wfn.org | Commentary: Bishop reflects on Act of Repentance

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March 27, 2001 News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn.     10-30-71BP{145}

NOTE:  A photo of Bishop James S. Thomas is available for use with this
commentary. 

A UMNS Commentary
By Bishop James S. Thomas *

On the evening of May 4, 2000, the United Methodist General Conference
gathered in the Cleveland Convention Center for a worship service centered
upon the themes of repentance and reconciliation. It was not simply the
repentance shared by many United Methodists in the regular Sunday prayers of
confession. Rather, it was a radical act, never experienced in 216 years of
Methodist history, never in 32 years of United Methodist history. It was, in
fact, a worship service of repentance over the denomination's own racism,
both historic and present, which Bishop William Boyd Grove described as "a
malignancy in the bone marrow of the church."

Before we reach the first anniversary of this worship service, many of us
who were present have reflected upon its message, meaning and possible
influence upon the future of United Methodism.

Repentance. Reconciliation. These powerful theological forces are much too
easily uttered without sufficient reflection by the church. However, a
moment's reflection reminds us that both are radical biblical concepts, in
the root meaning of the term "radical."  

Repentance, derived from the Greek word "metanoia," literally means "a
profound change of mind and direction." In the Bible, such changes are often
full of sorrow, even anguish. Jacob flees from his brother Esau, who wanted
to kill him. He prospers in a distant land and finally returns home. He
meets his brother Esau who embraces him, falls upon his neck and weeps
(Genesis 33:4, NRSV). This is repentance of Esau, gracious acceptance for
Jacob.

On June 20, 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention apologized to all African
Americans for the sin of racism.  On Monday, March 13, 2000, the press
reported that Pope John Paul II was saddened as he led Roman Catholics in
repentance for sins of the past inflicted upon Jews, women, and minorities.

It was against this background, and against the larger background of
biblical faith, that the United Methodist General Conference of 2000
repented for its racial history. Let us reflect upon that worship service in
consideration of these three following comments.

First, consider the powerful biblical symbols used in the worship service:
the plumb line, the salt, the sackcloth and ashes. As every carpenter knows,
the plumb line is used to establish perfect verticality. It is directed
towards the earth's center of gravity.

The vision of Amos - God standing beside a wall with a plumb line in his
hand - reminds us of God's absolute holiness and our need to repent when we
fail to respond to God's holiness (Amos 7:7-9, NRSV).  

As I sat looking at the plumb line hanging from the ceiling, I reflected
upon historical events; but I also reflected upon Isaiah's vision in the
temple (Isaiah 6:1-9). The primary reason for any worship service is for the
worshipers to experience God's presence. Sometimes God will stand by a wall
with a plumb line in hand, and this calls us to scriptural holiness.

It is beside the point to say that humans and human systems can never be
perfect. The point is that when we see any human practice in the light of
God's holiness, be it slavery or any other kind of dehumanization, we are
called to repentance.

Second, this worshiper reflected upon the recital of a painful history. Such
a recital is inherently fraught with both danger and hope. The wounds of
history, often inflicted in anger, passion or systems of oppression, are
often more painful in recital than in imbedded records. Often, the church
wants to avoid the pain of what earlier generations thought to be right at
the time. And so, there can easily ensue denial, rationalization or the
shifting of blame.

But when liturgical acts of worship are accompanied by great music,
Scripture and the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit, the hope of
repentance becomes real. To be specific, let me give an example: When the
all-black Central Jurisdiction was being merged with the regional
jurisdictions, several colleagues called me, as chairman of the Central
Jurisdiction Study Committee, to express the fear that we would never have
another black bishop if the merger went through. Now, 36 years later, we
have the answer to that question. Of the 50 active bishops in the United
States, 11 are black. Seven of the 14 U.S. bishops elected since last July
are black.

It is fashionable these days to say that "the more things change, the more
they remain the same."  This makes for a witty speech, but it is only a
half-truth. The church can and does change. Like many others, I have had
moments of doubt as I have witnessed the all-too-human side of the church.
But things do change or, better said, God does change people. And, in our
service of repentance, we also experienced hope.  

My final reflection is upon reconciliation.  As one who is as vulnerable to
cynicism as anyone else, our worship service led me to reflect upon a future
of reconciliation.

Largely because of human pride - hubris - it is very difficult to bring
opposing sides together.  For many, even in the church, being strong means
being closed to any "truth" but one's own, as if God's voice comes to only
one person or group in any controversy. To others, any new visions from God
concerning human relations are sometimes considered so threatening that to
change one "brick" of our chosen structure would be, to them, tantamount to
bringing the whole house down.

But aren't we all people of limited vision? Are we not all asked to embrace
a wider humanity?  And is not all of this to be centered in biblical
holiness? 

The General Conference of 2000 called us to an act of repentance and set us
on the path of radical reconciliation. If we were in the hands of humans
alone, one might well be cynical about the future. But we have only begun to
see what God can do within and through us as we move toward ever-higher
levels of racial and spiritual reconciliation.

# # #

*Thomas, a retired African-American bishop residing in Atlanta, was elected
a bishop for the Central (black) Jurisdiction of the former Methodist Church
in 1964 and was influential in working for the abolition of that racially
segregated unit. He served as episcopal leader of the church's Iowa and Ohio
East areas and retired in 1988. Prior to his election as bishop, he worked
for the former Methodist Board of Education in Nashville with special
responsibilities for the 11 historically black colleges related to the
church.

Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not necessarily
represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist Church.

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