Looking Back and Moving Forward
The Women’s Division Celebrates the Quadrennium
Spring Board Meeting
March 19-22, 2004
by Liza Kittle

 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27

  The Spring Board Meeting of the Women’s Division was held in Stamford, Connecticut and I had the privilege of serving as a press representative for the RENEW network, along with Sharon Lodovic.  I was treated cordially and respectfully while I was covering this event.  The Women’s Division invited Sharon and I to the social celebrations held on Friday and Saturday evenings

 The main focus of the meeting was a reflection on the accomplishments of the Women’s Division over the course of the 2000-20004 quadrennium period.  It was also a time to celebrate the retirement of deputy general secretary Joyce D. Sohl who has led the division since 1990.  On Friday evening, Dr. Janice Love was nominated and unanimously elected to lead the organization of United Methodist Women beginning August 1, 2004.  Change in leadership will also be evident as many Women’s Division directors relinquish their positions to newly elected women from across the organization. This passing of the torch of leadership comes at a critical time in United Methodism. 

 While the board meeting was taking place, the church trial of the Rev. Karen T. Dammann came to an unexpected conclusion that has sent shock waves throughout our denomination.  Rev. Dammann, a self-avowed practicing homosexual who “married” her life partner with whom she is raising a 6-year old son, was found not guilty of violating the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church.  As this verdict reveals, there is a deep chasm within Methodism in regard to the issues of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. A secular worldview of tolerance has divided our nation on these issues.  It is disheartening that our mainline churches, where a biblical worldview should prevail, are facing similar divisions.

 It is my opinion that a secular worldview so pervades the leadership of the Women’s Division that United Methodist Women has ceased to be the instrument of God’s grace through Jesus Christ that it was designed to be 135 years ago.  It has become a powerful and influential voice for feminist, liberal causes in this country and around the world, operating under the guise of Christian activism and in the name of our Lord and Savior.  We find in Women’s Division program and policy a distorting of the transforming and salvific message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ into a utopian gospel of liberation and justice based on self-empowerment of women, children and youth.  A line in the song “Living Legacy” written especially for this event by J.Ann Craig, the spiritual and theological director of the Women’s Division, speaks volumes: “What we can’t do alone, we do as one in Christ.”

 Many women of our church are shocked and angry when they discover some of the causes and groups that the Women’s Division supports.  Co-sponsorship of the pro-abortion “March for Women’s Lives” to be held in Washington D.C. in April ($5000) is one example of the flagrant disregard for our Book of Discipline’s stance on abortion.  This march is sponsored by a virtual who’s who of radical feminist and liberal organizations throughout this country and a major focus of the march, according to the National Organization of Women (NOW), is to call for the appeal of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban signed into law by President Bush. Our church law is clearly against this procedure. The leadership of the Women’s Division no longer reflects the biblical values and mission concerns of many women at the local level of UMW who provide the funds for their 18 million dollar annual budget.

 In this report, I will highlight items that concerned me as a conservative, evangelical woman who has had a 15 year involvement with United Methodist Women at the local level.  Before accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior I was a radical feminist woman who would have accepted the Women’s Division’s worldview. Transformation through Christ radically changed my life and my family relationships.  I speak with passionate certainty of how the Gospel of Jesus Christ works in the hearts of individual persons who accept His free gift of grace. Having a biblical worldview radically changes the way we think and act.  I will discuss some current research on the topic of worldviews later in my report.

  Bringing this message of wholeness to broken people IS the Great Commission that Jesus gives to his disciples.  Why is this message not the focus of the work of the Women’s Division?  Addressing social issues has always been an important part of our Wesleyan tradition, but sharing the Gospel with the lost and being examples of holy living were the central hallmarks of early Methodism and must remain so.  The Women’s Division advocates a pluralistic acceptance of all faith traditions and evangelism is characterized as intolerant and outdated—reserved only for right-wing religious zealots of conservative fundamentalism.  Evangelical Christians have been put into this category by the Women’s Division—along with Islamic terrorists.

Christian Social Responsibility Committee Meetings 

Christian Social Responsibility is the committee where controversial social action is often formulated and presented.  Judy Nutter, the chairperson for CSR, opened the meeting with her address “I Celebrate Community.”  She lauded women who are risk-takers, who are called to advocate justice even if it costs them something.  She embraced the diversity of women, where women of opposing views can agree to disagree. (RENEW reporters have observed that disagreement is not encouraged, nor is the evangelical perspective welcomed at Women’s Division meetings.)  Ms. Nutter called on the women present to reflect on a series of questions: “What justice work have you done this quadrennium?; What injustice is God calling you to speak up about?”; “Where are you called to be a transformer?” (Are we, or Christ, the transformer?); “Consider our government’s willingness to attack other countries.”(The Anti-Bush rhetoric continued throughout the entirety of the meeting.); “Does our government’s budget reflect God’s priorities?”; “What barriers exist to the spiritual and theological development of women?” She admonished them to persevere in the faith…to sprint to the goal line to accomplish the tasks placed before them.  

  Lois Dauway, the Assistant General Secretary of CSR (staff personnel), presented the group with “a gift.”  The gift was a bound volume of 524 pages entitled Social Policy Statements and Recommended Actions.  This book represents the body of work done by this committee on social responsibility and adopted by the Women’s Division from 1968-2003.  It is a manifesto of liberal political and social policy and represents in detail how off course the Women’s Division is in regard to politics, social action and theology.  It shows the incredible comprehensive nature by which the Women’s Division has cultivated their influence into every aspect of te United Methodist Church, the United States, the world, and even outer space!  Resolutions, declarations, petitions, proposals, opinions and appeals about every conceivable subject are laid out in great detail. You have to admire their tenacity and thoroughness at every level of society—many of these policies do have merit but most are written from a partisan, liberal viewpoint and reek of radical feminism.[1] 

Emmy Lou John opened the sub-committee on Justice Priorities with Micah 6:8, in which inclusive language was used, and shared the statements, “my holy land is the United Nations,” and, “we’re in the risk business.”  She had presents to share highlighting the work this section had done over the quaddrenium.  An interesting occurrence happened while I was observing this meeting. 

 The RENEW Network has published a detailed and comprehensive critique of the 15 proposed resolution of the Women’s Division.  The analysis was prepared by Dr. Janice Crouse, a highly qualified person trained in rhetorical and content analysis. Dr. Crouse leads a Washington, D.C. based Center for Studies in Women’s Issues and is active in the coalition to combat the trafficking of women and to eliminate violence against women.  She is also a United Methodist laywoman, a member of the Good News Board, and the RENEW Steering Committee. Dr. Crouse gave a balanced report pointing out that “the petitions, with some exceptions, are poorly written with sketchy logic and reasoning.  They are repetitious and unfocused.” The resolutions, she concluded, “are a rehashing of tired utopian and socialist rhetoric that echoes United Nations’ documents and proposes the same old ideas that are hopelessly out of touch with reality and with solid research about what has worked over the past 20 years to bring hope and a future to the poor and underprivileged.” The worst part of this body of material being presented to our governing body of the United Methodist Church for approval is that “they fail to bring into the picture the transforming power of Jesus Christ and the faithful outworking of the gospel through the UMC as it gives a human dimension to biblical principles for a hurting and needy world that looks to God’s people for hope and faith and God’s grace in their times of need.”[2] 

Mia Adjali, executive secretary for Global Concerns and the staff person of the Women’s Division with the most influential association with the United Nations, was skimming through the critique by RENEW (it seemed obvious she had not read the document in its entirety).  She became livid and admitted her anger towards RENEW and their audacity for publishing such a paper.  Another committee member who is also a delegate to General Conference informed the group that all of the delegates had received the document in a mailing and also the petitions put forth by RENEW.  The delegate bemoaned the fact that RENEW had not bothered to send a copy of the Women’s Division resolutions with the critique.  She failed to report that RENEW had given the Women’s Division website to those receiving the mailing and indicated that the size of the document made mailing it cost-prohibitive.

 The chairperson of the sub-committee Rita Arni turned and glaringly asked if RENEW had to follow any “ethical standards and protocol” in the course of our work.  I answered affirmatively that we follow press protocol when covering their events and that we use highly qualified and educated persons such as Dr. Crouse to evaluate the resources that are provided to the women of the church. Ms. Adjali then commented that “that is what makes it so sad” (implying the absurdity that someone of Dr. Crouse’s intelligence would have a differing viewpoint). Another committee member said they would “explore the legal ramifications” of printing and distributing this document.  It made one wonder if those discussing this issue felt the delegates incapable of reading varying perspectives and coming to an informed conclusion.

 It appears the leadership of the Women’s Division refuses to recognize that many women within the church do not agree with their political and social agenda. They continue to write lengthy documents, many based on questionable sources, supporting their worldview.  As I was reading through the 500- page manifesto of social policies, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of documentation of sources in the footnotes—except an occasional reference to Ms. Magazine.  In this session, Ms. Adjali passed out a paper for the committee’s information on Christianity in the Middle East—she asked that it not be attributed to the author, a “self-taught” lawyer, whom she apparently considered an expert.   The whole episode disturbed me greatly as I realized how close-minded and defensive the Women’s Division has become in regard to dissent of any kind. The leadership have been so indoctrinated politically and theologically that, for the most part, they think and speak as one.  How sad for United Methodist Women whose opinions are not valued or considered worthy of discussion.

 The Section of Christian Social Responsibility gathered together to vote on the recommendations to be presented at a later plenary session. During this session Lois Dauway shared how many times the word praise is recounted in the Book of Psalms.  She began a soliloquy “Praise to YOU!—section of Christian Social Responsibility…for your challenge against the invasion of Iraq—your prophetic voice has been heard!…for your balanced response to the events of 9/11…for your work on hate crimes…for challenging the United Methodist Church on racism. Praise to YOU!—CSR…for calling for an end to the occupation of Palestine…for boycotting products from Burma ...for your continued support of reproductive choice.  Praise to YOU!—CSR…for standing up against the unholy alliance between the religious right and Israel…for your provocative study on prayer…for your spiritual nurture of another generation of feminist theologians.  Praise to YOU!—CSR.. .for your prayers for peace-march on Washington…for your stand against John Ashcroft and the U.S. government as they threaten our civil liberties…for your support of the United Nations World Conferences on Racism, Aging and Status on Women…for your balanced and helpful information to local units.”  All of this “praise” was for the political endeavors of CSR which center on the self, individual rights and women’s rights.  There was no praise to Christ.
 

 Recommendations from the Section of Christian Social Responsibility: 

1. A general support grant of $10,000 be given to The Southeast Regional Economic Justice Network (REJN), an organization that works with 50 other groups engaged in activities to empower workers, women and youth from poverty-stricken and marginalized communities (especially of color). REJN’s mission is “to build an inclusive, inter-generational economic justice movement, grounded in Southern reality, that creates fullness of life for all.

 2. $1000 be given to the Lion and Lamb Project to cover the expenses of producing 500 copies of their video “Sex, Violence and Videogames” in conjunction with efforts to criminalize the sale of violent video games.  A copy of the tape with a guide would also be provided to each conference UMW. (A worthwhile project.)  

3. The Women’s Division will further promote the Campaign for Children through the development and implementation of two educational offerings during 2005/2006. The first would be a seminar for UMW educators held at Scarritt-Bennett Center—the participants must have taken the Public Education study through the School of Missions.  Cost of event would require $100,000.  The second effort would be  two pilot training events in 2006 to train people to be available to the conferences for more localized training events—to provide skills as determined by the above education seminar, budget, $20,000.

 4. Provide a grant of up to $4,000 to the Not In Our Name Organization to hire someone to strengthen the project’s overall national efforts to “resist the injustices done by our government” including growing militarization and potential threats to civil liberties. The project’s mission statement reads “to build, strengthen and expand resistance to stop the U.S. government’s entire course of war and repression being waged in the name of ‘fighting terrorism.’”  This course of war has three components: 1) the war on the world—the U.S. government has engaged in preemptive military actions and wars and brazenly states its determination to “change regimes” where it sees fit, promising wars that will last a generation and supplying arms and aid used to terrorize people around the world; 2) detentions, deportations, and roundups of immigrants—the U.S. government has stripped immigrants, especially Arabs, Muslims and South Asians of rights—in laws and acts reminiscent of the very tyranny from which we are supposed to be liberating them; 3) police state restrictions—the U.S. government has instituted stark new repressive measures, such as the Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act, designed to create fear, intimidate opposition and silence dissent.”

 This grant follows a start-up grant given by the Women’s Division in 2002 for costs to develop contacts at colleges across the country and assist “Not in Our Name” efforts to reach high school students in both rural and urban areas.  The purpose of this national campaign is to get military recruiters off campuses and to stand in solidarity with youth around the world in opposing the U.S. government.  Funds are being raised for a video ad calling on youth to “refuse to be the cops of the world.”

 Is this not an incredible misuse of United Methodist Women’s funds?  The Women’s Division shows disrespect and hatred for President Bush and the U.S. government with total disregard for the hundreds of thousands of women within our denomination who support this president and his efforts to protect and defend us from terrorism. This unbridled opposition to the person God has put in place to lead our country (a person who happens to be United Methodist) is constant and unrelenting.

  Support of this project is unpatriotic and subversive. It also highlights the Women’s Divisions efforts to influence and indoctrinate our young people with their liberal, socialist political beliefs.  The membership campaign is heavily geared toward the recruitment of teen and college age women, and selections from their Reading Program booklist continue to have profound impacts on the development of political and theological attitudes. One of the 2004 offerings is Silencing Political Dissent: How Post-September 11 Anti-Terrorism Measures Threaten Civil Liberties.” One of the directors, a young college age woman, told of how the study of Jesus and Courageous Women had totally changed her outlook on life.  (This study has tremendous problems—please refer to the analysis by RENEW on the website.)

 5. One youth and one Women’s Division staff person as chaperone are to participate as representatives of the Women’s Division and the United Methodist Church in the Children’s World Conference on Child Labor in Florence, Italy, in May 2004.  This is the first conference of this type and will be a forum for former child laborers and youth activists to become involved in child labor advocacy.  Five Hundred youth from around the world will participate.  Their representative will be Kim Halloway from Hayword California who read a book on the reading list about child labor and became an activist in her school.  Julie Taylor will accompany her to Italy. This young woman sounds like an amazing and caring person who has much to offer our world.  Again, the Reading Program had a major impact on a young life. Almost all of the social action book choices are controversial and reflect the political viewpoints of the leadership. Many of the spiritual growth selections are about other faith traditions.  For example, a current selection is The Lakota Way: Native American Wisdom on Ethics and Character.

 6. That the Women’s Division become a Supporting Faith Organization of Cover the Uninsured Week 2004, the nation’s largest effort to make the goal of affordable health coverage for all Americans a national priority.  No monetary needs are attached to this proposal. 

This recommendation highlights the Women’s Division’s stand on universal healthcare. This is a complex and multi-faceted issue of which I am intimately familiar as the wife of a physician.  Nowhere in the literature of the Women’s Division have I even heard the words tort reform, which is one of the most crucial aspects of this national crisis.  Frivolous lawsuits and runaway jury awards are threatening to run highly qualified persons away from the field of medicine.  My own husband is quitting intensive care medicine due to the liability demands placed on his profession.  The increasing lack of specialized health care providers is a national tragedy that the Women’s Division continues to ignore. Faith-based initiatives regarding healthcare are never explored.

 All of these recommendations were voted on and unanimously accepted in the final plenary session on Monday morning.  Other reports from the section and information included:

 An orientation for women delegates at General Conference to be held on April 26, 2004 from 1-4 p.m. This will be co-sponsored by the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW).  There will also be a Women’s Center set up for women for education, nourishment and networking.  It was commented during this report that “we need to cease being timid about money for COSROW” and that “we are all advocates for gender, justice and inclusiveness.”

An Action Alert: World Bank 60^th Birthday campaign was presented.  Members were asked to send an “Unhappy” Birthday card to the World Bank for their “responsibility in the crippling debt owed by the developing world.” Debt cancellation has been an ongoing concern of the Women’s Division since 1997.  The goal for the campaign is to have 10,000 cards sent from United Methodist Women.

The meeting closed with a video presentation of the quadrennial highlights of the Section of Christian Social Responsibility.  What a quadrennium it has been!

Saturday Evening: The Women’s Division Quadrennium Celebration 

This was a very pleasant and elegant event which was held to honor the directors who would be “graduating” from the Women’s Division.  They were celebrated in grand style with a wonderful dinner and entertainment provided by the hand bell choir of First UMC of Stamford.  The theme for the evening was Moving Beyond: Living the Legacy.  The guest speakers were Carolyn Johnson and Twick Morrison, past President and Vice-President of the Women’s Division. 

 Morrison brought greetings from the “resurrected church in Cuba” where she said we share a “common vibrant and dynamic church of Jesus Christ.”  She praised the monetary support sent by the Women’s Division to this region where a counseling center had been established.  She spoke of great pioneers of our faith who were called to be “movin’ on” (a Southern expression).  People like Abraham and Sarah who were movin’ on out in faith, Moses was movin’ on out of Egypt, Esther was movin’on into the King’s chamber, Jesus wanted Martha to be movin’ on out of the kitchen, Paul was movin’ on out the Gospel into the world, and the Resurrection symbolizes we are movin’ on from death to life. “Movin’ on is a biblical concept.  Sanctifying grace is movin’on to perfection.  We are called to press on toward the goal in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Morrison and Johnson both shared how their experiences at the Women’s Division had shaped their awareness of racism and sexism. They expressed pride that the Women’s Division was “biblically and theologically relevant” and “loyal to the Book of Discipline” and that “care was taken even with provocative issues.”  (All three of these observations could be heavily debated.) 

Carolyn Johnson described the legacy of UMW and the Women’s Division that she continues to live out. They are: inheritance of spiritual companions of value, attentiveness to place and space both private and public, interwoven nature of character and action, real spirit of generosity, the ability to do meaningful work with successful accomplishments and an activist tradition of group survival and transformation.  (Where is Jesus Christ in this legacy?)

Sunday Morning Plenary Session

 After morning worship, Lois Dauway gave a report on the Anti-Racism Evaluation. She said that “we can imagine a new world God would have us make” and that the Women’s Division is called to be “a prophetic voice to the world.”  Diversity is the strength of the Women’s Division and this new world order.  (This interpretation of the Gospel as a need to create a utopian new world order for God is the underlying motivation for all the work of the Women’s Division.  The reality of our sinful, fallen condition that can only be healed by the redemptive grace of our Lord and Savior is not acknowledged.)  It is commendable that the Women’s Division is monitoring and resourcing itself on the issue of institutional racism.  This is a continuous program that has included some controversial speakers, a moving trip to the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham, workshops, surveys, videos and small group reflections. 

National Ministries with Women, Children, and Youth Report

 This report identified six grant recommendations that were unanimously approved.  On the surface, only one of the approved grants appeared questionable.  Five thousand dollars was approved for two Huston-Tillotson students to attend the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona, Spain in July 2004.  Research would be in order on this event.

International Ministries with Women, Children, and Youth Report

 This committee used the following priorities as the guiding criteria for funding programs and projects during the 2000-20004 quadrennium.

 For Women: 1) leadership development through education and training, 2) women’s health and well-being, 3) alleviating violence and alternatives to violence, 4) women’s participation in church and gender issues, 5) economic development, 6) refugees and displaced people. 

 For Children: 1) education/girl child, 2) health/nutrition/nurture, 3) alleviating violence, 4) exploitation of children, 5) poverty, 6) children of war/refugees. 

 For Youth: 1) leadership development through education and training, 2) networking and organizing youth movements, 3) conflict resolution, 4) young women and gender issues among young people, 5) economic development, 6) refugees and displaced peoples.

Scholarships for 2004 include: 

1. A $10,000 grant to a woman at Smith College in Massachusetts to study Women’s Studies and Government—she will use her skills to work with organizations committed to gender issues in Guyana.

 2. A $5,295 grant for a student from Kenya to enable her to study in “leadership for world transformation” at Social Artistry Institute in Ashland, Oregon.  She plans to help develop “new emerging earth sensitivities and to assist people in their recognition of the spiritual dimension of all creation.”

 3.  A $2,000 grant to a Filipino student to complete her Bachelor Degree in Laws and Letters.  She would like to promote social justice, organize movements to enhance people’s rights and to help with legal matters for the people of the Philippines.

 4.  A $2,000 grant for a female student at the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies in the Philippines.  She plans to study “how women are subjugated and marginalized in religious and theological discourse and by the mainstream religious endeavors.”  Her goal is to facilitate an “ intentional program for women’s empowerment.” 

5. A $1,800 grant for a woman from Ghana to complete a Doctor of Ministry in Feminist Theology degree at the San Francisco Theological Seminary.  She plans to set up a women’s center in the Methodist Church in Ghana.

 6. A $2,000 grant to a woman from Chile studying for her Ph.D. in Theology at the Methodist University in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  She will be finalizing, presenting and defending her doctoral thesis on violence against women, with a focus on Chilean society and “the andocentric images of God in the Methodist Church of Chile.”  She will continue to work as a pastor and focus her practical work in gender analysis and the support of the women’s movement.

 Self-empowerment, self-actualization, self-help…Where is Jesus?  I only highlight these few grants to show the emphasis the Women’s Division places on feminist and justice theologies.  There are many worthy scholarships made that are training women to be productive contributors in their struggling countries.  Teachers, doctors, nurses, economists, counselors, church workers and pastors are all needed and the Women’s Division makes a great contribution to this need.  However, feminist and liberal political ideologies are having a world-wide effect through their funding of national and international ministries.

 No where is the name of Jesus Christ even implied in the application for projects, programs and scholarships.  This is a startling reality.  A project requesting funds is not required to show that it will advance the Gospel or even have a Christian affiliation.  Intentional mission outreach and support that embodies the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations is possible and should be expected of the Women’s Division.  Every mission project of the UMW should bear some component of sharing the Gospel with those whose lives are touched by it.  Women in the church need to ask the question—“How will this project benefit the kingdom of Jesus Christ?”  I would think this would be a minimum standard for all of our church agencies. 

Report of the Deputy General Secretary Joyce Sohl

 Ms. Sohl’s last address as the chief officer of the Women’s Division was entitled “Words For the Turbulent Sea.”  Her message was inspired from a line in a hymn that says “you’re the waves in a turbulent sea.”  She used the image of a boat on a raging ocean with waves crashing all around it. “The waves are in control; not the boat nor the people in the boat, and the waves are powered by the wind which is the ultimate controlling force.”  Ms. Sohl suggested that we as United Methodist Women are called to be the waves in the turbulent sea of the church and society.  “We are powered by the wind of the Spirit of God.”

 The turbulent times we find ourselves in were characterized as: “from religious rhetoric of presidential candidates—to the political rhetoric of would-be bishops,” “from an economy that according to the president is growing—to those who can’t find a job,” “from a denomination that bewails loss of members even when the African church is growing—to those who are more concerned about money than ministry and mission.” She added,“While the Women’s Division cannot and shouldn’t take on all the problems of the world, it is our responsibility to advocate for justice.”

  Ms. Sohl suggested four helpful words that will assist in being the necessary waves in this turbulent world: prepared, imaginative, bold and faithful.  Preparation, she said, involves research and study, listening to a variety of people, engagement in spiritual disciplines, willingness to stand a long time in solidarity for equality and waiting for God’s timing.  God’s promises  “must be reinterpreted and open to the new realities of the present.” We are to celebrate our 135 year history but also be “willing to let go of the excess baggage that is no longer relevant.”  “We must let God do God’s work of transformation” in individuals while we wait for God’s call to “further engage the powers and principalities of our world.”  Ms. Sohl contended that the Women’s Division “must be imaginative in our approach to mission and our involvement in God’s mission.” We are to be women that “are willing to imagine the newness that God has promised” and live out the freedom that comes from Jesus Christ.

 “The Women’s Division must be bold in their participation in God’s mission…we must be wary of those who try to direct or control our agenda,” she warned.  Ms. Sohl acknowledged the responsibility to train the next generation. She continued, “Boldness is not cheap. It usually has a cost and can even be risky, dangerous, subversive and redeeming.”  Faithfulness is also essential—our relationship to God through Jesus Christ. “We are to be so faithful that we do not demand of God an outcome that we seek, but rather that we allow God to be free to bring about the outcomes God desires.”  To be faithful means…“we can and will walk on water if necessary or go to the bottom of the well to bring forth the water of life for our sisters.”

 While the address is well written and makes many beautiful points about being women of faith in mission, one gets the feeling that all the control in this nautical scene is powered by the Women’s Division and directed, not necessarily by the winds of God’s Holy Spirit, but by a worldview that encompasses much that is secular and outside the bounds of orthodox Christian faith. The Women’s Division is portrayed as those doing the transforming, the imagining, the redeeming, the allowing, and the bringing forth-----where is Jesus?

 Ms. Sohl has been involved in some form of leadership within the Women’s Division since 1968.  She has been a director, a chairperson of Finance, treasurer and served on numerous boards within the General Board of Global Ministries.  Her legacy is pervasive and her influence widespread.  Her financial leadership has enabled the Women’s Division to produce an investment portfolio and property ownership that would marvel a Fortune 500 company. One of Ms. Sohl’s favorite quotes that I have heard many times is “If you know the finances, you know the organization.”  Nothing could be more true.  When you examine the funding of where the money goes in this organization, you know where their heart lies.  And they are a formidable force.  Even the General Board of Global Ministries have a reverent respect for the political power and financial savvy of the Women’s Division. This was in full evidence at Joyce Sohl’s retirement dinner later that evening.

   General Secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries the Rev. Randy Day was speaking about the many contributions that the Women’s Division has made to the United Methodist Church under the leadership of Joyce Sohl. Accolades and remembrances were shared of their working relationship.  To illustrate the prominent position that the Women’s Division holds within the church, he told a rather unusual story about Fannie Crosby to make his point.  He described how Crosby lived in the same community as P.T. Barnum not far from where our meeting was taking place and how the famous circus entrepreneur had inquired about her being in his sideshow to display her talent of playing the piano even though she was blind.  She rebuked this offer and declared that she would never be a part of any sideshow.  Rev. Day paralleled this experience with the Women’s Division never being relegated to a sideshow within the United Methodist Church.  “Even though some in our denomination would have it otherwise, as long as I am general secretary of the GBGM, the Women’s Division will never be a sideshow in the church or at General Conference,” he stated emphatically.  To this statement came thunderous applause as my heart sank at the realization that our entire church has been pervaded with the same deceptive political, social and theological agenda of the Women’s Division.  Money certainly does talk.  It is my humble prayer that as Jesus calmed the waters on the Sea of Galilee, He will calm these out of control waves of the Women’s Division that threaten our women, our church, our country and our witness to the entire world.  That is also my prayer for many of our bishops, pastors and leaders in the GBGM.

Conclusion
 As I have reflected over my research and observations regarding the Women’s Division I have come to some conclusions that I feel are essential in understanding just what has happened to this organization with such a rich 135-year history. 

 1) The Women’s Division has embraced a secular and feminist worldview that has not only lost touch with mainstream women at the local level, but also with the evangelical foremothers of United Methodist Women and the early feminist movement.  Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost was the foundation and purpose of this organization throughout most of its fruitful history. The early missionary women were bold and courageous as they traveled to foreign lands to participate in the Great Commission.  The only focus on evangelism in our modern organization is the feeble resurrection of the Bible Women program recently enacted by the Women’s Division.

  Exploring the differences in early feminism and their modern day counterparts is very revealing. Dr. Janice Crouse, author of A Christian Women’s Declaration writes, “Many of the earliest and most effective advocates of women’s rights and dignity were women of faith whose convictions were rooted in Biblical truth.” In a wonderful report by Stephanie Porowski entitled “Hijacking a Noble Cause: How Modern Feminism Has Abandoned Its Founders,” she gives some wonderful insights into what I think has taken place within our organization.  Women like Frances Willard, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony approached life with a “sense of justice and moral zeal” founded on Judeo-Christian principles.  Their goals and grievances were clearly stated and they offered solutions grounded in moral law.  “However, in the late l960’s and 70’s, feminism abandoned its moral and, often, Christian heritage and became a movement based on anger and resentment.”  Dr. Janice Crouse writes:

 The radical feminist agenda has revolutionary, not reformist, goals. The agenda demeans the role of women past and present and seeks to restructure society. Rather than liberating women by providing them equal opportunity to develop to the fullest their God-given talents, abilities and potential, this agenda, in fact leads to women being demeaned, their lives destroyed and their spirits enslaved.”

 “Gender has become a ‘social construct,’ equality now means ‘identical’ and women are seen as ‘empty vessels’ shaped by ‘patriarchy.’”  This victimization of women has led feminist to embrace the notion that a new social order is the only solution.  Women like Betty Friedan, Germaine Greer, and Gloria Steinem influenced an entire generation like myself with empty promises and shallow ambitions. The constant focus on self, freedom and liberation caused many young women to make choices with devastating consequences and many lives were shattered in the process. Modern feminists have created a generation that searches for sexual discrimination in all aspects of life.  This constant victim vs. oppressor attitude sees “the sole purpose of human life as pleasure and self-actualization. Modern feminists see men as a constant threat and enemy and see traditional family life as a prison.”  The opposing viewpoints on the subject of abortion are particularly telling. “Early feminists saw abortion as exploitation of women; modern feminists see it as a solution to the problem of exploitation.” “In a speech in 1875, Susan B. Anthony discusses abortion and postnatal infanticide, along with rape and prostitution, as male crimes against women. They saw nothing more degrading to women as abortion.”  Radical feminist attitudes have greatly affected academic institutions as well by overthrowing classic curriculums with women’s studies programs that devalue the emphasis on reason to more “emotional and spiritual” topics. Many seminaries reflect this trend as well by requiring students to use female metaphors for God even when it goes against their core doctrinal beliefs.

 “A Gift for the Whole Church” is the Women’s Division policy statement which reflects this  radical feminist viewpoint.  Rewritten in 1993, it is fourteen page manifesto of their ideals and intentions.  I quote, “As long as the church is still in captivity to male values, structures and practices it will be unable to be the locus of genuine community.  We must continue to raise the reasons for this captivity to the level of consciousness so they may be examined, challenged and changed….This means challenging patriarchy, creating a system which 1) allows men the freedom to “let go” of their excessive power with the resulting positive, emotional and physical health implications, 2) gives women increased power over their lives and their bodies, and 3) is non-hierarchical, non-competitive and non-violent in economic, political, social, cultural and theological realms.” 

 Early and modern feminism have affected our society in many ways.  The achievements of early feminists regarding full equality under the law are a lasting legacy whereby women have contributed much over the last 150 years. Modern feminists have left a different legacy altogether. Many of today’s women have abandoned modern feminist teachings and are turning in increasing numbers to the traditional values embodied in scripture.  “A 1999 CBS poll shows that while in 1992, 31% of women considered themselves feminists, seven years later only 20% responded affirmatively. In fact, 3 out of 4 described the word feminist as an insult.”  Obedience and submission are not words that should make us recoil with anger and resentment.  They are words that give us an awareness that it’s not about us at all…not about our rights, our bodies, our liberation.   It’s all about Jesus….His kingdom, His will, His word, His peace.  Our value comes not only in God’s great love for us through the sacrifice of His only Son on the cross but also in the utilization of our God-given talents to bring that saving message of  love to the world. That’s our ultimate purpose in life—to bring honor and glory to God and bear eternal fruit for His kingdom.  And with 1.7 billion people in the world who have never heard the Gospel…we’re not doing a very good job! 

2) The problems within the Women’s Division and The United Methodist Church are caused by the prevalent absence of a biblical worldview.  George Barna has released a new book Think Like Jesus that reveals some extraordinary findings about worldviews and how these views affect our actions. He defines a biblical worldview as “believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is based upon the Bible; and firm belief in six specific religious views (the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe who still rules it today, salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned, the accuracy of biblical teaching, and Christians have a responsibility to evangelize.)”  His study revealed some shocking results.  Only 7% of Protestants and 9% of “born again” evangelical Christians possess a biblical worldview. Of pastors polled only 51% shared these views! Among mainstream denominations, the Southern Baptists held the highest percentage of pastors having a biblical worldview (71%) while the United Methodists has the lowest (27%).  This is truly incredible!  Race, geography, seminary training, age and experience are also factors that revealed huge differences.  Barna suggested that “a biblical worldview must be both taught and caught—that is, it has to be explained and modeled.  Clearly, there are huge segments of the Christian body that are missing the benefit of such a comprehensive and consistent expression of biblical truth.”  Good preaching and offering helpful programs is not enough—developing a biblical worldview is a long-term process that requires intentional effort on the part of Christian if we are to “think like Jesus.”  When a person really accepts Jesus into their heart and life the transformation that takes place affects every aspect of their beliefs and actions. Having a biblical worldview deeply impacts our views on morally acceptable behavior as well.   

It is my humble opinion that all of the disunity and polarization that is occurring within United Methodist Women and in the United Methodist Church  all comes down to these differences in worldviews. We are called as followers of Christ to live “in this world” but not be “of this world.”  We as a community of faith are looking more like the world every day. 1John 4:5-6: They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” What kind of witness are we to a lost and hurting world if we don’t stand out as people of deep moral character and conviction?  Are we living holy lives that are worthy of our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ?

 There were several times at the Women’s Division board meeting where I truly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit among us.  One was when a youth mission choir was singing at Joyce Sohl’s retirement celebration.  The words of truth they sang and the light of Christ in their eyes was truly a wondrous sight to behold.  Another was at the end of Ms. Sohl’s final address.  As she repeated the phrase “God bless you” she told us to look around the room and make eye contact with each other as she repeated those words.  As I looked in the eyes of the women around the room, my heart was filled with a tremendous love for each and every one of them.  As I looked over at Jan Love, the new leader of our organization, I said a silent prayer for United Methodist Women.  I prayed that God would guide her to bring this organization back to its biblical foundations. I prayed for the woman deceived by the liberation theology and feminist theology that has taken over our leadership.  I prayed for the thousands of women who are not represented at the local level by the Women’s Division.  I prayed for Karen Dammann and the effect her trial has had on our denomination.  And I prayed for the mission recipients of all the countless funds of the Women’s Division, that somehow they might know Christ and make Him known.

 Throughout this weekend I kept thinking about the movie The Passion of Jesus Christ.  As anyone who has seen it can attest—this film definitely demands a response from its viewers.  Like many others, I openly wept.  The visual picture I now possess about what my Savior endured on the cross in my behalf will forever be etched upon my brain. The restoration and transformation of a broken life was His personal gift to me—and to every one of us. People around this world are desperate to know the truth of God through His Son Jesus Christ. “And with His stripes we are healed.”  Isn’t sharing that gift our ultimate responsibility—our continual thank you note for the greatest gift we could ever receive.  As we kneel at the foot of the cross—it’s no longer about us anymore.  It’s only about Jesus.

 The Gospel of Jesus Christ must remain central in all of our mission endeavors and in all our works for justice, peace, economic improvement or political advocacy.  When this is so, our ship will not be off course, even in the most turbulent waters—and our destination will be sure.

Sources:

1. The Holy Bible, NIV
2. Social Policy Statements and Recommended Action, 1968-2003, Women’s Division, General Board of Global Ministries,   The United Methodist Church.
3. Critique and Analysis by the Good News/RENEW Network of The United Methodist Women’s Division 2004 General Conference Petitions, by Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D.
4. Hijacking a Noble Cause: How Modern Feminism Has Abandoned Its Founders, by Stephanie Porowski.,2003.
5. A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person’s Life, Barna Research Online, 2003.
6. Only Half of Protestant Pastors Have a Biblical Worldview, Barna Research Online, 2004.
7. Handouts received at the Spring Board Meeting of the Women’s Division, March 19-22, 2004.

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