the human issues in the contemporary world from a sound
biblical and theological foundation as historically demonstrated in United
Methodist traditions. 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 church law. The Social Principles are a call to all
members of the
Read the preamble together.
Do a quick overview of the six section headings.
I. The Natural World
Skim through this section to see the emphases. Lift up fundamental points. “All creation is the Lord’s and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Therefore, let us recognize the responsibility of the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic, political, social, and technological lifestyles to support a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world leading to a high quality of life for all of God’s creation.”
Sub-sections: Water, Air, Soil, Minerals, Plants; Energy Resources Utilization; Animal life; Space; Science and Technology; Food Safety
Scripture: Genesis 1
Genesis 9:9-10
Psalm 103:15-22
Job 38:1-18.
Read scriptures and share insights.
Lift up action stories: (Tree huggers; clean air, clear water act; save the whales, artic drilling, others)
From Henri J.M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey
“How
do we live in creation? Do we relate to
it as a place full of “things” we can use for whatever need we want to fulfill
and whatever goal we wish to accomplish?
Or do we see creation first of all as a sacramental reality, a sacred
space where God reveals to us the immense beauty of the Divine?
As long as we only use creation, we cannot recognize its sacredness because we are approaching it as if we were its owners. But when we relate to all that surrounds us as created by the same God who created us and as the place where God appears to us and calls us to worship and adoration, then we are able to recognize the sacredness of all God’s handiwork..” Reactions?
What are your concerns about the environment?
How do we act as stewards? Where do you see that happening? Where is that not happening?
Closing prayer: ‘O creating God, be with us your people, as we live our daily lives on the earth that you have provided for us. Help us to walk softly upon the earth, nurturing and caring for it as loving stewards of your creation. Amen”
Session 2
II. The Nurturing Community
Skim through this section. Lift up important emphases: “ The community provides the potential for nurturing human beings into the fullness of their humanity. We believe we have a responsibility to innovate, sponsor, and evaluate new forms of community that will encourage development of the fullest potential in individuals. Primary for us is the gospel understanding that all persons are important—because they are human beings created by God and loved through and by Jesus Christ and not because they have merited significance.”
Sub-sections: Family, Marriage, Divorce; Men and Woman; Human Sexuality, Family Violence; Sexual Harassment; Abortion; Adoption; Faithful Care of the Dying and Suicide. These are some of the most talked about issues in the church and public debate today causing the most pain.
Read Scriptures: Genesis 1:1-2:3 (creation is good, humans created in the
image of God with sexuality)
Hosea 3, 4:1-3
Psalm 139:1-18, Psalm 121
Leviticus 18 (social code) Romans 1:18-32 (sexual immorality)
Matthew 5-7 Sermon on the mount (new code)(SKIM)
Mark
2 Cor.
4:7-11, Eph.
Acts 10:23-35 After Peter’s dream (clean and unclean)
Galatians 5:16-22 Fruit of the Spirit
Mark
Lift up current issues from news: Gay marriage ban, Terry Schaivo case, others
*What does United Methodism hold to be healthy and true about human sexuality and human rights? What does it hold to be destructive? What Christian action does it call for in these areas? (from “Living Faithfully”)
How does our congregation invite all persons into its life? Where do we need to be in “ministry with?” How do we talk to one another in love when we disagree?
*A good resource is the study “Living Faithfully as Friends and Family” in the Becoming the People of God Series. Contains a helpful discussion on all the topics in this section.
*Remember in these discussions: “The church as always been required to deal with differences; the measure of Christian love is not reaching total agreement but living with some ambiguity and providing respect to one another in the midst of disagreement.” P. 28, “Living Faithfully as Friends and Family.”
Closing Prayer: Join hands in a circle and have a moment of silence. “Dear God, be with us in our silence that we may listen for your Word and discern what is on your heart. Amen.”
Session III
III. The Social Community
Skim this section pointing out the main themes: “We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We therefore work toward societies in which each person’s value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened. We support the basic rights of all persons to equal access to housing, education, employment, medical care, legal redress for grievances and physical protection.”
Sub-sections: Rights of Racial and Ethnic Persons; Rights of Religious Minorities; Rights of Children; Rights of Young People; Rights of the Aging; Rights of Women; Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Equal Rights Regardless of Sexual Orientation; Population; Alcohol and Other Drugs; Tobacco; Medical Experimentation; Genetic Technology, Rural Life, Sustainable Agriculture; Urban-Suburban Life; Media Violence and Christian Values; Information Communication Technology; Persons Living with AIDS, Right to Health Care; Organ Transplantation and Donation
Catholic Social Teachings: Solidarity: Community and the Common Good: Acts 2:43-47(share); John 13:34-35 (Love One Another)
Read Scriptures: I Corinthians 12:24-26 (one body, shared suffering); Col.3:
12-16
James 3:13-18 (Peacemaking)
Romans 14:10-13, 17-19, (do not judge)
2 Cor.9: 6-12
Acts
Ephesians 2:14-22 (fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.)
Galatians 5:1,13-15 (Freedom is not license, let love make you serve one another)
I Peter 4:8-11 (Use your gifts for the service of others)
Lift up insights.
Reality Check:
Excerpts from Jonathan Kozol’s Amazing
Grace, The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a
Nation
“Every
time my doctor says I have to go back to the hospital, I cry.
..I went to the hospital and when I get there, it’s
six hours before they can put me in a bed.
Then, when I go upstairs, the room is not prepared. The bed is covered with blood and bandages
from someone else. . . .Mrs. Washington,
tells me, nonetheless, that both Lincoln and Bronx-Lebanon are generally
considered better than another nearby public institution, Harlem Hospital which
the minister of Harlem’s leading church refers to as a “cesspool” and which has
also lost accreditation several times.
“They keep running out of penicillin there,” she says.
“In
one form or another, these reductions in the programs that defend the life and
health and safety of poor children have been taking place for over 20 years in
Where are we falling short in living out the call in these social principles? (Recent news stories about racism and mistreatment in nursing homes, others from current news)
Where do you find hope in living out the call in these social principles?
How is the reality of community fostered? Are we our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper? In what sense?
From John Wesley:
“Christianity is essentially a
social religion, and to turn it into a solitary religion is indeed to destroy
it.” “The Gospel of Christ knows no
religion but social; no holiness but social
holiness.” Works
Ponder this quote from Seeking Peace by Johann
Arnold: “For us the justice of God’s kingdom
is based on something very different from the balancing of interest or
right. It is far more radical than the
humanist conceptions of liberty, equality and fraternity; more basic than the
opportunity to compete. It is a justice
born of love, and it is rooted in our willingness to die for each other. Unless we are actually ready to do this, to
lay down life itself for the sake of our brothers, all our talk about peace is
meaningless.” P. 229
What are some programs/organizations that you know about that are addressing these issues? Which ones have become issues of public policy?
Prayer: “Embracing God, you grace each of us with equal measure in your
love. Let us learn to love our neighbors more deeply, so that we can create peaceful and just communities. Inspire us to use our creative energies to build the structures we need to overcome the obstacles of intolerance and indifference. May Jesus the Christ provide us the example needed and send the Spirit to warm our hearts for the journey. Amen.”
Session IV.
IV. The Economic Community
Skim this section to see the emphases: ‘We claim all economic systems to be under the judgment of God no less than other facets of the created order. Therefore we recognize the responsibility of governments to develop and implement sound fiscal and monetary policies that provide for the economic life of individuals and corporate entities and that ensure full employment and adequate incomes with a minimum of inflation. . . .We support measures that would reduce the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.’
Sub-sections: Property, Collective Bargaining; Work and Leisure, Consumption; Poverty; Migrant Workers; Gambling; Family Farms; Corporate Responsibility; Trade and Investment
Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor, and The Dignity of Work
Scriptures: Psalm 82:1-4, Psalm 72 (God liberates and defends)
Deuteronomy 26:5-10 (God freed God’s people)
Luke 1:46-55), ( Magnificat) I Samuel 2:1-10 (Song of Hannah)
Exodus 23:1-13 (Just actions)
Exodus 22:25-27 (Fair business practices)
Leviticus 25, Deut. 15:1-4 (Economic justice, jubilee)
Deut. 26:12-13, (tithe and distribution)
Nehemiah 5:1-13 (treatment of the poor)
Luke 16:19-31 (treatment of the poor)
Matthew 10:16-26 (The Rich Man)
Luke 19:1-9 (Zacchaeus)
John 13:1-17 (Jesus washes feet)
A reading from Pope John Paul II, l980:
“The
world designed by God is a world of justice.
The relationship between people must be based on justice. This order must be continually implanted in
the world, since social systems are constantly changing and new possibilities
and necessities of the distribution of goods are developing.
The words of Mary’s canticle are pronounced in a beautiful outburst of gratitude towards God, who—Mary proclaims—has done great things for her. These words say that the world designed by God cannot be a world in which some hoard immoderate wealth in their hands, while other suffer from destitution and poverty, and die of hunger. Love must inspire justice and the struggle for justice.” Thoughts?
Share stories from the news.
Where do you struggle with poverty and the implications thereof? Talk a little about consumerism, materialism and individualism in our society.
What is the Christian response to the poor?
How are church, state and national budgets moral documents?
Talk a little about the scandals in the corporate world.
Lift up saints/heroes who have worked and are working in this area of economic justice. What can one person/congregation do?
Close with prayer:
Lord, open our eyes,
That we may see you in our brothers and sisters.
Lord, open our ears,
That we may hear the cries of the hungry, the cold.
The frightened, the oppressed.
Lord, open our hearts,
That we may love each other as you love us.
Renew in us your spirit
Lord, free us and make us one. Mother Teresa
Session V.
V. The Political Community
Skim this section to see the emphases. “While our allegiance to God takes precedence over our allegiance to any state, we acknowledge the vital function of government as a principal vehicle for the ordering of society. Because we know ourselves to be responsible to God for social and political life, we declare the following relative to governments:
a. basic freedoms—We hold governments responsible for the protection of the rights of the people to free and fair elections and to the freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, communications media, and petition for redress of grievances without fear of reprisal; to the right to privacy; and to the guarantee of the rights to adequate food, clothing, shelter, education and health care. “
Sub-sections: Basic Freedoms and Human Rights; Political Responsibility; Church and State Relations; Education; Civil Obedience and Civil Disobedience; the Death Penalty; Criminal and Restorative Justice; Military Service
Catholic Social Teaching: Rights and Responsibilities: We are called to respect the rights of others and to seek the common good
Scriptures: Matthew 22:15-22 ( pay to Caesar)
Matthew 22:34-40 (greatest commandments)
James 1:22-27, 14-18 (Be doers)
James 4:1-12 ( Submit to God)
Romans 13:1-7 ( Submission to authorities)
Romans 13:8-10 ( love and law)
Talk about current issues which fall into this section. How can “religious values” enter the public debate?
From John Wesley: “It is
impossible for any that have it to conceal the religion of Jesus Christ. This our Lord makes plain beyond all
contradiction by a twofold comparison: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city set upon a hill cannot be hid.’ ‘Ye’
Christians ‘are the light of the world’ with regard both to your tempers and
actions. . . .So
impossible it is to keep our religion from being seen, unless we cast it away.
. .Sure it is, that a secret, unobserved religion cannot be the religion of
Jesus Christ. Whatever religion can be
concealed is not Christianity.” Works, quoted in Devotional Life
in the Wesleyan Tradition
What does the statement that the church is counter-cultural mean to you?
(When) have you found loyalty to God in conflict with loyalty to the government?
Prayer: “Lord God of peace, Source of all consolation, grant us the gift of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. In a world which seeks security through violence and war, make us messengers of your peace. As members of your church, the body of Christ, forgive us the sin of our divisions and give us the courage to seek that unity which is your gift and your will and in which lies our peace. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen” (NCC)
Session VI.
VI. The World Community
Skim this section to see the main emphases: “God’s world is one world. . . We commit ourselves as a Church to the achievement of a world community that is a fellowship of persons who honestly love one another. We pledge ourselves to seek the meaning of the gospel in all issues that divide people and threaten the growth of world community.”
Sub-sections: Nations and Cultures; National Power and Responsibility; War and Peace; Justice and Law
Catholic teaching: Solidarity—“We are all one human family in the world. Because we realize our dignity, rights and responsibilities, in relationship with others, we need to continue to build a community that empowers people to attain their full human potential”.
Scriptures: I Corinthians 12:24-26 (If one suffers, all suffer)
Matthew 25:31-46 (Nations are called to care for the least.)
Luke 10:25-37 (The Good Samaritan—the enemy is the hero!)
Matthew 5:43-47 (love of enemies)
Phil. 2:1-8 (Model Christ’s humility)
Galatians 5:13-15 (Use freedom to serve others)
Luke 22:49-53 Matt. 47-55 ( Jesus’ arrest)
Jesus’ passion narratives: Luke 22-23, Matt. 26-27, John 18-19
Matt: 7:24-27 (Wise and foolish builders)
Matt. 12:1-8 (Lord of the Sabbath)
Mark 12:28-34 (Greatest commandments)
Ephesians 2:11-22 (Walls are broken down through Christ)
Share stories from the news.
What challenges are there for the church in war and peace issues?
How do we begin this journey toward a peaceful world? What small/large steps do we
personally and collectively take?
From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in “The American Dream;”
All this is simply to say that all life is interrelated. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality; tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. As long as there is poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich even if he has a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people cannot expect to live more than twenty or thirty years, no man can be totally healthy. . . Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way the world is made. . .If we are to realize the American dream we must cultivate this world perspective.
Closing Prayer: “Dear God, as we remember Christ’s benediction for us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid,” let us not live in fear but rather with great love. Empower us with your spirit of peace; may we always act in that spirit as we seek to bring about your realm. In the name of the Prince of peace, amen.”
Other resources:
Books: God’s Politics by Jim Wallis; Credo, by William Sloan Coffin; God Has a Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Seeds of Peace by William H. Shannon; A Justice Prayer Book from Catholic Campaign for Human Development; The Violence of Love by Oscar Romero; 2004 Book of Resolutions (UMC). In Search of Security from the UM Council of Bishops
Web site: www.umc-gbcs.org