Two Deaths, Ebola, ISIS & United Methodism

on November 24, 2014

Two recent prominent deaths tied to important global events reveal much about United Methodism’s character.

Dr. Martin Salia was a Sierre Leone doctor at a United Methodist hospital in his native country who contracted Ebola there and was airlifted to a Nebraska hospital. Former U.S. Army ranger Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig was beheaded by ISIS in Syria, where he was an aid worker who converted to Islam from his Methodist upbringing while in captivity.

Both deaths illustrate Methodist commitment to shaping the world by helping the needy. Salia represents growing and theologically robust United Methodism in Africa, where the denomination has 4.5 million members and increases by over 200,000 annually. Kassig came from the fast declining U.S. church, which loses 90,000 members annually and which has lost an entire generation of post-Mainline Protestant and sometimes post-Christian young people like Kassig.

“Scripture abounds in calling us to give thanksgiving in all situations, but sometimes it is hard,” Sierre Leone’s bishop told United Methodist News Service (UMNS) in response to Salia’s death. “We are all in prayer for his wife and children.”

UMNS quoted Salia earlier this year, where he was clear that faith was his guide, explaining: “I see it as God’s own desired framework for me. I took this job not because I want to, but I firmly believe that it was a calling and that God wanted me to. … And I’m pretty sure, I’m confident that I just need to lean on him, trust him, for whatever comes in, because he sent me here. And that’s my passion.”

Kassig was also inspired by his faith background in different ways. He was influenced by his late grandfather, a United Methodist minister who led a “peace and justice” advocacy group for “Muslim victims of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and blasted the U.S. government for funding Israel at the expense of suffering Palestinians,” according to the Indianapolis Star.

Young Kassig left college, after his military service, to help Syrian refugees from their country’s civil war. His interest in Islam reportedly began before his captivity, and his parents, who are United Methodist, believe his conversion and name change were not coerced.

It’s my observation that almost no young person has likely ever been traumatized by growing up typically United Methodist. There are few if any angry articles or books by angry former United Methodists in recovery from years of Methodist Sunday school, choir, acolyting, and Methodist Youth Fellowship. Recovering Catholics, recovering Evangelicals, recovering Mormons, but really no recovering Methodists.

A Methodist upbringing is typically benign, fairly wholesome, not exacting and largely undogmatic. It does little harm, often is uplifting, but just as often fails to mold future believing United Methodists. It teaches niceness, harmony, service, humanitarianism. America has millions of former Methodists. They are usually religiously unaffiliated or tied to an Evangelical group.

The average age of United Methodists in America is in the 60s. United Methodism in Africa by contrast is very young. Without knowing the details, I strongly expect that church teaching for young people in the African church is more theologically demanding and bibliocentric. Of course, the millions of former Methodists in America remain deeply shaped by Methodism, as is American culture as a whole. They have learned to be kind, to love their neighbor, or at least to try, to care about poor people, and to aspire to a better world. These qualities are laudable and important.

But niceness and humanitarianism are not of themselves altogether always spiritually fulfilling. Many former Methodists have found solace in their own new individualistic understandings of spirituality. Others have found guidance from Evangelical churches or Roman Catholicism. Peter Kassig, the grandson of a United Methodist clergy, evidently found purpose in Islam, becoming Abdul-Rahman.

For Dr. Martin Salia, who was a U.S. resident who voluntarily returned to his native Sierra Leone to serve a hospital, and who likened his medical calling as a “Christian surgeon” to a pastor, Jesus Christ and Methodism evidently remained central. “Whenever we want to start surgery, we pray,” he explained. “I am just being used as an instrument or as a surgeon to carry out God’s own plan for that person’s life.”

  1. Comment by Trish Martin on November 24, 2014 at 8:05 am

    I am a United Methodist. I am an ECUSA refugee. Following the church’s seeming involvement in Obamacare (and the very public thanksgiving from Nancy Pelosi) and finding out the church’s teaching on abortion, I quit going to church. This followed several years of attending a church where the only contact we ever had from the church was letters asking for money for something the church did not need – wanted, yes, but not needed. Nobody has ever called from the church to ask if we were okay or if we needed anything or why we quit attending.

  2. Comment by John on November 25, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    Great. How many churches are there in your neck of the woods?

    Inasmuch as church is something you can feel free to quit, it’ll be tough to find a church that suits your taste.

  3. Comment by Trish Martin on March 22, 2015 at 2:29 pm

    Tons.

  4. Comment by Guest on November 24, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    I think that enough time has passed now to comment on Mr. Kassig. He is what Lenin called useful idiot. In another era, I think that it is safe to conclude that Mr. Kassig would have volunteered his time to aid “oppressed” communists, the ones who enslaved millions of people and killed millions more. No one should be shocked by Mr. Kassig’s choice, however, nor should anyone conclude that it is peculiar to a liberal Methodist upbringing. The National Cathedral is Mr. Kassig, Episcopalian. What happened at the National Cathedral is nonetheless the same.

  5. Comment by yolo on November 24, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    I think that enough time has passed now to comment on Mr. Kassig. He is what Lenin would call a useful idiot. In another era, I think that it is safe to conclude that Mr. Kassig would have volunteered his time to aid “oppressed” communists, the ones who enslaved millions of people and killed millions more. Mr. Kassig’s motivation for going there is not too different from Bowe Bergdahl’s motivation for (likely) deserting. No one should be shocked by Mr. Kassig’s choice, however, nor should anyone conclude that it is peculiar to a Methodist upbringing. What happened at the National Cathedral is nonetheless the same and they are Episcopalian. The bottom line is anyone who believes what these Methodists or Episcopalians believe and who actually attempts to validate these leftist beliefs is going to have their head removed.

  6. Comment by Ray Dubuque on November 25, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    You may call yourself a “Christian”, but what matters is what Christ himself thinks of you ( and about Mr. Kassig – who risked and LOST his life to help his suffering brothers ad sisters).
    And { according to Matthew 5: 21-22,} Jesus said :}
    “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.”

  7. Comment by yolo on November 25, 2014 at 6:26 pm

    That’s Lenin’s characterization, not mine. Based on what I know about the revolution, that is exactly how Lenin would have described him. My characterization is anyone who believes in what Mr. Kassig and his grandfather believe in will lose their heads if they attempt to validate their beliefs by helping “suffering brothers and sisters” who are oppressing Christians and a bunch of other people.

  8. Comment by Ray Dubuque on November 26, 2014 at 9:17 pm

    Oh, com’on Yolo, why did you drag Lenin into the conversation if not BECAUSE YOU IDENTIFIED WITH HIM? (just as I quoted Jesus because I IDENTIFY with HIM!)

  9. Comment by Ray Dubuque on November 25, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Conservatives obsess over “orthodoxy” ( from the Greek words for “correct” & “teaching”) Liberal United Methodist like me think that “actions speak louder than words” and are more concerned about “ortho-praxy” ( from the Greek While conservatives obsess over “orthodoxy” ( from the Greek words for “correct” and “teaching”) liberal United Methodists like me are more concerned about what might be called “orthoPRAXY”, i.e “correct practice” as in “actions speak louder than words”

    Ever since 1996, I have been urging people to check out my http://LiberalsLikeJesus.Org ,where I provide overwhelming evidence, for the most part in the form of Jesus’ own words, that Jesus was far more liberal than conservative.
    But since so many people seem to be unable or unwilling to click on a link to that site, I’ve decided to lay out the evidence right HERE, where it can’t be missed, in it’s purest from, so that conservatives can’t imagine that in rejecting these words they are only rejecting my “liberal” website:

    1) According to Luke 4:18 Jesus described his mission in life : ]
    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me
    to preach Good News to the poor;
    he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted
    and to announce that the blind shall see,
    that captives shall be released
    and the downtrodden shall be freed
    (i.e. liberated) from their oppressors.”

    2) { According to Matthew 11: 2-5, Jesus described himself in similar words to his own cousin, John “the Baptist” :]
    ” When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
    Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”

    [ In response to the question, “Sir, which is the most important command in the laws of Moses?” ]
    3) { According to Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus replied (Jesus explicitly identified his and the Bible’s highest priorities) :]

    “This is the first and greatest commandment: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’
    The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’
    All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets
    stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if you obey them. Keep only
    these and you will find that you are obeying all the others.”

    4) [ According to Matthew 25: 31-46 ]
    “When I, the Messiah, shall come in glory, and all the angels with me, then I
    shall sit upon my throne of glory. And all the nations shall be gathered
    before me. And I will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep
    from the goats, and place the sheep at my right hand, and the goats at
    my left.
    Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, “Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
    For I was hungry and you fed me;
    I was thirsty and you gave me water;
    I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes;
    naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.”

    Then these righteous ones will reply,
    “Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?
    Or thirsty and give you anything to drink?
    Or a stranger, and help you?
    Or naked, and clothe you?
    When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?”

    And I, the King, will tell them,
    “When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to me!”

    Then I wi

    ( from the Greek words for “ll turn to those on my left and say,
    “Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.
    For I was hungry and you wouldn’t feed me;
    thirsty, and you wouldn’t give me anything to drink;
    a stranger, and you refused me hospitality;
    naked, and you wouldn’t clothe me;
    sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.”

    Then they will reply,
    “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?”

    And I will answer,
    “When you refused to help the least of these my brothers, you were refusing help to me.” And they shall go away into eternal punishment; but the righteous into everlasting life.”

    5) [ According to Matthew 5: 2-12, Jesus proclaimed :]
    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
    Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
    Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
    Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
    Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
    Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
    Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you
    and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice
    and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way
    they persecuted the prophets who went before you.”

    6) [ According to Luke 16 : 19-31]
    “One day Lazarus, a diseased beggar, was laid at the door of a rich man’s house. As he lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Finally the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham in the place of the righteous dead.
    The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went into hell.
    There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham.
    ‘Father Abraham,’ he shouted, ‘have some pity! Send Lazarus over here if
    only to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am
    in anguish in these flames.’ But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember
    that during your life-time you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had
    nothing. So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish.”

    “And besides, there is a great chasm separating us, and anyone wanting to come to you from here is stopped at its edge; and no one over there can
    cross to us.’
    Then the rich man said, ‘O Father Abraham, then please send him to
    my father’s home – for I have five brothers – to warn them about this
    place of torment lest they come here when they die.’ But Abraham
    said, ‘The Scriptures have warned them again and again. Your brothers
    can read them any time they want to.’ The rich man replied, ‘No, Father
    Abraham, they won’t bother to read them. But if someone is sent to
    them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins.’ But Abraham
    said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen
    even though someone rises from the dead.’

    7) [ According to Luke 10 : 25-37 ]
    “One day an expert on Moses’ laws came to test Jesus’ orthodoxy by asking him this question: “Teacher, what does a man need to do to live forever in heaven?”
    Jesus replied, “What does Moses’ law say about it?” “It says,” he replied, “that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself.” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you shall live!”

    But, wanting to justify himself, the man asked, “Which neighbors must I love?”
    And Jesus replied with an illustration:
    “A Jew going on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked
    by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, and beat him up
    and left him lying half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along; and when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A temple-assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but then went on.
    But a despised Samaritan* came along, and when he saw him, he felt deep pity. Kneeling beside him the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and walked along beside him till they came to an inn, where he nursed him through the night. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins and told him to take care of the man. “If his bill runs higher than that,” he said, “I’ll pay the difference the next time I am here.”

    “Now which of these three,” Jesus asked, “would you say was a neighbor
    to the bandit’s victim?” The man replied, “The one who showed him some pity.”
    Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

    8) [ According to Luke 3:11-14 ]
    In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”
    Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
    Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

    9) [ According to Matthew 19:16, 21-26 ]
    Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Good Master, what must I do to have eternal life?
    “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went away sadly, for he was very rich.”

    . . . Then Jesus said to his disciples, “It is almost impossible for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. I say it again – it is easier for a camel to go
    through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God! When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” And Jesus replied, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

    10) [ According to Luke 16:13-15]
    ” No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human
    beings is an abomination in the sight of God.”

    11) [ According to Luke 14:33-35]
    “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they
    throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

    12) [ According to John 16:1-3]
    “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me.”

    13) [ According to Luke 18 : 9-14 ]
    He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were
    were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’
    But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
    I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”


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