Easter came early for me this year. Our Jesus in the Gospels Bible study discussed the crucifixion and resurrection in Mid-March and our discussion of the Gospel of John brought a new light to the issue. We shared our own interpretations of the meaning of Passion Week and expanded our studies beyond the workbook and the videos to also review some of the official positions of the Methodist Church accessible on their web site including citations from the Book of Discipline and some of the sermons of John Wesley on death and dying, atonement, heaven, resurrection, the end times, the Kingdom of God, eternal life, and the meaning of the Holy Spirit. It was pretty heavy work in getting into some of the basic and most significant theological tenets of our faith, but it caused us to think and reflect a little more deeply. I won’t take the time to summarize our discussions on these issues for several reasons. First of all, I’m not a theologian, and secondly we shared a lot of personal insights that were confidential to the group. But in the Wesleyan tradition, that’s what bible study is supposed to be about.

I recently read Mel White’s book Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right. He is a former speechwriter for Jerry Falwell, who died today. I found it profoundly disturbing not because so of much of what is says is true, but because he roused me from my comfortable position on the sidelines in the struggle to regain the true spirit of Christianity. I contribute to numerous GLBT organizations, have participated in various levels of political activism, and have been out and open about my orientation for 40 years in spite of remaining actively involved in the Methodist Church. While I disagree with his strategy of taking the movement to the streets with Soul Force, I cannot disagree with his assertion that the fundamentalists are a very corrosive and divisive force in this country who wants to remake the United States in their image. I am a pragmatist and belief that change comes slowly, and confrontation, while it also may induce change, can also introduce a backlash that only strengthens the opposition.

As I write this on the last day of Methodist Annual Conference, I am struggling to recall the images and stories of the past few days. I was not a delegate and did not attend conference sessions so merely was an observer of the passing scene in the exhibit hall.

RUM-NC was highly visible this year from our perch near the west entrance of the Greenville Convention Center. As conferees entered from the parking lot, they were greeted by our crowd of “silent witnesses.” The witnesses survived the entire conference this year in contrast with last year when they were stolen only after a few hours of being posted outside the front entrance of the center. When Jeanie Aycock and Terry Frye made the new ones this year, they added another sign that said, “Thou Shalt Not Steal --- (signed) God.” Whether that was the cause of their survival or not or because they were observed by more people coming and going, only God knows.

I’m sorry that I won’t be able to attend the RMN Convocation at Vanderbilt next month. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Nashville. So long in fact that the Grand Ol’ Opry was still at Ryman Auditorium, and Opryland hadn’t been built yet. I was not one of the pilgrims to Elvis Presley’s Graceland, preferring to visit Andrew Jackson’s home “The Hermitage” and the reproduction of Parthenon.

In addition to the Upper Room facilities cited in the program, Nashville also is home to the United Methodist Publishing House, Cokesbury Bookstores, Abingdon Press, General Council on Finance, General Board of Discipleship, and General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. You’re going right into the “lion’s den.” You might even get to bootleg a copy of the Book of Discipline (as long as you promise not to read it.)