1	About this Presentation
2	About this Presentation
3	Watershed Moment
4	Table of Contents Introduction Time Line Participants Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups
5	Introduction
6	Introduction - Why? Concern for Doctrinal Integrity How can we walk together if there is division over our core beliefs? Connectional As a connectional community of faith, we are part of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference, The North Central Jurisdiction and the General Conference of the UMC Responsibility Within our local community of faith Within our conference Within our denomination
7	Watershed Moment - Response Team (emphasis added) The complaints … against Bishop Sprague are a very serious matter, both for Bishop Sprague and the Church. Indeed, the supervisory response team recognizes this as a potential watershed moment in our denomination. The response to the complaints could establish the cultural ethos and the missional direction of the denomination (particularly in the United States) for the foreseeable future. The entire Church is watching. Critical questions hang in the balance and frame the context of the complaints.
8	Benefits Opportunity to confirm our beliefs Opportunity to influence our conference and denomination in this watershed moment Profess and Strengthen our faith
9	Overview Examine the Bishop’s statements made in his speech, on his the NIC web site, in his book, Affirmations of a Dissenter, and in his lectures at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio Review those statements in light of the Bible and the Book of Discipline Examine both supportive and challenging responses by other UMC Bishops Complaint Response and Recommendations Complainants’ Statement following Complaint Response
10	Outline of Affirmations of a Dissenter Introduction Eight Chapters Epilogue Autobiographical background Chapter Three - The issue is Biblical Authority Chapter Four - Fully Human Jesus Synopsis available
11	Time Line Introduction Time Line Participants Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups
12	Time Line – Key Events Previous complaints regarding Bishop Sprague’s doctrine dismissed (1999), total of 4-5 complaints January 28, 2002 – Address by Bishop Sprague at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO Sept. 20, 2002 – Bishop Whitaker Response (Florida) October NIC Edition United Methodist Reporter – Bishop Sprague Commentaries; ongoing publication of the Bishop Whitaker Response
13	Time Line – Key Events October 30, 2002 - Bishop Edward’s Response (North Carolina) November 1, 2002 November 14, 2002 – Bishop McCleskey Response (South Carolina) December 30, 2002 – Group Files Complaint (led by Rev. Lambrecht, WI)
14	Time Line – Key Events Ongoing – Book Signings and Book Reviews scheduled by Bishop Sprague in NIC churches and conference events and speeches to various theological seminaries February 18, 2003 – Complaint Dismissed, Bishop Sprague Statement issued (This is the fourth complaint against the Bishop to be dismissed – source, Daily Herald) March 17, 2003 – Complainants issue joint statement following response team’s dismissal
15	Participants Introduction Time Line Participants Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups
16	Participants Bishops North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops Complainants – Lay and Clergy (group of 28) and a Mississippi Conference Pastor* * Complaint referenced in this presentation is by the group of 28 and not the Mississippi Conference Pastor
17	North Central Jurisdiction
18	United Methodist Leaders Release Book Challenging Ultra-Conservatives As Reported by Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) (April 26, 2003) “United Methodism at RISK: A Wake-Up Call shares extensive research to show who is behind the campaign to force the denomination into a narrow political and theological framework.” “The book was published by the Information Project for United Methodists, co-chaired by Bishop C. Dale White, widely known for his leadership on peace issues, and New York attorney and well-known United Methodist lay leader Beth Capen. Veteran Christian journalist Leon Howell is the author. The books close to 200 pages detail the rise of conservative renewal groups within United Methodism and sister denominations, and link their activity to right-wing activity in society.”
19	United Methodist Leaders Release Book Challenging Ultra-Conservatives As Reported by Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) (April 26, 2003) “All United Methodists need to read this book to be fully informed on the tactics, ideological bias and theological restrictions evidenced in the life and work of the conservative renewal groups," Bishop White said in announcing the books release. The direction they would take our church demeans clergy and laity, he said.” "It is insulting to the professional integrity of the clergy to dictate to them the precise theological language they must use in the pulpit and Bible studies," Bishop White said. "And its insulting to the laity to assume they cannot be trusted to engage in theological reflection and define their faith according to their own perceptions and conscience.”
20	METHODISM@RISK HERE I STAND For God's sake — literally — let's stop battling Rev. Kathryn Johnson, Executive Director, Methodist Federation for Social Action Get The Facts Straight Before You Write the Book, by Dr. Bill Hinson, President, Board of Directors, The Confessing Movement. Good News editor denies 'extremist' designation in editorial Dr. James V. Heidinger II, President and Publisher, Good News Magazine, Wilmore, Kentucky Bishops at fault John N. Grenfell, Jr.. Fort Gratiot, Michigan, in a Letter to the Editor, United Methodist Reporter, July 9, 2003. "Risking Methodism", by D. Stephen Long, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (UMC) Bishop Talbert Assails IRD, UM Action United Methodist Leaders Release Book Challenging Ultra-Conservatives Ad hoc group releases book on ‘United Methodism at risk’ Amid the smokescreens, UMC needs a 'third way to heal itself 06/11/03 The risk of renewal groups by Jim Heidinger of Good News Information Project for United Methodists (IPUM) - United Methodist is at Great Risk! Evangelical Methodists Experiencing Intolerance from Within Denomination
21	Risking Methodism Dr. Steven Long, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology. Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in his essay, “Risking Methodism” “At this point some persons will clearly think that Methodism@Risk is correct; people like me “threaten” John Wesley’s “think and let think.” But of course Wesley never thought one could think and let think about the heart of Christian doctrine – the Incarnation, Trinity, Virgin Birth, Bodily Resurrection – or a common quest for Christian holiness, which includes specific worship practices. That is why he gave us the gift of something called a “discipline,” Articles of Religion and a sermon called “the duty of constant communion.” He urged the Methodist people – out of “duty” – to frequent the Lord’s table as much as possible. If we have no common vision, doctrine, moral practice or worship life then we may as well become a confederation of independent churches. That is not Methodism, but recent Annual Conference actions tend in this direction.” “ If anything is under threat in the Methodist Church today it is this sense of a common teaching, practice and worship that comes from our own tradition, and it is under threat by both the so-called “progressivists” and the church-growth gurus who came up with the “open hearts, minds and doors” campaign. Can we take the risk of Methodism and recover a common life?”
22	Complaint Introduction Time Line Participants Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups
23	Two chargeable offenses “Dissemination of doctrines contrary to the established standards of doctrine of The United Methodist Church (2702.1 f)” “Disobedience to the Order and Discipline of the UM Church (2702.1 e)”
24	Authority of Scripture Introduction Time Line Participants Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action
25	Authority of Scripture United Methodists and the Authority of Scripture: As United Methodist Christians, we affirm the authority of scripture. What do we mean by that? The Webster Merriam Collegiate Dictionary defines authority as "the power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior" (2b).
26	Authority of Scripture Wesley on the Scriptures "The faith of the Protestants, in general, embraces only those truths as necessary to salvation, which are clearly revealed in the oracles of God . . . The written Word is the whole and sole rule of their faith, as well as practice. We believe, indeed, that 'all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God,' and herein we are distinguished from other non-Christian religions. We believe the written Word of God to be the only and sufficient rule both of Christian faith and practice."
27	Definitions Definition of terms Neo-literalist ("that Christianity is more than fundamentalism or as I prefer to call it `neo-literalism.” – Bishop Sprague) Progressive (metaphorical and symbolic view of the Bible based on a methodology that is a “dynamic process that is empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the faith community’s discernment processes through prayer, dialogue, informed scholarship, and application to the issues of today.” – Bishop Sprague) Orthodox (“Christian tradition as defined by the sacred texts of scripture, the ecumenical councils of the first five centuries, and the teachings of the "fathers of the first millennium.“ (Tom Oden)
28	Redefinition Definition of terms What does it mean to affirm creeds? “He (Sprague) then redefines the creedal affirmations to mean nearly the opposite of their commonly understood meanings. Such redefinition renders his claim to affirm the creedal language meaningless.” (Complaint, Page 4) Example: “Risen Lord”
29	Bishop Sprague on Orthodoxy and Creeds of Early Church Methesco Lecture, 04-22-2003 (emphasis added) Do post-modernists literally accept the cosmology of the biblical world as fact? Why do the time-influenced constructs of the early church fathers hold such awe and reverence for them, given the oblique and rather slippery language employed? … And, when and why did metaphor and myth become such negative concepts to well-informed people in the Church?
30	Bishop Sprague on Neo-Literalists Methesco Lecture, 04-22-2003 (emphasis added) “It has been surprising to me, not that neo-literalists have been virulent in their clamoring for Mary’s gynecological virginity and for Jesus’ bodily resuscitation on Easter, but that seminary faculty members and other well-informed clergy and laity need, teach and passionately advocate a virginally born and physically resurrected, if not always bodily resuscitated, Jesus. I find such thinking to be incredulous.”
31	Doctrine & Biblical Authority The Issue is Biblical Authority (Chapter 3, Affirmations of a Dissenter) What does this mean? For Christianity to be true to its historic heritage it must be authoritative. It has always understood itself to be a product of revelation Its legitimacy inevitably hinges upon the factuality of this claim. (from “The Christian and Authority”, by Elliot Miller)
32	Doctrine & Biblical Authority “Thus, biblical stories did not originate from pre-existent myths. They are firmly rooted in history, as even extra-biblical historical sources and archaeology repeatedly confirm.” Michael Gleghorn, Probe Ministries
33	Bishop Sprague on Scripture “The Bible is the tool, the means and not the end. The Word, the Christ, is that. Therefore your theological methodology is that which I cannot affirm …” (email response by Bishop Sprague on 12/03) The Bible is not the “how” but the “who” and “why” (paraphrase from Bishop Sprague session on Affirmations, Saturday, February 15.)
34	Is the Bible True? Jesus attested to the accuracy of the Bible Matthew 5:18 (NIV) I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
35	Is the Bible True? Biblical Archeology Biblical Manuscripts Biblical Unity Biblical Prophecy
36	The Bible on the Bible (emphasis added) “All your words are true" (Psalm 119:160) "Every word of God proves true" (Proverbs 30:5) "The Scriptures cannot be altered" (John 10:35) "Forever, O LORD, your word stands firm in heaven" (Psalm 119:89)
37	Attainable Truth (emphasis added) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free.” John 8:31-32 (NIV) Jesus said, “ I am the way the TRUTH and the life.” John 14:6 (NIV) TRUTH is centered in and on Jesus Christ “It is false piety to preserve peace at the expense of truth. It is also false zeal to preserve the TRUTH at the expense of charity.” (Blaise Pascal in PENSEES) “Our aim should be to speak TRUTH in love.” Ephesians 4:15
38	False Piety at the Expense of Truth (emphasis added) “Instead of contending for “the faith that was once and for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3), we may end up contending for our OWN infallibility” (Douglas Groothuis in Apologetics, Truth and Humility) “Lord, protect us from the mindless love that deceives and the loveless TRUTH that kills.” (Apologist Albert Outler)
39	Aren’t these issues just different interpretations of the Bible? (emphasis added) Even those who do not believe the Bible to be true seldom have difficulty discerning the main message, be it true or be it false. It is clear for those who will read it with an open mind, seeking to understand its meaning. The problem comes when people attempt to make the “Word” fit their preconceived ideas. Often disagreement is not so much with interpretation, rather with application of the Scriptures. Differences result from cultural, ethnic and social factors, but this argument is no excuse for refusing to agree that the central TRUTH of the Bible revolves around the question of just who is Jesus Christ and concerns the Gospel story.
40	Doctrinal Issues Introduction Time Line Participants Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups
41	Doctrinal Issues
42	Doctrinal Issues – Balanced The Bishop Speaks The BOD Speaks* The Bible Speaks * The Articles of Religion of The Methodist Church and the Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church as found in our United Methodist doctrinal standards (may not be changed).
43	Bishop Sprague on Virgin Birth Chapter 4 Fully Human Jesus (emphasis added) "Thus, if the Virgin Birth did not occur in a physical historical sense, if Jesus were born of human parents, as I affirm he was, and if Jesus did not possess trans-human supernatural powers, as I do not believe he did, what sense can we make of the miraculous stories about him in the gospel accounts?" "This powerful myth was not intended as historical fact, but was employed by Matthew and Luke in different ways to point poetically to the Truth about Jesus as experienced in the emerging Church."
44	Bishop Sprague on Virgin Birth Chapter 4 Fully Human Jesus (emphasis added) "I believe that Jesus the Messiah, the Christ of God, was fully human. The myth of the Virgin Birth (a theological myth is not a false presentation but a valid and quite persuasive literary device employed to point to ultimate Truth that can only be insinuated symbolically and never depicted exhaustively) is found neither in Mark, the earliest gospel account, nor in John, the latest.” “Said differently, in Jesus, God’s Essence found confluence with a human being and the Kingdom/Reign was incarnated and ushered into being. The theological myth of the Virgin Birth points to this wondrous mystery and ultimate Truth. To treat this myth as an historical fact is to do an injustice to its intended purpose and to run the risk of idolatry, namely, treating a means as an end itself."
45	The Book of Discipline, Article II (emphasis added) “The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided; whereof is one Christ, very God and very Man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.”
46	Complaint - Virgin Birth Low Christology (emphasis on Jesus as a Human) “His Christology appears to be a form of adoptionism, which has never been a part of Christian theology and was clearly contradicted by the Council of Nicea.” Complaint, Page 2
47	Bishop Sprague on Christology Methesco Lecture, 04-22-2003 (emphasis added) Addressing Christology from below, while grappling with issues of existence, rather than doing Christology from above, while speculating about questions of essence, this chapter presupposes Jesus’ full humanity. His divinity, while affirmed, is understood as relational reality and not as a matter of irrevocable nature. In short, Jesus could have forsaken his relationship of at-one-ment with the Holy One, whom he called Abba, but instead, by virtue of His ultimate trust in and absolute obedience to the divine initiative, He incarnated and manifested the very heart of God that neither death nor tomb could contain.
48	Bishop Sprague on Christology Methesco Lecture, 04-22-2003 (emphasis added) There are practical and particular reasons for emphasizing the human side of the Christological paradox at this moment in history. Not the least of these has to do with the docetic tendencies of a higher Christology. A marginally human Jesus not only robs humans of a viable model to follow, it also so shrouds Jesus in the code language of a former time that yearning hearts and searching minds often dismiss and, thus, are dissuaded from taking the Gospel seriously. High Christology runs the risk of so removing Jesus from history and humanity that, while His adherents proudly venerate His image, they sometimes shamefully fail to follow His example. The point is clear: The further Jesus is removed from His humanity, the higher the cloud on which He resides, the murkier the ethics become for following His example of social justice, non-violence and extravagant love in the Church and world.
49	Bible: Christology (Virgin Birth) Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
50	Bible: Christology (Trinity) (emphasis added)
51	Bible: Christology (Trinity) (emphasis added)
52	Bible: Christology (Trinity) (emphasis added)
53	Bishop Sprague on Resurrection: Chapter 4 Fully Human Jesus (emphasis added) “More and more was said about Jesus as the Son of God after his death on the Cross as the confused and frightened disciples, who had not gotten it, experienced the Risen Christ in their midst. Profoundly, they got it at last so they sought appropriate means to tell the Story of his unique presence that had transformed their lives and brought the Church into being.”
54	Bishop Sprague on Resurrection: Chapter 4 Fully Human Jesus (emphasis added) “It was from their experience of the risen and ever-present Christ Spirit, God’s powerful breath of life, that the apostles and disciples came to see through their own trust and obedience that Jesus was not dead and buried but alive forevermore, calling them to pick up his mantle, even to take up the Cross and follow him.” “Having said this much, I must say more. I believe in the resurrection of Jesus, but I cannot affirm that his resurrection involved the resuscitation of his physical body. The inconsistent reports in the New Testament of his several and initially unrecognized resurrection appearances add support to this point of view . . .”
55	Bishop Sprague on Resurrection: Chapter 4 Fully Human Jesus (emphasis added) “I affirm resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus. God’s Essence cannot be killed, buried or kept from being active in creation and history. God is from everlasting to everlasting. But, resurrection, including that of Jesus, does not occur through bodily resuscitation.” “God does not work this way. The issue is not the absence of God’s power but God’s own “self” limiting role of revelation in history. God works within the boundaries God has established. And while I do not pretend to know the limits of these boundaries and realize that we all see but through a glass darkly, I am certain that the miracle of resurrection, pre-eminently that of Jesus, is not tied to bodily resuscitation.” “The linking of resurrection with bodily resuscitation is to make a literal religious proposition of a metaphorical, symbolic expression of Truth itself. This is the kind of idolatry from which I dissent.”
56	The Book of Discipline, Article III (emphasis added) (Concerning the Resurrection of Christ) “Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day.”
57	Bible: Resurrection (emphasis added) 1 Corinthians 15: 12 - 20 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.
58	Bible: Resurrection (emphasis added) 1 Corinthians 15: 12 – 20 (Continued) But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
59	Bishop Sprague on Salvation Through Christ Alone From Transcript: Affirmations of a Dissenter (emphasis added) “Having so affirmed Jesus as God’s unique and normative revelation, I must dissent from Christocentric exclusives which hold that Jesus is the only way to God’s gift of salvation. Such an arrogant claim stands over and against the inclusive Jesus of the synoptics and limits God in ways that humans cannot and must not.” “God is God, and all human knowledge of that God is limited at best. The Jesus revelation is primary for Christians, and while I affirm the Christ event as unique and normative, I cannot honestly limit God’s ability to be God through revelatory offerings of the spirit as found in other monotheistic religions.” “After all, God’s life giving experience and God’s life giving spirit found expression in Israel and the Jews continue to be people of the covenant, they too are pilgrims on the way. So too is this the case with God’s grace for the faithful followers of Islam.”
60	US UMC Bishops View on Salvation through Christ Alone "Is Jesus the Only Way to Salvation?“
61	The Book of Discipline, Article XX “. . . The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone…”
62	Bible: Salvation Through Christ Alone Acts 4:12 (NIV) Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." John 14:6 (NIV) Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
63	Definition of Atonement The Webster Merriam Collegiate Dictionary defines atonement as “the reconciliation of God and man through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.”
64	Bishop Sprague on Atonement From Transcript: Affirmations of a Dissenter (emphasis added)
65	"”Obviously," ”Obviously, such an understanding of atonement leaves no room for me to affirm the substitutionary atonement theory that portrays Jesus’ blood on the Cross as satisfying an angry deity through one majestic sacrificial human death, much like sacrifices of unblemished sheep and goats in ancient Israel were understood to appease God and atone for the sins of all. Sacrifice, even of one’s life, on behalf of others is an eloquent witness to God’s grace.” “ I affirm Jesus, the fully human one as the Son of God, whose relationship of faithful trust and radical obedience with God gave to the Church (and through the Church to the world), the pre-eminent manifestation of at-one-ment with God. Atonement is the English contraction for at-one- moment.”
66	"“How much more blood..." “How much more blood sacrifice is needed in a world saturated with blood and famished for a different understanding of salvation? While sacrifice as an act of discipleship is essential for all of us as it was for Jesus, the concept of blood sacrifice to appease God is superstition at best and an idolatrous allegiance to a non-Jesus methodology of God-human relationship at worst.”
67	The Book of Discipline, Article VIII (emphasis added) Of the Word, or Son of God, Who Was Made Very Man The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided; whereof is one Christ, very God and very Man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.
68	The Book of Discipline, Article XX (emphasis added) “…The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which it is commonly said that the priest doth offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission…”
69	Bible: Atonement (emphasis added) Hebrews 9: 11 – 14, 22 (NIV) When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (22) In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
70	Bible: Atonement (emphasis added) 1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
71	Other Bishops’ Responses Introduction Time Line Participants Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action
72	Other Bishops' Responses Sept. 20, 2002 – Bishop Whitaker Response (Florida) October 30, 2002 - Bishop Edward’s Response (North Carolina) November 14, 2002 – Bishop McCleskey Response (South Carolina)
73	Bishop Timothy Whitaker, Florida (emphasis added) “While I think Bishop Sprague assumes that he is being faithful to the symbols of the church in explicating his theologoumenon, I am of the opinion that he is not as careful about attending to the directions and boundaries of beliefs established by the councils and creeds as he should be, particularly in his reflections on the divinity of Jesus Christ. It may be that he assumes certain liberties because of his rather vague interpretation of the symbolic nature of the language of the councils and creeds.”
74	Bishop Marion M. Edwards, Raleigh Area (emphasis added) “For me, the most serious lapse in Bishop Sprague's address, which was on Christology, was to diminish the reality of the Holy Trinity. He notes that Jesus became the Son of God by virtue of his absolute human obedience to God the Father in his statement: “Jesus was not born the Christ, rather by the confluence of grace with faith he became the Christ." “I believe that Roberta Bondi, in her recent address at the Duke Convocation, better emphasized the second person of the Trinity when she described Jesus as the fullness of God, not just the submissive Jesus, but the wisdom and outpouring love of God.”
75	Bishop Marion M. Edwards, Raleigh Area (emphasis added) “I think the bishop has created a straw person to knock down when he says he does not believe in the resuscitation of the body of Jesus. The biblical teaching of the resurrection is a teaching about a new body, not a resuscitation of the old body. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away..." (Revelation 21:1) If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation." (2 Corinthians 5:17) "New," which redeems the "old," is the biblical word which I find missing from a consideration of Bishop Sprague's resurrection theology.”
76	Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey, South Carolina Annual Conference (emphasis added) “What is essential? The affirmation of the mysterious and paradoxical wonder of God made human, Word made flesh, Jesus Christ as the revelation of God in God’s fullness and of humanity in its intended character. That is essential for the Christian. To be able to explain how it is so is not essential. It never has been. And it is certainly not now an issue over which persons should be told to relinquish leadership in or get out of the church.”
77	Complaint Summary and Status Introduction Time Line Participants Renewal Groups Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action “Progressive” Groups Complaint
78	Complaint Summary Filed on December 30 to Bishop Bruce R. Ough, President of the College of Bishops for the North Central Jurisdiction Chargeable Offenses Examples of contrary doctrine “The question is, do we have doctrinal standards that set boundaries around our teaching?”, Complaint, Page 4
79	Complaint Summary (emphasis added) Brought to investigation, and if sustained: “Bishop Sprague either (publicly) renounce his contrary teaching and maintain his teaching within the Doctrinal Standards of The United Methodist Church, or That he resign (or be removed) from his office and surrender his credentials of ordination.” “The integrity of the clergy covenant of the United Methodist Church demands no less.” (Complaint, Page 5)
80	Complaint Status Complaint Dismissed Recommendations by the supervisory response team
81	Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Introduction Time Line Participants Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups
82	Response Team Recommendations – 1 (emphasis added) “Bishop Sprague and the complainants participate in a third party facilitated dialogue on the theological and doctrinal issues presented in this case. Further, we recommend this dialogue be open to the public. The purpose of the dialogue would be to discover and explore the points of continuity or disconnect between the traditional and new interpretations of our doctrinal statements.”
83	Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) “We welcome the Supervisory Response Team’s recommendation for a "third party facilitated dialogue on the theological and doctrinal issues presented in this case" and that "this dialogue be open to the public.”” “We also welcome the Team’s proposal that the Council of Bishops provide leadership to the Church in serious theological reflection. We hope that these measures will help our people to understand and embrace the significance of doctrine and theology in the life of the Church.”
84	Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) “We also hope that such dialogue and reflection will enable us to "talk to each other across theological lines" and move toward a common understanding of the faith we proclaim that is in line with our historic doctrines and beliefs.” “The original purpose of the early annual conferences was to build doctrinal unity and identity in the Methodist movement, and today we suffer sorely the consequences of abandoning such "conferencing.””
85	Response Team Recommendations – 2 (emphasis added) “The Council of Bishops take immediate steps to enter into serious theological reflection on issues of Christology, Biblical authority and the mission of the Church. Further, we recommend this process be open to the public and bring to the table persons to represent the wide range of theological thought present in our denomination.” “Further, we recommend the Council develop means to invite the entire Church into similar study and reflection. In effect, this process was begun when several bishops made public responses to Bishop Sprague’s lecture at Iliff.”
86	Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) “As we face openly the issues that divide us in The United Methodist Church, we hope that by God’s grace, we will be able to move toward a common understanding of the message we proclaim and the mission and ministry Christ has entrusted to us. We regret that circumstances have forced us to use an adversarial process to get these issues on the table.” “Now that they are here, we join the Supervisory Response Team in urging us all to "enter into a season of listening deeply to the Holy Spirit and one another" and to "reclaim our mission of ‘spreading scriptural holiness over the lands.”
87	Response Team Recommendations – 3 (emphasis added) Response Team: “The group of complainants (should) offer a public apology for disregarding the spirit of confidentiality intended in the supervisory response process.” Complainants’ Statement: “Based on our understanding of the, Discipline-mandated complaint process and the need for the Church to be aware of the actions that were being taken to address widespread and deeply held concerns we respectfully decline to apologize for publicly disclosing our complaint.”
88	Question #1 Raised By Response Team & Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) Response Team: “Are we drifting, or being driven, toward becoming a doctrinal or creedal Church, rather than a Church rooted primarily in Wesley’s "heart religion?”” Complainants’ Statement: “We are not attempting to "drive" our Church "toward becoming a doctrinal or creedal Church, rather than a Church rooted primarily in Wesley’s ‘heart religion.’" (Rationale question #1) We see no contradiction between the two, and we hope that our Church will have both a genuine experience of God’s mercy and grace through Jesus Christ and well-founded doctrinal expressions of our faith.”
89	Question #2 Raised By Response Team & Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) Response Team: “Are there certain foundational doctrines that cannot or should not be subject to scholarly examination and interpretation?” Complainants’ Statement: “We certainly do not object to the "scholarly examination and interpretation" of our foundational doctrines. (Rationale question #2) We only ask that the interpretation and application of our foundational doctrines be consistent with the permanent doctrinal standards bequeathed to us by our forbearers in the faith (which we all agreed to upon entering the United Methodist community).”
90	Question #3 Raised By Response Team & Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) Response Team: “Is there room in the Church for leaders (ordained clergy and consecrated bishops) to engage in serious theological and biblical discourse, either of a scholarly or confessional nature, without threat of charges?”
91	Question #4 Raised By Response Team & Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) Response Team: “How do we deal with the growing perceptions that the complaint processes are ignored by the bishops and abused by complainants?” Complainants’ Statement: “We find it unbelievable that our complaint might be considered an abuse of the complaint process. (Rationale question #4) We believe our complaint laid out clear grounds for thinking that Bishop Sprague’s doctrinal formulations are inconsistent with our doctrinal standards. The Supervisory Response Team did not acknowledge any understanding of how we could have come to that conclusion (even if they thought we were mistaken).”
92	Question #5 Raised By Response Team & Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) Response Team: “Are there corresponding points and processes of accountability for groups and individuals that relentlessly and increasingly pressure Church leaders and agencies to reflect their positions?” Complainants’ Statement: “We lament the thinking of leaders of the church who see us as "groups and individuals that relentlessly and increasingly pressure Church leaders and agencies to reflect their positions." (Rationale question #5) We see our complaint as the constructive use of rights and responsibilities given to us as members of The United Methodist Church. We are asking our leaders to reflect, not our positions, but the stated positions of The United Methodist Church established in our doctrinal standards.”
93	Question #6 & 7 Raised By Response Team & Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) Response Team: “Are we spiritually mature enough to have truly open "conferencing" on the critical theological, doctrinal, social and missional issues confronting the Church?” Response Team: “Who will lead the Church toward such spiritual maturity – a spirituality rooted in "self-knowledge" (a term Wesley used as an equivalent for true repentance), faith in Jesus Christ, the disciplines of vital piety and the praxis of social holiness?”
94	Question #6 & 7 Raised By Response Team & Complainants’ Statement (emphasis added) Complainants’ Response: “We are saddened to have the issue of "spiritual maturity" raised in connection with this complaint. (Rationale questions #6 and 7) Evangelicals and theological traditionalists have demonstrated their spiritual maturity over years of participation in vital and cooperative ministry within our denomination. They participated responsibly and fruitfully in the dialogue sessions sponsored by the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns prior to the 2000 General Conference. We are not dealing with issues of spiritual maturity here, but with how we can in good faith address the theological differences within our denomination.”
95	View of the Response Team (emphasis added) “Many in our Church believe the threat is doctrinal impurity and heresy. Others in our Church believe the threat is the narrowing of Wesleyan doctrine to a static, rigid formulation.” “It is the humble, but considered, opinion of the supervisory response team that the real threat may well be our arrogance and parochial attitudes.”
96	Status of the Response Team’s Recommendations (emphasis added) “Bishop Sprague and the complainants participate in a third party facilitated dialogue on the theological and doctrinal issues presented in this case. Status: No dialogue announced “The Council of Bishops take immediate steps to enter into serious theological reflection on issues of Christology, Biblical authority and the mission of the Church. Further, we recommend this process be open to the public … Status: No dialogue announced
97	NIC VOICE Action
98	NIC VOICE Action
99	Current State of Affairs
100	Bishop Sprague’s Statement Introduction Time Line Participants Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups
101	Bishop Sprague’s Statement (emphasis added) “My writing, teaching, and preaching reflect our Church’s historic understanding of Scripture’s primacy. These offerings fulfill the on-going responsibility of a bishop to interpret divinely-inspired, but humanly-transmitted, Scripture and tradition.”
102	Bishop Sprague’s Statement (emphasis added) “I affirm the historic doctrines of our Church (Pages 58ff). However, like Scripture and other aspects of Christian tradition, these benchmark indicators of the faith once delivered require constant, informed, and Spirit-led exegesis, exposition, integration, and interpretation, if they are to inform and embolden the Church’s witness and mission for such a time as this.”
103	Bishop Sprague’s Statement (emphasis added) “My abiding fear is that a repeated failure to interpret Scripture and doctrine, metaphorically and symbolically in today’s Church, will continue to drive countless spiritually-searching and critically-thinking people away, not only from this Church but from the very Gospel for which their hearts yearn.”
104	Bishop Sprague’s LECTURE (emphasis added) “The book audaciously — the writing of any book is an audacious act — seeks to prod progressives to consciousness, to reclaim lost space in a constricted, theologically myopic Church, and to challenge the three, increasingly strident, right-wing caucus groups within United Methodism.” “The book suffers from an underdeveloped presentation of the ministry of the laity. It is intemperate in places. Yet, I stand by it, despite its limitations.” “I make no apology for its Christology, understanding of biblical authority, justice affirmations, or clarion calls to action.”
105	Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Introduction Time Line Participants Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action
106	Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague This resolution passed on the Third Consent Calendar at the Northern Illinois Conference, June 5-7, St. Charles, IL. It had received 86% concurrence in Sections:
107	Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague WHEREAS, Bishop C. Joseph Sprague’s leadership is most appropriate for the context of the churches and ministries of the Northern Illinois Conference, which is rich in theological, cultural, racial, and gender diversity; and WHEREAS, religious fundamentalism or exclusivism would simply be an unacceptable characteristic of any religious leader who attempts to address the pertinent issues of the people who reside within the confines of the Northern Illinois Conference; and WHEREAS, while not all would agree with our bishop on every point of faith, we all agree that he makes us think and that he has the right to express his beliefs; and WHEREAS, we believe in the primacy of scripture and do not understand its truth to rest in technical or literal accuracy; and
108	Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague WHEREAS, our Wesleyan tradition has claimed the primacy of Scripture but also the extreme importance of history of Christian doctrine, reason, and experience as contributing elements in our pursuit to know God; and WHEREAS, we celebrate a United Methodist bishop who is courageous to speak prophetically in times such as these; and WHEREAS, we applaud a bishop that makes you think not only about what we believe, but also how we behave. With not only his written words, but also the example of his life, he leads us to seek God’s new reign and to strive for personal and social holiness; and WHEREAS, through his leadership, many of us are being led to grow in our faith in Jesus Christ, we are renewing our passion and energy for making disciples and have both confidence and integrity in our future work as a people of faith;
109	Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we support Bishop C. Joseph Sprague in his ministry and witness as a leader in our denomination and give thanks for his profound witness; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Northern Illinois Conference shall send this resolution to Bishop Sharon Rader, secretary of the Council of Bishops and to Ms. Shirley Cook, chairperson of the north Central Jurisdiction Episcopal Committee. Submitted by MSFA of Northern Illinois Rev. Bob Campbell, Legislative Coordinator
110	Summary Introduction Time Line Participants Complaint Authority of Scripture Doctrinal Issues Christology Resurrection of Christ Salvation through Christ Alone The Atonement of Jesus Christ Other Bishops' Responses Complaint Summary and Status Response Team Recommendations and Complainant’s Response Bishop Sprague’s Statement Northern Illinois Annual Conference Support of the Ministry of Bishop C. Joseph Sprague Summary Action Renewal Groups “Progressive” Groups
111	Summary Are these doctrines that should be open to interpretation and “debate” or does this represent “theological malpractice”?
112	Chicago Tribune, February 19, 2003 (emphasis added) “Blackwell, a Sprague supporter, thinks the bishop has come to personify a profound intellectual division between traditionalists who honor every word of Scripture as binding and progressives who strongly feel that biblical narratives need symbolic interpretation. Sprague says that he wrote his book to provoke debate. "I wanted the larger culture to know that there is more than one Christian voice," Sprague said, "that Christianity is more than fundamentalism or as I prefer to call it `neo-literalism.'" Progressive clergy, he said, have been silenced by a kind of ecclesiastical McCarthyism. They fear the sort of consequences he himself has suffered for offering a more liberal religious perspective, Sprague said.”
113	Daily Herald, 2/18/2003 (emphasis added) "Bishop Sprague and others who teach like him are committing theological malpractice," said the Rev. Scott Field, pastor of Wheatland-Salem United Methodist Church in Naperville. "He not only has altered the package (of Christianity) but completely gutted its contents."
114	May 1, “Episcopal Leadership?” by Dr. Ira Gallaway (emphasis added) Regarding growth in evangelical UMC annual conferences and decline in UMC “progressive” annual conferences: "It would seem that the vastly different membership statistics reflected … (are) instructive to the Church – where you have radical theological . . . leadership, you have a Church in decline. Where you have orthodox evangelical leadership that is supportive of the authority of Scripture and committed to the Great Commission, you have a Church which is vibrant and alive.”
115	United Methodist Church’s bishops on UMC growth (as reported by UMNS) (emphasis added) “New data on church membership trends drew divergent reactions from the United Methodist Church’s bishops during their April 28-May 2 meeting. Some bishops, focusing on the U.S. figures, expressed a sense of urgency about reversing the downward membership trend. Other bishops, noting the lack of global data, said the U.S. research didn’t necessarily reflect the strength of the denomination as a whole. The percentage of U.S. congregations not receiving at least one member on confession of faith or "restored" status increased from 37.8 percent in 1984 to 40.7 percent in 2000, according to the report, "Making Disciples for Jesus Christ." Bishop John Hopkins, who leads the church’s Minnesota Area, presented the report on behalf of the Council of Bishops’ committee on pastoral concerns.””
116	May 1, “Episcopal Leadership?” by Dr. Ira Gallaway (emphasis added) “All United Methodists, and others as well, should know that neither of these Bishops, Sprague or Talbert, speak for The United Methodist Church. They do not even speak for the Council of Bishops, though appearances might indicate otherwise. ONLY The General Conference of The United Methodist Church speaks for United Methodists across the world."
117	John Wesley (emphasis added) “The Methodists must take heed to their doctrine, their experience, their practice, and their discipline. If they attend to their doctrines only, they will make the people antinomians; if to the experimental part of religion only, they will make them enthusiasts; if to the practical part only, they will make them Pharisees; and if they do not attend to their discipline, they will be like persons who bestow much pains in cultivating their garden, and put no fence round it, to save it from the wild boar of the forest.”