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Church women's forum brings basic differences to surface

Sep. 22, 2005

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

By Erik Alsgaard*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - Twelve leaders in United Methodist women's ministry
gathered on the campus of Wesley Theological Seminary Sept. 21 to talk
to one another, find common ground and discuss issues they don't see eye
to eye on.

Six were from the United Methodist Women's Division, part of the Board
of Global Ministries and the parent organization of United Methodist
Women. Six others were from the RENEW Network, the women's program arm
of the Good News organization, a renewal movement that seeks to
strengthen evangelicals in the church.

RENEW has been openly critical of the Women's Division, from publishing
a white paper in 2001 titled, "Our Basis for Concern," to placing a
press release on its Web site Sept. 21 titled, "Push an Agenda or Lift
up Christ? Which is the Top Priority for Christians?" The network claims
the Women's Division is out of step with its membership and that it
promotes a partisan political agenda rather than sharing the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.

The forum, transmitted on a Web cast by the Board of Global Ministries,
was held in the Oxnam Memorial Chapel. It resembled a debate, with six
women sitting on either side of a central podium, a fact that both sides
quickly noted and disagreed on in their opening comments. The forum was
initiated by RENEW.

Jan Love, chief executive of the Women's Division since 2004, said in
her opening statement that the Women's Division was not satisfied with
the format because it was not conducive to "Christian conversation." The
Women's Division agreed to the format because RENEW required it, she
said.

Love added that she hoped the day would serve as a model for the church
of people coming together and listening to one another.

Faye Short, president of the RENEW Network since its founding in 1989,
said in her opening comments just minutes later that she considered the
forum to be "Christian conversation, despite the format."

Before the meeting, both sides had submitted questions, prepared answers
and chosen speakers. A question was answered in a five-minute response,
followed by three minutes for a rebuttal and a two-minute closing
response.

Each side asked four questions, covering such topics as the authority of
Scripture, appropriate social engagement in the world, what tenets of
faith are "essential," questions of accountability, the role of women in
the church and how people view the person of Jesus Christ.

'Family business'

"We're here to address some family business," Love said in her opening
statement. "When we leave here today, we'll still disagree, but I hope
that we'll find areas in common between Women's Division and RENEW."

Short's opening statement noted that RENEW had members in every state
except Hawaii and that it was formed with a two-pronged focus: renewal
and accountability.

"We hope that this forum will engender different perspectives on social
issues between the Women's Division and evangelical women," she said.
"We are not strangers. We are grass-roots United Methodist women."

In its first question, the Women's Division asked RENEW if
"conscientious Christians working to further the mission of Christ can
have legitimate differences about matters of biblical interpretation."

Short said yes, there can be legitimate differences of interpretation,
"but the basic truths of the Scriptures are settled."

The Gospel, she said, should never be reduced to just one of social
holiness. "Social holiness flows out of a deep relationship with Jesus
Christ," she said.

Joyce Sohl, former chief executive of Women's Division, agreed, but
quickly noted that the Gospel of Jesus Christ "is preached not only by
word but by deed."

In her life of faith, Sohl said, her eyes had been opened to new
realities. "Jesus challenged people of his day to think differently, to
engage and act," she said.

Using labels

The next question, asked by the RENEW Network, dealt with the authority
of Scripture in "matters of faith and practice," and asked "what tenants
of the faith (were) essential in a cultural climate where some identify
'conservative,' 'evangelical,' and 'fundamentalist'" as the same thing.

Love, in her response, said she considered herself evangelical and added
that members of United Methodist Women span the spectrum of theologies.
"There is room for everyone" in UMW, she said.

Love also noted that she does not consider Good News, RENEW or another
organization, the Institute on Religion and Democracy, to be religious
extremists. Instead, she said, these groups are self-identified as
"conservative" and "orthodox." She wondered aloud if these labels
carried with them negative connotations of placing restrictions on a
woman's possible leadership role.

RENEW's response was offered by Janice Shaw Crouse, a senior fellow at
the Concerned Women for America in Washington. She said labels are an
issue. "In my experience," she added, "so many people from the left are
talking the talk but not living it."

Crouse, from Laurel, Md., said it was distressing for her to pin
specific definitions of fundamentalism or conservatism on groups or
people.

"When people equate conservatives with fundamentalists or extremists, it
shows an appalling lack of understanding," she said.

One size for all?

The issue of only allowing United Methodist Women units to be the
"official" women's ministry at a local church also surfaced in the
forum. The RENEW Network has sought, through petitions at General
Conference - the church's highest legislative body - to allow
"supplemental" women's ministry in the church.

"A one-size fits all women's ministry is no longer sufficient for
women's ministry today," said Elizabeth Kittle of RENEW, a United
Methodist from Augusta, Ga. "Our petitions were clear. Will Women's
Division release us? We ask for this at this forum."

Sohl agreed that "one size doesn't fit all" in her response for the
Women's Division. She encouraged people to look at the broad spectrum of
local UMW units and see the diversity there. "We applaud and affirm that
diversity," she said. "We were organized by and for women, and we
believe God is still calling the women of the United Methodist Church to
become a part of a mission organization."

The Women's Division's social witness and agenda came in for its share
of comments. The RENEW Network asked, "What processes are followed to
ensure that the political and social actions ... represent the values
and belief of a broad spectrum of United Methodist Women?"

"Jesus was not afraid to confront the principalities and the powers of
his day," replied Genie Bank of Lexington, Mich., a Women's Division
president from 2000 to 2004. "And neither are we."

Bank noted the ample variety of books read in the UMW's reading program,
the classes offered at its Schools of Christian Mission, the
organization's feeding and clothing ministries, and how the Women's
Division has partnered over the years with numerous groups on basic
human and civil rights. "The world is a better place because of United
Methodist Women today," she said.

Kittle, in the RENEW Network reply, said she has observed partisan
political advocacy from the Women's Division, and that has "grieved our
hearts so often." She noted that money from Women's Division is given to
"radical organizations whose purposes many women don't agree with. Women
would be shocked and outraged to learn" of this.

Katy Kiser, from Carrollton, Texas, also spoke about the partisanship
around social concerns at the Women's Division. "We would see more
biblical views (coming out of Women's Division) if more evangelicals
were present," she said.

Unpacking the forum

After the forum, both Short and Love expressed feelings of satisfaction
and disappointment.

"I feel good about the forum," said Short in an interview. "We both
aired some concerns, and we both did that well. I was disappointed with
the numerous comments about the character of the RENEW Network and that
we only attack Women's Division. We are United Methodist women,
concerned about this organization. We haven't resolved our differences
yet."

And future steps or forums would have to wait, she said, until RENEW
could "unpack what took place here. We'll look at our options and see if
further conversation is possible" in the future.

"I feel joyful, hopeful," Love said after the forum. "This was a
demonstration that we are one body in Jesus Christ. We can speak to each
other and try to listen to each other in love. This could be a model for
the church - can we disagree in love?"

Love also said future steps would have to wait, and she asked: "Will we
be able to recognize ourselves in how Good News, RENEW and the IRD
portray this?"

*Alsgaard is managing editor of the UMConnection newspaper and
co-director of communications for the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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