March 20,1991- The Portland Observer -Page 3
Portland Observer
Mattie Ann Callier-Spears
RELIGION
Scriptur e o f the Wke^
Lu£e 20:27-40.
Can the Institutional Church Survive Some Radical Changes?
A United Methodist Becomes a ConfirmedCatholic: Retaining a Religious Duality
BY A. LEE HENDERSON
Have you ever w on
dered if the institu
tional church is
strong enough to sur
vive the seismic
shocks that shake its
foundations w ith
radical changes?
Perplexing as it
A. L m Henderson might seem, that
question surfaced for me as I was doing
research for my new book “ Crisis,
Conflict and Challenge To The Church.”
Yet the more I pondered, the more
postive I felt about these changes.
At first they portended to be life-
threatening.
But as I studied the issues, I gradu
ally came to realize that as within a
human patient, the seeming “ disease”
can create vigorous anti-bodies within
the patient, rallying the invalid to better
health and even longer life expectan
cies!
The institutional church can also
rally, stronger than ever, from the test
ing. W hether the church responds with
stronger ecumenical issues or re-builds
its original foundations upon a dom i
nant fundamentalism, depends upon
one’s analysis and will be borne out as
time evaporates the misty frontiers o f
our debatable future.
But I would like to share a unique
experience. My own precepts were
challenged when I discovered the fas
cinating case o f W illiam R. Farm er, a
United M ethodist o f im peccable pro
fessional credentials who elected to
combine Catholicism w ith M ethodism
in a Christain adventure that is more
significant to the way we perceive reli
gion than it apperas to be. For this is
more than a superficial leap into dual
“ citizenship” as a professed member
o f two substantial churches individu
ally rooted in differing doctrinal w or
ship practices!
T he religions, says Farm er,
have"m utuality” in Protestant-Catho
lic dialogue, but Farmer acknowledges
that the reality he lives is “ still hidden
to most peoople.”
He believes that he is setting seeds
for officialdom to deal with...even if
the “ oneness’ ’ of the Christian church,
beyond denominational precepts, fails
to take place in his lifetime. With growth
o f aw areness centered in all people to
self-express and stand up and be counted,
the desire to dem ocratize can be con
fusing within the church.
Here, too, we all count. But to
those o f us who have become the pro
fessional church, the hierarchy can be
used to expedite the full objective of
the church: to render strong, inviolate,
and dependable the church body that
must serve our absolute spiritual, and
even our secular needs!
I do believe that change can m od
ify the institutional church without
tearing it down!
W illiam R. Farm er’s example is a
prime exam ple of duality that did not
destroy either denomination.
His official stand on espousing two
denominations took place on January
25,1 9 9 0 .
An associated Press article by
George W. Cornell quoted him as say
ing:
“ I don’t regard it as a conversion
or that I ’ve put away my Methodist
heritage at all.”
A fter the Rev. W illiam R. Farmer,
assistant pastor at St. L uke’s Com m u
nity Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas,
NATIONAL CONVENTION
N ational Black Evangelical Association
W e d n e s d a y , A p ril 3
.
Sunday, April 7
at the
Sheraton Airport I lolel
I heme:
/>r
/> .IfiAiHMit
"In t h e m id s t o f t h e s e
y e a r s , REVIVE US!"
.\alu>n,d 1'nsuh‘ni. \IU -\
WORKSHOPS ANO LUNCHEONS: to I k held ill unions It k ;<l < lunches.
M t ilin o ttiith
Brother, Christ Our R edeem er.”
Farmer claims that “ The new age
o f ecum enism ” is taking place in con
cepts of G od’s ‘option for the poor.’
“ It’s grassroots ecumenism. It’s
happening all over the w orld,” says
William R. Farmer. “ It’s happening in
homes, in churches. Officials don’t know
what to do with it. Accordingly, there
are no provisions for it, and no restric
tions against it.
“ It’s best not to cause a scandal,
but go ahead and do it, being sure you’re
doing it in good conscience and doing it
in obedience to the G ospel.”
W riter Peter Steinfels of The New
York Times noted that Christians have
been propelled by “ the G reat C om m is
sion,” Jesus’ final command to His
apostles, as recounted in St. M atthew ’s
Gospel to “ go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations ” In contrast to
the fundamentalist evangelicals, he points
to Christian and Buddhist monks cur
rently sharing monastic life, and Jesuit
priests in India who combine their Chris
tian beliefs and Hindu traditions.
Interreligious understanding and
evangelizaiton have created tensions.
Yet the way religions relate to each
other will impact world peace.
According to Pope John Paul II
dialogue between major religions, re
garded as highy valuable, placed less
than an encyclical on missionary work:
conversion of non-Christians and es
tablishment of new churches.
The Seventh Assembly of the World
Council of Churches in Canberra, Aus
tralia, although seriously affected by
the focus on the war in the Persian Gulf,
covered a mixed agenda for almost all
Protestant and Orthodox denominations.
Nearly four thousand delegates attended
the meetings through February 20,1991.
Peter Steinfels anticipated that in
ter-religious understanding vs. evangeli
zation would be a major theme at the
W orld Council of Churches assembly.
What should the Rev. William R. Farmer
say?
The Bishops are expected to adju
dicate Farm er’s special status in Dal
las. But it was unresolved when Farmer
took a temporary leave to serve as resi
dent theologian at the M ethodist M is
sion Resource Center at Emory U ni
versity in Atlanta and as a research
scholar at Colum bia Presbyterian
Seminary, also in Atlanta.
A unification theme does occur in
reports that Catholic dialogue teams
with M ethodists, Lutherans, and Epis
copalians are beginning to concur on
many major issues. Among them says
F a rm e r, is a modified papacy, with the
Pope as presiding officer over a repre
sentative council! Farm er notes that
basic agreem ent has been found on
“ C hrist’s real presence’ ’ in Holy Com
munion. And he points out that the
Roman Catholic understanding o f it is
very close to that of M ethodist Founder
John Wesley.
Farm er’s controversial challenge
to divided loyalties can be seen in his
statem ent th a t, ‘ ‘There still are differ
ences and some are important, but they’re
not great enough to justify our not being
able to share the L ord’s Supper.
“ It is a scandal that w e’re divided
at the L ord’s table.”
Designed to do away with such
division. Farm er’s bold decision to
pursue his dual m embership is a chal
lenge against barriers...the “ Berlin
W alls” of Christendom.
The churches, he believes, “ should
find some way o f taking communion
together on an officially approved ba
Red Cross Pathways Program
Begins Rap Course
I'irsl lime in the Pacifie Norlliwesl!
th rough
joined Holy Cross Roman Catholic
Church in Dallas, he continued to leach
at his M ethodist university post. He
was a veteran New Testam ent profes
sor at Southern Methodist University’s
Perkins School of Theology.
Com m enting on his formal adop
tion o f Catholicism , the Rev. Timothy
Gollop at the Catholic Holy Cross par
ish applauded Farmer for “ bringing
into that church a very rich Methodist
heritage.”
It is fascinating to take note of
Farm er’s aims.
Has he, perhaps, given us, too,
cause to re-evaluate our distressed or
“ abandoned” properties? Can they be
resurrected under the aegis of a leader
ship trail in “ dualtiy” outside the
boundaries of the strict A.M.E. Church
definition with an agreeable partner
ship drawn, if not from another reli
gious affiliation...from a willing col
lege-based real estate or managment
school administration. Divesting our
selves o f responsibility into a “ Receiv
ership” elim inates risk, but also im
pedes our potentials.
Exploring all new possibilities cer
tainly has merit.
Farmer, a Caucasian pioneer, tack
led not only a religious but a racial
frontier in the work he undertook.
Because he and Gollop...another white
man, involved them seles in two con
gregations in Dallas com prised largely
of Blacks and Hispanics.
“ I ’m trying to be fully in both con
gregations in a single ministry, and in
the whole church, recognizing its one
ness, above all in matters of race,”
notes Farmer.
Echoes of our founder Richard Allen
ring in Farm er’s voice as our mandate
does, “ God O ur Father, Man Our
Although rap is well-known as a
popular style o f music it is also an
American Red Cross course to assist
young people aged 10 to 13 and their
parents with the difficult transition from
childhood to adolescence.
The primary goal o f RAP, Reach
ing Adolescents and Parents, is to help
adolescents avoid sexual activity and
pregnancy. This comprehensive program
is taught by trained Red Cross instruc
tors.
Topics covered in the 10 week
program include: self esteem, peer pres
sure, sexual maturity, physical and
em otional changes o f puberty, and de
termining goals.
The RA Pcourse will be introduced
to the Red Cross Pathways Program
during March through May. Pathways
is an American Red Cross program for
young women attending middle school
in North and Northeast Portland.
For more information, contact Lynn
Ervins at 284-1234, ext. 194.
S c I khi I ol ihe Bible and Warner Paeitk College
YOUTH PROGRAM: w ith Her I lo in Greeilidge. 2«’ S22(i
CHILDREN'S TRACK: w ith North hinland Assn, ol Christian l.dticalois, 2HS 2919
R E C O N C IL IA T IO N R A LLY
Sunday. April 7, at " pm .. at the Oregon Convention Center
Ulaek and w hite |\iMors and congregations join in an 11 a in. exchange
F or program s and fu rth e r in fo rm a tio n
NBliA office - 57.S6 N. Albina - 289-0143
Maranatha
Church
4222 N.E. 12 th Avenue, Portland, Oregon
sis.”
You may not agree with Farm er’s
extraordinary stand, yet an analysis o f
its purpose can shed much light on the
hierarchy o f the future, and the prob
lems that will certainly challenge iL
Change from within or change from
without, the church has an opportunity
to grow from such challenges.
Some provocative questions arise.
Is the church nationwide rushing for
ward to meet its challenges, or is it
drifting off-course to founder and ca
pitulate to those abuses within its pow er
structure? Farmer’s concern for a multi
ethnicity cuts a wide swath across the
artificial divisions o f humanity by
economic boundaries...the poor served
by the “ poor” church and the middle-
class by the “ middle class” : church,
and the rich by the “ rich” church.
People will cross-over, but w ill the
concerns o f the church hierarchy ac
commodate such moves?
W hat a shocking situation we see
within our churches when they reflect
the rich vs. poor parish syndrome and
make no moves at all to com pensate for
G od’s Kingdom as a valuable, m anipu
lated piece of property with program s
that embraced those.
Heaven has no right side o f the
tracks, does it, and Jesus certainly did
not envision such inequities as he in
structed His disciples to spread the
Gospel!
The African M ethodist Episcopal
Church, founded by Richard Allen, an
ex-slave, emerges today politically, and
spiritually as a potential thunderbolt to
stir our consciousness and re-assess our
resistance to change.*
♦Crisis, Conflict And Challenge
by A. Lee Henderson, new book copy
righted material.
North Portland
Bible College
SPRING TERM '91
April 1 — June 14, 1991
Time
Courses offered
Instructors
Mon. Eve.
6:30 - 9 :30
OT SURVEY III
LAY COUNSELING
P a s to r J a m e s C olem an
Bro. R odney Cook
T ue. Morn.
9 - noon
NT SURVEY III
GEN ESIS II
Sis. B eth N ance
Bro. M ichael L indsey
T ue. Eve.
6:30 - 9 :30
NT SURVEY III
I & 'I TIMOTHY & TITUS
S is. B eth N ance
Dr. P eter Law
T h u r. Eve.
INDUCTIVE
BIBLE STUDY
MUSIC READING/
CHOIR IB
6:30 - 9 :3 0
Bro. M ichael L indsey
S is. F aye S m ith
REGISTRATION A N D T U IT IO N - Still only S35.OO for the first d is s , S25 for each additional class
Sunday Services
St. Paul Missionary
Baptist Church
8101 N. Fiske Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97203
Church Phone: 289-0147
Study Phone:289-1911
Sunday Service
10:45
Sunday School
9:30
Bible Study
6:00
Evening Service
7:00 P.M.
a. Phone 288-2919 for registration materials, b
Come early to the first session of
your selected class.
PLEASE NOTE:
O u r new , tem porary location is in Ocrcan Baptist Church
4822 N. Vancouver Avenue. Entrance on Wygant.
P .O .B o x ¡1 4 3 7 t
Portland. Oregon 97 21 1 t
(503Ì 2 8 8 -2 9 1 9
Rev. Wendall H. Wallace
Senior Pastor
"Maranatha Live" Radio Program/Talk Show KPDQ 93.7 FM 800 AM
11:00 P.M. to 12:00 midnight (Each Sunday)
MT OLIVET BAPTIST
CHURCH
WE ARE MOVING
SUNDAY SERVICES
TO
S to n e T ow er C hurch,
N.E. San dy B lvd. & 3Oth
Pastor, Rev. James C.E. Faulkner
Theme: Whatever you're going
to do for the Lord, do it now.
I Peter iv .ll
CREED OF THE BLACK PRESS
Th« Black P re » belle« a that America can beat lead Uie world aw«/ from «octal and
Bailonal antagonism« when It accorda to «very person, regardless of race, color, or
creed, toU human and legal rights. Hating no persou, fearing no person, the Black
Fram’sUlres Io help •> e r/ person In lb * firm belief that all arc hurl as long as sn/onc
held back.
H O W T O REGISTER:
Sunday School
9:00 A.M.
M orning W orship
10:30 A.m.
Evening W orship
6:00 P.M.
M idweek Service - W ednesday
7:00 P.M.
Saturday - BASIC Youth Service
7:00 P.M.
Worship Services 8:00 A.M. & 11:00 A.M.
Church School 9:30 A.M. to 10:30 A.M.
Bible Study. Wednesdays. 116 N.E.Schuyler
10:30 A.M. and 6:30 P.M.
Radio Ministry each Sunday. 8:00 A.M.-KBMS
A Teaching Church With A Reaching Ministry
Dr. James E. Martin. Senior Pastor
C hurch O ffice 1 1 6 N.E S ch u y icr,
From Rough Cut To
Polished Piece
What:
When:
Where
Video Showcase
Saturday, March 30,
1991 7:3 0 -9 :30 pm
Portland Cable Access
(PCA) 2766 NE MLK, Jr.
Portland, OR 97212
NOTICE
Youth Arc The M ost Im portant
People In O ur Lives But W e’re
Losing O ur K id's to G ang Violence!!
Black and white comes together in
the °ortland Observer
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