AN OPEN LETTER TO MY BISHOP

Just this morning Kenneth Carder the Bishop for the United Methodist Church for the state of Mississippi has joined the political correctness/postmodernism advocacy with the position he takes about the state flag for the state of Mississippi in an article by Charlotte Graham of January 27, 2001 The tenets of secularism have permeated into the very core and leadership of the basic institution of our church. (See - Political Correctness/Postmodernism.)

Bishop Carder is venturing into "foreign territory," a political correctness, when he takes the position that he has the authority to speak for approximately 200,000 lay people within the United Methodist Church in the state of Mississippi. Most of us agree with the Reverend Scott D. deHart pastor of St. Stephen’s Reformed Episcopal Church in Jackson when he says "I don’t think it is the role of priests, bishops or others ….to be taking public positions under the authority of the church. He states further. "The church needs to be concerned with what it was ordained to do - - - preach the gospel."

Most of us changed our hearts years ago and we see no need to change our flag and we see nothing wrong with the old flag which has been flying in our state for over 100 years.

Bishop Carder you have quit preaching and started meddling!

Our heritage, our tradition, the mystique that is passed down from one generation to another is like a two edged sword. This strange and inaudible method of education teaches us ‘what to do’ but it also teaches us ‘what not to do’!

I was discussing this heritage thing with a friend of mine the other day when the subject of the Confederate battle flag that is part of the state flag of Mississippi came up. My friend just happens to be black and during this exchange of ideas I was reminded that due to circumstances beyond our control, my friend’s heritage is fairly short lived, that is, in comparison to that of my own family.

Many American citizens of black or negro descent are unable to trace their lineage beyond too few past generations. Numerous sins of the past prevents my friend from inheriting his full and intangible legacy. For that, I express my deepest sorrow, but I refuse to accept a warped sense of responsibility for my friend’s loss.

Within my lifetime, no race or ethnic group of people under the shining sun has come so far so fast as our fellow American citizens of black or negro descent. By and large, the majority of the members of the Greatest Generation gave their blessings, their support, along with their blood, sweat and tears to right a wrong. They done a magnificent job! This generation will soon be gone. It is not too late to say "thank you" to those that remain!

As I asked my friend, "Isn’t it about time all American citizens to realize that we cannot separate our heritage and we must accept the truth that a two edged sword cuts both ways!"

Good or bad, right or wrong, these flags are our heritage. They belong to all of us. We cannot enhance our own individual heritage by destroying someone else’s legacy, nor can we learn anything whatsoever by destroying a part history!

On June 12, 1940, I had turned 12 years of age the past January, I responded to the call from my own personal hero Jesus of Nazareth and accepted the fact that He was exactly who he said he was. I believed!

A couple of weeks later a boyhood friend and I were baptized in a swimming hole we had constructed ourselves by damming up the creek down below my Blue Ridge mountain home. On that Sabbath day my friend and I, became the newest members of the Fairview Methodist Church.

Some sixty years later I am still a Wesleyan Methodist looking for a new church home; a new denomination with the historical standard that was once found in the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. The Methodists believed from the beginning "that the only infallible proof of a true church of Christ is its ability to seek and save the lost, to disseminate the Pentecostal spirit and life, and to transform all peoples and nations through the Gospel of Christ."

This statement was removed during the 1992 General Conference giving sway to the political correctness that has permeated our faith for a quarter of a century and diluted the theological integrity of the United Methodist Church.

I am looking for spiritual fulfillment that I cannot find within the United Methodist Church since they are now advocating practices and teachings that daily challenge the truth of Jesus Christ. The quadrilateral of Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience attributed to Wesley is a bogus claim that his four sources of revelation gives tradition, reason and experience as equal in importance, if not superior, to Scripture in determining our belief and practices. This has allowed the United Methodist Church to cut itself free from the Scriptures as the primary authority and sometimes embrace values in direct contradiction to the historic doctrines and biblical teachings of the Church.

For Wesley, the church was defined as a congregation "in which the pure word of God is preached;" thus the primacy of Scripture has always been part of the Wesleyan tradition.

These practices and teachings now imbued within the Methodist faith include New Age precepts, special interest theologies, Eastern religions, certain Native American rituals, the worship of Sophia, and many other traditions and teachings deemed compatible to the advocates of political correctness. On the other hand, those who reject homosexuality, abortion on demand, and the introduction of pagan and non-Christian rituals are criticized for having a judgmental, exclusive, and therefore, unchristian spirit within our own church.

My church allowed me to represent the congregation at the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church last summer in Tupelo, Mississippi. It was an experience that I shall never forget. A confusing mixture of blessings and disappointments!

The United Methodist Church, is a man made religious institution and there is no doubt in my mind that our founders and the source of our religious heritage were divinely inspired, somewhat like the old time biblical saints and prophets of the Old Testament. In the meantime, let us remember that we are merely a unified collection of like-minded individuals trying our best to be true and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ while realizing that mankind is a far cry from perfection and thus we are subject to error and misjudgment.

All man made institutions have one characteristic in common. Sooner or later they become separate entities unto themselves and begin to perpetuate their own image, thereby forgetting their intended purpose for existence! I call this Barney’s Law of Institutionality!

Please keep in mind that our annual conference membership is equally divided between the clergy and the laity.

This experience gave me the opportunity to discuss our Christian faith with various and numerous disciples of Christ throughout the entire state of Mississippi. I was truly impressed with the sincerity of the voting lay members who attended the conference.

They were attentive and dutifully exercised their voice about the business of the United Methodist Church, expressing their joy of voting for the many missions and worthwhile endeavors of our efforts throughout the whole state. They were just as outspoken with their opposition to those things that were not to their liking.

I was less impressed with the clergy. I got the impression that the conference was more or less a social event to most of them. The social aspects were often overridden by the political maneuvering of professionalism. I could not help but notice a definite bias of the manner in which a person becomes an ordained minister. It is apparent by their actions that the elite are those coming into the ministry via the theological and seminary educational system; the professional that make it their lifetime job. Those dedicated souls, the local God called pastors, are apparently considered to be a sort of second class citizens of the ministry. The actions, the attitudes, the rules and regulations, incorporated into our religious institution, in my opinion, tends to confirm this bias.

Blessings:

The daily worship portion of our schedule was always outstanding. On Monday the
sermon by The Reverend Johnnie Lampkin on PROMISES KEPT in a service of
remembrance for the clergy and their spouses who passed away during the past year was an inspiration indeed and her last sermon before retirement the next day!

On Tuesday the children reminded us once again that our faith is simply God’s love in action. A beautiful presentation!

On Wednesday a group of mime dancers, black girls with white masks and white gloves mimed and danced their hearts out with the background music and song to an old Negro spiritual. It was awesome. This was topped with a sermon by a young high school graduate student destined for Millsaps College and proved to be the highlight of the entire conference!

A conversation with a lay member from Christ Church in Jackson in which he expressed their desire to be know as a Bible Church. He indicated that, by and large, the Bible is their main source of study throughout the many classes and sections of their church. The 1999 statistical data shows them to be the largest and most productive church in the whole state of Mississippi!

A short prayer uttered by a young mother of three daughters living outside of Biloxi as some of us were forced to leave before the conference was over. Concerned that she might possibly fail in her responsibilities to her local church she offered this familiar comment. "Lord, please forgive them for they know not what they do!" This anxious mother reminded us of our commitment to always forgive those who trespass against us.

This was truly a blessing as I drove home.

Disappointments:

The vagueness of the published schedule and agenda and the available information left new members to the conference bewildered. Monday morning about 10:30 AM we were asked to stand and be recognized. It was like asking a non-swimmer to a pool party, tossing him into the deep end of the pool and yelling, "Swim or drown!" I truly expected a better reception.

The presiding authority, the bishop, was reminded Monday morning by one of the lay members that time was of essence and requested that we stick to the schedule in order to effectively handle the business of the church – our intended purpose. Very early on it was apparent that these pleas were not heard!

The entire conference from the beginning until the end seemed to be under the shadow of ego’s tainted gloss. The interruptions to perpetuate our own self-image were almost unbearable! I reminded myself that the clergy and those in charge were on the payroll, so to speak, and the laity were not! In my opinion, the time, the tithes and even the intellect of the laity were not respected, nor for that matter, these things were not even considered!

The conference should have taken the time to honor the bishop and his wife retiring later last summer after spending the past eight years as resident bishop of the Mississippi Conference. As this event unfolded it became more and more apparent that it was excessive in quantity, degree and extent under the circumstances!

Habitat for Humanity is also a worthy cause but like lots of good causes it falls short of our intended purpose, that of seeking souls for Christ’s kingdom. In my opinion this cause will never make a dent in the housing shortage of the world but will help some unfortunate individuals and will also stroke the ego’s of those that do sincerely want to help their fellow man to some degree. The time spent in honor of its founder Millard Fuller was also excessive.

The entire day of Tuesday June 6th was spent exalting the efforts of our bishop and Mr. Fuller! They made the daily news and our schedule was ripped to shreds!

The only thing mentioned about evangelism during the entire conference was a brief presentation of the Denman Awards to the Reverend Guss Shelly of Gulfport as the clergy recipient and Binnie Turnage of Vicksburg as the lay recipient.

I was not only disappointed but I was utterly in shock when they announced from the podium that during the past year seventy-seven percent of the United Methodist Churches in the state of Mississippi performed no baptism rites whatsoever. That is right. I said absolutely none in seventy-seven percent of the churches!

The average attendance of individual churches decreased by 30 people. This is the ones that actually showed up for Sunday services!

The conference leaders seemed excited that we had a net gain of 678 new members

out of a total membership of 190,482 presently on the rolls of the 1,190 churches within the state of Mississippi. That is a measly increase of .0035 percent and we are living in the Bible Belt of the South!

I am closing this chapter with something I wrote several years ago with the hope that it will give each and every one of us a renewal of commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

COMMITMENT

Words are merely symbols to signify a thought,
Tentative signs of urging for the minds into which they’re caught.
Each statement has its purpose and its own unique content.
Persuasion is the theme of things and commitment the intent!

Truth is to the human ear as beauty to the eye.
We catch and hold some minute parts but most slip right on by
To the endless flowing waters fed by theology and creed,
As part of it is washed away into the cosmic sea of greed!

Mere words cannot express true feelings of the heart.
The completeness of our love and joy can only be conveyed in part.
With due respect to the saints of old and the inspired paths they trod,
The words they wrote cannot define this glorious thing called God!

So, we are called to a commitment, His last and final plea.
To commit our lives, our very souls to the man from Galilee!
The man who’s only written words were trampled in the dust.
The bottom line of God’s intent. In this man place your trust!

So place your trust in Jesus Christ, the man from Galilee.
The Word transcribed upon the winds, by men like you and me.
A simple message filled with love, to comfort, to relieve.
The Word again becomes alive, when we, through faith, believe!

Copyright 1996 Barney Shepherd
All Rights Reserved

* * * * * * * * *

The following article entitled Faith and The Flag by Charlotte Graham, Staff Writer appeared in the Clarion-Ledger on January 27, 2001.

Religious leaders have received much criticism for taking a public stand in support of a new flag, but they say they are confident they have done the right thing.

"To some Mississippians the current state flag is offensive and most devisive." Says Catholic Bishop William Houck from his office in downtown Jackson. "We have come to understanding that at the root of some of the concerns about the flag seems to be racism and we, as religious leaders, have in the past and continue today to challenge all people to remove the last acts of racism that still exists in our lives and in our hearts."

And although those criticizing the religious leaders say their stance is in violation of laws governing the separation of church and state, United Methodist Bishop Kenneth Carder disagrees. "Church leaders are called to represent the position of the church and to articulate the gospel in the public and private arena," he says.

Carder, who moved from Tennessee in September to replace Bishop Marshall L. Meadors, says that as a lifelong Southerner, he values Southern heritage and celebrates "that which is honorable, heroic and courageous in it."

However, Carder says "there is part of our heritage that is sinful, as is true to all people. The only appropriate response to some thing in our heritage is repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.

"The confederate battle emblem, through a part of our heritage, does not adequately reflect who we are or hope to be as a people who are called by God to overcome barriers that separate us from our brothers and sisters," adds Carder. "The current flag impedes reconciliation and fails to represent who we are to be as reconciled people."

The best thing to do is, he says, is to develop a new flag.

Realizing that some people most likely believe that as a newcomer to the state, he as no right to speak on the flag issue, Carder says people are seldom able to choose the timing of issues that confront them.

"Being a newcomer to Mississippi does not justify keeping silent on issues that are central to our faith," he says. "Though a newcomer to Mississippi, I am not a newcomer to issues which the flag represents."

In December, Carder and Houck were among a group of bishops who announced they would encourage churches to deliver messages on moving the state forward with unity and hope under a new banner. They also vowed to have open discussions about the flag.

In addition, members of the Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference, headed by Rabbi Jim Egolf of Jackson’s Beth Israel congregation, released a statement in support of the new flag.

In their statement of support, MRLC members write: "A new flag representing all of Mississippi can be a symbol of peace and hope for our future."

Egolf is president of the organization of religious leaders and laity from across the state. MRLC has representatives from various religious groups and denominations. Among them are Southern Baptists, Missionary Baptists, Jews, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Church of Christ Holiness (USA), United Methodists church, Roman Catholic, Episcopalians, Universal Disciples of Christ, Non-Denominational and Unitarian Universalists.

In their statement of support, conference members: "A new flag representing all Mississippians can be a symbol of racial reconciliation and piece and hope for our future."

But while some religious leaders take a public stand in favor of a new flag, others refuse. Among them is the Rev. Scott D. deHart, pastor of Jackson’s St. Stephen’s Reformed Episcopal Church.

"I don’t think it is the role of priests, bishops or others…….to be taking positions publically, under the authority of the church," says deHart,

He adds that church leaders are stepping into "foreign territory" when they address such issues. "The church needs to be concerned with what it is ordained to do – preach the gospel."

Carder, on the other hand, says church leaders are to work toward reconciliation and to bring together God’s Children. He believes the current controversy over the flag is symptomatic of deep divisions within society.

"Beyond the issue of the change of the flag is the issue of racial prejudice and the need to work together for a reconciled community," says Carder. "I hope our churches will use this occasion to reach across racial barriers. It is obvious that we need changed hearts, as well as a changed flag."

Still, there are those who believe there is nothing wrong with the old flag.

"The present flag has been flying in our state since 1894," says Billy Chadwick of Jackson. "I don’t see what the fuss is all about. I don’t see a symbol of hatred and oppression when I look at the flag," he says. "What I see is a symbol of my Mississippi heritage."

When all is said and done, Houck says he hopes people will "move on and do what is right and best for the state of Mississippi."

* * * * * * * * *

I immediately E-mailed a Letter to the Editor of the Clarion-Ledger and the following

edited version appeared a few days later:

REGARDING BISHOP’S STATEMENT: HOW IS FLAG LINKED TO FAITH?

I take issue with the statements by United Methodist Bishop Kenneth Carder ("Faith and the Flag," Jan. 27): "Being a newcomer to Mississippi does not justify keeping silent on issues that are central to our faith. Though a newcomer to Mississippi, I am not a newcomer to the issues which the flag represents."

I have been a Weselyan Methodist for more than 60 years and I cannot find the bishop’s Statement to be scriptural.

Why is our state flag an issue that is central to our faith?

The state flag has nothing whatsoever to do with spreading the gospel. I attended the UMC Convention in Tupelo last summer and I was shocked to learn that in 1999:

77 percent of the Methodists in our state performed no baptism rites whatsoever;

The average attendance of individual churches decreased by 30 people; the ones that actually showed up for Sunday services;

We only had a net gain of 678 new members out of a total membership of 190,482 in 1,190 churches in the whole state; less that .01 percent increase and we are living in the Bible Belt of the South.

I would say the bishop has a problem with the central issue of our faith and the primacy of Scripture for our doctrines and teachings.

A lot of our church leaders bought into a quadrilateral concept attributed to John Wesley.

This concept is a bogus claim that his four sources of revelation gives tradition, reason and experience as equal importance, if not superior, to Scripture in determining our beliefs and practices.

This has allowed the church leaders to cut themselves free from Scripture as the primary authority and delve into practices that, by inference, adjudges the laity to be judgmental, exclusive and unchristian within our own church.

Bishop, get real! The flag issue is political correctness at its worse.

Barney Shepherd, Philadelphia

* * * * * * * * *

I then decided that I would write an open letter to the Bishop with the following letter of transmittal:

TO: Resident Bishop Kenneth L. Carder via E-mail

I have come to the conclusion that the majority of the members of the clergy within The United Methodist Church of Mississippi have lost sight of their intended purpose and they are no longer able to uphold and sustain the theological integrity visualized by it’s founder John Wesley.

Most of you cannot even discern the difference between reconciliation and appeasement.

Lay persons like myself and literally thousands like me, all Wesleyan Methodist, have attempted to reconcile our differences with the clergy for the past thirty or forty years but to no avail. Like Wesley we feared the Methodist movement would become a form of godliness while denying its true power. You refused to reconcile with the true and faithful for all these years yet when political correctness rears its ugly head you are over anxious to appease and placate the demands of outside interests foreign to the tenets of our faith.

I am attaching something I wrote called "An Open Letter to My Bishop." This letter is soon to become part of a book I have written and will be open for public viewing by logging on to:

http://www.listeningrock.com

I recommend that you read all my writings but you should pay special attention to "God’s Field Representative" and "Of Good and Evil."

I too must fulfill the tasks which my God calls me to do!

Barney Shepherd

* * * * * * * * * *

Subject: OPEN LETTER

Date: Thur., 8 Feb 2001 18:00:07 EST

Via: E-mail

Dear Mr. Shepherd:

I have read with interest, appreciation, and concern your OPEN LETTER TO MY BISHOP as well as your Letter to the Editor in the Clarion Ledger. I find your perspective interesting and helpful and am grateful for your candid expression of your position. However, I am concerned about the misrepresentation of The United Methodist Church and what appears to be an excessive judgmentalism toward the church's leadership.

I strongly affirm your commitment to Wesleyan doctrine. I have devoted my ministry to teaching, interpreting, proclaiming, and supporting our Wesleyan theology. I have written two books on the subject and many articles. You apparently have unfairly judged my understanding of and commitment United Methodist doctrine based on my stand on the Mississippi State flag. Dismissing my position on the flag and commitment to the gospel as preoccupation with "political correctness" falls short of logic and basic fairness.

The two books that I request you read before passing judgment on my commitment to our Wesleyan heritage are WHO ARE WE? DOCTRINE, MINISTRY, AND MISSION OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH; and LIVING OUR BELIEFS. The first is a study guide for the statements on doctrine, mission, and ministry in The United Methodist Church. It was written at the request of the United Methodist Publishing House as approved curriculum for the study of our doctrine and theology. LIVING OUR BELIEFS was written at the invitation of Discipleship Resources as a basic summary of Methodist beliefs. I would appreciate your assessment as to whether you think my understanding of our foundational doctrines and beliefs is truly Wesleyan. Both are available through Cokesbury. Also, for a broader perspective of my perspectives on several issues, you may be interested in a collection of essays entitled A BISHOP'S REFLECTIONS.

I share your concern that 77% of the churches of the Conference had no baptisms in 1999. That is unacceptable! Passion for the Christian gospel is needed by laity and clergy, and congregations must be centers of transformation as they celebrate and embody the presence of the Risen Christ.

As to the flag issue, my motivation is commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ who has broken down the dividing walls of hostility and called us to be agents of reconciliation. As a follower of Christ, we cannot ignore the pain the Confederate battle emblem causes many of our brothers and sisters. The flag is more than a celebration of the past; it is to be a sign of the people we hope to be.

I trust that you have read Wesley's full statement pertaining to his fear that the Methodists would become "a dead sect, having the form of religion but lacking its power." About the same time he wrote that little tract, "Thoughts Upon Methodism", he also wrote the sermon, "On God's Vineyard," in which he also shares his fears about the future of the Methodists. All contemporary United Methodists would do well to become familiar with both writings. Also, I strongly encourage the study of Wesley's "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection" and his sermons, "A Case Against Bigotry" and "Catholic Spirit." We could all learn from Wesley as to how to deal with differences and conflicts.

Please be assured that I remain committed to the fullness of our Wesleyan tradition, doctrine, and theology; and it is that commitment which shapes my ministry and life. I look forward to ministry with you and the United Methodists of Mississippi as we together seek to be faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

May we all be empowered to live 'the catholic spirit' as we fulfill our calling as Christian disciples!

Kenneth L. Carder, Bishop

Mississippi Conference, The United Methodist Church

* * * * * * * *

Subject: Open Letter

Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 07:59:32 -0600

Via: E-mail

Bishop Carder,

Thanks for your reply to my open letter to you.

My quarrel is with the institution and the fact that it has lost sight of its intended purpose.

The UMC is a Christian institution that should have as a basis, standards or essential truths, which must be scriptural.

These scriptures tell us that God did not send His Son into this world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. These scriptures tell us that we MUST be born again.

The simplicity of our faith and the essential scriptural truths have always confounded the man made institutions and the UMC is not alone in their attempts to complicate God's plan for salvation. Our faith is and it always will be an INDIVIDUAL response to Jesus Christ. All you have to do is to believe.

I am merely saying that the UMC, the Catholics, and most mainline churches of this nation are too busy appeasing the culture of a secular world and have forgotten to respect the intelligence and responsible members of the laity that make up their institution. In their desire to "reconcile" secularism they actually fail to recognize their own insensitivity toward their own faithful members. All of these institutions, their priests, their bishops and their social and political influence can never save one single soul.

We have lost our zeal for this simple evangelical call for God's plan for salvation and we have adjusted ourselves to our culture that we no longer appear or want to be different. Thus, the values of our secular world have become our own.

That is what a large majority of the laity of the UMC has been trying to tell our leaders for over a quarter century.

Many of them slip quietly away, seeking spiritual fulfillment elsewhere.

Some write Open Letters to their Bishop.

Barney Shepherd

* * * * * * * * * *

Subject: Re: Open Letter

Date: Mon., 12 Feb 2001 10:41:45 EST

Via: E-mail

Dear Mr. Shepherd:

I fully agree that the church, its laity and clergy and its individual and institutional manifestations, have been captured by the prevailing culture. We have been captive to popular and appealing idols, from which only the power of the Risen Christ through the Holy Spirit will free us.

As I understand the gospel as embodied in and taught by Jesus Christ, salvation is of the whole creation, including but not limited to individuals. Colossians clearly affirms Christ's sovereignty over the entire cosmos (Colossians 1:15-25). Although I strongly believe that accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is THE means to salvation, being born again is the beginning, not the end of discipleship. As Wesleyans we also believe in sanctification and social holiness. Wesley countered the notion in his time that only a heart warming experience of personal forgiveness is the end of salvation. His emphasis upon sanctification, 'holiness of heart and life' and ‘going on to perfection' are needed today as surely as 'being born again.' Wesley, as I understand him, did not make a distinction between 'personal holiness' and 'social holiness' ; therefore, he spoke out forcefully on such ‘political' issues as slavery, unfair lending practices, child labor, treatment of prisoners, the liquor traffic, etc. I believe that the central message of Jesus, 'the kingdom of God', has implications for all life.

Although I am very concerned when anyone leaves the United Methodist Church, the studies do not support the assumption that people are leaving because of the church's stand on particular issues. In fact, every year the United Methodist Church receives more people from other denominations than we transfer to other denominations. The membership decline in the United States is due primarily to our failure to retain our own children who leave the church for no church, not other denominations.

Please know that I appreciate and welcome your challenge and your holding me and the leadership of the church accountable. I do believe, however, it is important that our analysis of the problems to be accurate and reflective of the fullness of our Wesleyan heritage. I want to be held accountable for my doctrinal and theological integrity, and I also consider it my responsibility as a bishop to do the same with laity and clergy.

God is doing some mighty things among United Methodists and the entire Christian community. We are not what we need to be, but I remain convinced that God is not finished with 'the people called Methodists.'

With appreciation,

Kenneth L. Carder

* * * * * * * * *

Subject: OPEN LETTER

Date: Tue. Feb 13, 2001

Via: E-mail

Bishop Carder,

I am a Christian simply because another human being, Jesus Christ, showed me how to become a part of the universal and eternal goodness with His total commitment to God’s plan for salvation. When Jesus Christ arose from the dead and ascended into heaven He left with us this goodness that abides with all of us at a moment’s notice. At that moment in time God became a completed spiritual triune, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – the past, the present and the future. From that moment on the spiritual nature of mankind was left with the ultimate choice; either accept it or reject it. It is that simple. Rejection is self-destructive!

John Wesley, Barney Shepherd and Kenneth Carder can write books until we are blue in the face but we cannot alter the fact that we must be born again and we must believe that Jesus was exactly who he said he was.

The post-conversion experiences are important but they are predicated upon the commitments we have as individuals; once we begin to understand the spiritual nature of our selves through a risen Christ. We become wiser and more responsible as we seek to do His will.

The cross is always part of the logo of the UMC and it is representative to the faithful as an emblem of goodness to save a lost and secular world. To a non-believer, it is an attractive designed logo on our envelopes in case the post office goofs up. Non-believers are smart; they have a way of using our nature and our good intentions for their own selfish and personal agendas. They would like to keep the church embroiled into this controversial subject for years. The Mississippi State flag is no substitute for the cross!

When we fail to adhere to the discipline required by our faith and then ignore the standards by refusing to call a sin a sin is it any wonder that our children cannot tell the difference between right and wrong?

We are in the news business. Good news, that is! Our primary purpose is to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to a sinful and secular world.

Bishop Carder you are in a unique position. You are the leader of the UMC of Mississippi with approximately 200,000 members. You understand that the UMC is in deep theological trouble and I believe you know what to do about correcting the situation.

Very few men are given the opportunity you have at this time and in this place.

If you are so convinced that God is not finished with ‘the people called Methodist’ then have the faith to do something about it.

TRUE IRONY

In this Old World where we abide,
We somehow take it in our stride.
But, we never seem to take the time
To realize how much we mime
EACH OTHER!

We are caught up into a deadly game
That immoral men of note and fame,
Use to deceive us with their spin,
Of situations we are in.
SO, WE FOLLOW FOOLS!

We get caught up in game and sport,
As our ship sails to yonder port.
Then we fail to see
The great potentiality or the opportunity to be
MUCH BETTER!

Then we seek someone to blame,
To tote the burdens of our shame.
The woes that now have come to pass,
We credit all to race or class,
BUT, NEVER TO OURSELVES!

We feel somehow, so all alone,
As we cry out, to howl and moan.
We sit around and agonize
And then refuse to socialize
WITH ANYONE!

We sometimes act like alley cats,
With selfish greed and petty spats.
Then we try our best to repent,
But we go right back again and vent
OUR ANGER!

We organize, to maim, to kill,
With scalpel, potion, or with pill.
Then think that we will be excused
On judgment day, when we’re accused
OF MURDER!

We truly are a sorry lot,
But, sometimes we realize what we’ve got
And what we truly ought to be.
So, somewhere there on bended knee,
WE PRAY!

With the many faults of which I speak,
Each of us is quite unique.
Please don’t laugh, there is no test
But, you must admit we are the best
GOD HAS TO OFFER!

If we are not, WHO IS?

Copyright 1997 Barney Shepherd
All Rights Reserved

* * * * * * * * * * *

Subject: Re: Open Letter

Date: Tue., 13 Feb 2001 22:35:24 EST

Via: E-Mail

Dear Mr. Shepherd:

You may be assured that I shall continue to do all I can in the power of he Holy Spirit to hold our church to doctrinal and theological integrity and to proclaim in word and deed the gospel of Jesus Christ, in all its ramifications for individuals and society.

Please include me in your prayers as together we seek to be faithful to the gospel and to our respective callings.

Kenneth Carder

* * * * * * * * *

Subject: Letter to the Editor

To: Clarion-Ledger

Date: Sat., 17 Feb. 2001

Via: E-Mail

I believe the Christian faith is presently under attack by a thing called political correctness/postmodernism and that it has permeated our churches, our families and our government; leaving us with something less than our full potentiality.

We as a people, have been developing over a period of many years this thing, a universal mindset, that human thought, including divine inspiration, must be all inclusive, tolerant, and fair at all costs; a human impossibility much like the comment of Thomas Jefferson "that all men are created equal." We are already losing our discipline, our vision, our purpose and our unity.

The Mississippi state flag is just one of many examples of our failure to understand ourselves as a unified people. A very dear friend advises me that perhaps the answer to the old battle flag lies in how the argument is presented more than the end result. I tend to agree.

"In Dixieland where I was born, early on one frosty morn……look away, look away Dixieland." This hauntingly beautiful melody of song could be lost forever!

This thing, this mindset is besmirching the honor, the valor and respect of some of the finest families this nation has ever produced. General Robert E. Lee is now branded a traitor and anyone that doesn’t see hatred in the old battle flag is classified as a racist and even the mainline churches have a new flag mixed up with the cross as an emblem of hope in our Christian faith.

The old battle flag has served our state for well over 100 years. Isn’t it amazing that suddenly it becomes a symbol of hatred and slavery? Where is the sensitivity of the churches, the press, political and social groups toward the citizens that prefer to keep the old flag?

My family, landlocked and isolated in the mountains of North Carolina, didn’t have a dog in the fight of the War Between the States but they taught me to respect both the North and the South.

My friend is correct, it is how we handle the argument. We could loose much more than we gain in the mad rush to judgment, with the "spin" and determination to win a new flag at any cost.

Barney Shepherd

Philadelphia, MS

Copyright 2001 Barney Shepherd
All Rights Reserved

* * * * * * * * *

Letter to the Editor 28 June 2001

The Clarion-Ledger

In your Editorial of June 10, 2001 you agreed with United Methodist Church Bishop Kenneth L Carder when he issued a call to the state’s 190,000 United Methodists to put racial reconciliation as their top priority this year!

I agree with you and the Bishop that racial constructive dialogue should be part of a continuing issue for all the people of this state and better understanding will help all of us but this is a far cry from our top priority – for the church or the state.

On Monday June 25, 2001 The United Methodist Church made national news on the Fox TV news network. It was reported the UMC were in the process of downsizing their institution very similar to the squeeze on many businesses of corporate America over the past several years. The UMC has been loosing members by the thousands each year and is now in the process of literally closing thousands of small country churches across the entire nation. The hierarchy of the UMC are urging the members to congregate to the nearer and to the more affluent churches.

This downsizing has apparently been deliberately planned for month and possibly years and Bishop Carder is part of the UMC hierarchy. Was not this the top priority that should have been discussed at the annual conference in Tupelo?

This report by Fox news is alarming to me as a lifetime member of the UMC for some sixty odd years and poses serious questions for these small churches. For instance, what happens to the buildings and property? Could the congregation convert to another denomination? What would it cost them? What is the reason for the downsizing; save money, not enough clergymen, more control by the hierarchy? How, what, where and when does this concern the UMC and its members here in this state?

Bishop Kenneth L. Carder has the answers to these questions and the Clarion-Ledger has a vested interest in seeing that the Bishop answers are available to all Mississippians, especially the 190,000 members of the United Methodist Church.

Barney Shepherd

* * * * * * * * *

THE CIRCUIT RIDER

Over the years the Methodist Church has been a joy, an inspiration and truly a blessing as I have, over these many long years, grown more steadfast in the utter simplicity of a Christian faith that began when I was a mere child.

The fact is, that I cannot remember when I was not at home in a Methodist Church and I am one of a few people still alive today that once rode to church on a horse with a genuine circuit rider on Sunday morning.

Back during the early depression years of the 1930’s when I was probably five years old I was "acting up" in church. As a matter of fact, I was in my own world playing alongside the wood heater with the kindling and making log cabins with the sticks. I would have been OK if I had kept my mouth shut with my make believe construction project. You see I was the boss and was telling my imaginary workers what to do and I plain forgot about my Grandmother who was known to any and all people for miles around as Aunt Lou. I called her Grandma to her face, but when I was talking to anyone else I called her Aunt Lou. There was not a child of any size in the whole country that had not experienced the wrath of Aunt Lou once they "acted up" in church.

As I was telling one of my imaginary workers where to place a log, Aunt Lou grabbed me by my left arm and right there in front of God and everyone carried me down the aisle of that church and out the front door. My feet never hit the floor. We then proceeded out behind the church house beneath the pulpit windows where she somehow whipped out a pocketknife and cut a keen birch switch while still holding my arm; all the while my feet were pawing the air. Aunt Lou proceeded to give me an attitude adjustment that I remember to this day. The preacher could see everything as he delivered his sermon. He didn’t miss a word.

She dried my eyes with her homemade apron, kissed me on my cheek and told me that it was time for me to learn that God is displeased when we disrupt the preacher’s sermon.

We walked back into the church as she held my hand. We passed the heater, then went back and placed my sticks of kindling in a neat pile and proceeded on to the amen corner where she put her arm around me. That was the first sermon I ever really listened to. I never did "act up" in church again.

The next Sunday after the attitude adjustment the preacher came by to give me a ride to church. He rode the prettiest Tennessee Walker mare you ever laid your eyes on. I never did figure out whether he felt sorry for me for "acting up" or whether it was because I paid special attention to his sermon after the attitude adjustment.

Everyone including my parents, always called him Preacher and to this day I do not remember his name and those who did know are now long gone.

The Preacher could make that little mare dance a jig as we made our way to the church house each Sunday. I would hold on to the saddle horn as he put her through her paces; a thrill that has lasted for a lifetime. The Preacher and his mare was something to see as they covered those last remaining miles ending a lifelong series of circuits preaching the utter supremacy of the Scriptures to convince his fellowman to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Preacher maintained Gods plan for salvation was very simple; you believe that Jesus Christ is exactly who He said He was or you don’t. Rejection, the Preacher claimed, is always self-destructive.

An analogy.

Looking back, the hoofs on that little mare seemed to waltz through dust, ice, sleet, snow and mud and somehow they were always shiny clean and ready for the next ride. Nothing seemed to stick to those hoofs, not even the slickest of red clay on those mountain trails. The Preachers messages of salvation and education were always poetic simplicity, pure and clean and always devoid of psychological nonsense and egos tainted gloss. I still see the dancing hoofs of that little Tennessee Walker mare when I hear a good sermon.

The Preacher and his mare left our church about a year later. In those days the WPA was very busy improving our roads and the next minister came driving up in a new Ford automobile.

* * * * *

Change was inevitable!

Today the United Methodist Church is in trouble.

The reasons are quite obvious. The leaders of this religious denomination, like all institutions, sooner or later, begin to perpetuate their own image. Invariably, the institution becomes a separate entity unto itself and they seem to forget their intended purposes for existence. I call this Barney’s Law of Institutionality.

God’s plan for salvation is a joint venture with His own creation. When Jesus Christ arose from the dead and ascended into heaven he left with us a spirit of goodness that abides with us and is on call at a moments notice. God then became a completed spiritual triune, The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – the past, the present and the future.

Believe this and you are assured of eternal life! (See Of Good and Evil)

The simplicity of our Christian faith has remained unchangeable for two thousand years and all the learned men throughout the ages find it hard to accept this awesome and simple truth.

Wisdom starts when a Christian realizes just how utterly stupid he really is and like Job, he discovers that the answer always lies with God. I have actually known wise men who could not read and write; they simply believed and God saw fit to give them wisdom far beyond that of so called intellectual PhD’s.

The UMC is in trouble partly because the leaders cannot understand that they have literally thousands of wise men and women scattered throughout their congregations and they refuse to hear their voices.

John Wesley never thought that the Methodist movement would cease to exist but he was well aware and he was cognizant that it could become a form of godliness while denying the true power. Wise members of the laity realize that this very thing is happening right now throughout the UMC. The broad interpretation of the clergy and the leaders of UMC of the Wesleyan "Quadrilateral" is to treat all four sources – Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience - as being equal.

In the Discipline we read: "While we acknowledge the primacy of Scripture in theological reflection, our attempts to grasp its meaning always involve tradition, experience and reason. Like Scripture, these may become creative vehicles of the Holy Spirit as they function within the church."

John Wesley depended upon and taught us the utter supremacy of the Scriptures and would insist that it be placed in a separate category by itself. The other three are tools to be used in helping us to understanding the Scriptures.

The overriding of Scripture by tradition, experience and reason by the leaders and clergy of the UMC is an invitation to disaster. The result is doctrinal chaos and incoherence. Wisdom demands a clear and concise Christian doctrine for the laity and also the clergy.

This serious flaw, intentional or otherwise, with the Scriptural intent of John Wesley and his ministry leaves us with challenges to the Christian truth that becomes manifest in our faith. Things like New Age precepts, elements of Eastern religions and American Indian rituals, all kinds of non-scriptural theologies, the actual worship of Sophia and a host of ideas and concepts foreign to our beliefs. The leaders of the UMC have allowed these abhorrences to be permeated within our midst and taught in our seminaries and schools of theology.

On the other hand, those of us who reject pagan and non-Christian practices like those listed above, along with homosexuality and abortion on demand are criticized and are looked upon as having an unchristian spirit.

Politically correct language is now used throughout our denominational seminaries. They claim to be centers of academic freedom but in their political correctness they are denying students their constitutional right to freedom of speech and their Christian right to their own theological convictions. (See Political Correctness/Postmodernism)

On June 10, 2001 the Clarion-Ledger published the following Editorial:

RACIAL PROGRESS – METHODIST BISHOP MAKES IT A PRIORITY

United Methodist Church Bishop Kenneth L Carder has issued a call to the state’s 190,000 United Methodists to put racial reconciliation as their top priority this year – a timely issue given the recent vote on the state’s flag.

Speaking at the 13th session of the church’s annual conference in Tupelo last week, Bishop Carder called for the healing as a result of the "barriers among us."

Although Mississippians don’t want a divisive debate to continue, the uneasy racial issues that were underlying in the flag controversy were not resolved April 17 when voters chose to retain the Confederate battle emblem.

Bishop Carder is right to make reconciliation a priority. This state needs constructive dialogue on race relations. It can only lead to better understanding and a better future.

I agree with the Bishop and the Clarion-Ledger that racial constructive dialogue should be a continuing issue for all the people of this state and better understanding will no doubt help us all but this issue is a far cry from our top priority – for the church and the state.

The Bishop and the Clarion-Ledger do not approve our state flag. They appear to be sore losers. The following is a quote by the Bishop in an article entitled Faith and the Flag by Charlotte Graham, Staff Writer that appeared in the Clarion-Ledger on January 27, 2001.

"Being a newcomer to Mississippi does not justify keeping silent on issues that are central to our faith," he says. "Though a newcomer to Mississippi, I am not a newcomer to issues which the flag represents."

I always thought the cross was the emblem central to my Christian faith! 

So, I must ask the members of the United Methodist Church to consider the following as our top priority until the problems with the hierarchy of our church is resolved to our satisfaction.

On Monday June 25 the United Methodist Church made the national news on the Fox TV network. It was reported the UMC were downsizing similar to the squeeze on many of the businesses in corporate America over the past several years. The UMC have been loosing members by the thousands and is now in the process of literally closing thousands of small churches across the entire nation. The hierarchy of the UMC are urging the members to congregate to the nearer and to the more affluent churches. This downsizing has been deliberately planned for months and possibly years.

Bishop Carder must have known this when he made race his top priority as stated in the Editorial by the Clarion-Ledger during the annual convention in Tupelo. A reasonable person would think that the leader of these 190,000 Methodists and over 1000 churches in the state of Mississippi would have made the downsizing crisis the top priority for this year at our annual convention.

I would suggest that the Bishop re-examine his priorities! I am sure that the Clarion-Ledger would be more than happy to follow this national story and keep the 190,000 UMC Mississippian members informed of the truth and real reasons concerning the downsizing as reported by Fox TV network news.

This downsizing crisis poses a host of serious questions for the members of these smaller churches that are scheduled to be closed. For instance, what happens to the building and property? Could the congregation convert to another denomination and what would it cost them? What is the true reason for the downsizing; to save money, shortage of clergymen, more control by the hierarchy? Wisdom demands that the Bishop tell the 190,000 Methodist in this state how, where, what, and when this will affect their spiritual lives.

The United Methodist Church is also in trouble due to the lethargy of the majority of the lay members. I am referring to each and every congregation throughout the entire church body. We have, as lay members, allowed ourselves to be subjugated by the clergy. There is no such thing as a better Christian, yet we have allowed this premise to take hold and grow within our midst.

We abdicated our responsibility when we decided that our church was somewhat similar to a country club and our pastor should hold several degrees in order to preach the simple gospel like the circuit riders that brought Gods plan for salvation along with education to a new nation. Someone once said (I credit my Father with this gem of a statement) that education was the only thing that keeps us from the horrible and deadly danger of taking the educated too seriously. Oh how that statement rings so true, especially when you realize that majority of the learned men leading us have never had the Godly experience of "a call to preach" or never gives evidence that they know that the Holy Spirit even exists.

The political correctness that has permeated our culture and our denominational seminaries leads me to believe that the United Methodist Church is well on its way to becoming a tool of political correctness/postmodernism. Just imagine; super churches like the super centers of Walmart or Home Depot, treating our faith like it was a commodity, offering only those fast moving A, B or C brands that are most popular or on sale at the moment.

A large majority of us actually have the audacity to get up before our fellowmen and before God we promise to be responsible Disciples of Christ with our tithes, our talents and our attendance. Some of us mean it. Some don’t.

We, the lay members of the United Methodist Church must ask ourselves – what is our intended purpose for existence? What do you want the United Methodist Church to be? You are the one paying the bill!

REMEMBER, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN CHANGE IT!

* * * * *

The memory of a circuit rider, a wise man that God called to teach and to preach, a fervent Disciple of Jesus Christ named "Preacher" and a young child astride a small Tennessee Walker mare dancing their way to church on Sunday morning inspired me to write the following:

HERO

Samson slew the Philistines; Noah made an ark.
David slew Goliath; Jacob wrestled in the dark.
Jonah rode within a whale; Alexander conquered all.
Columbus found a whole new world; Hitler saw his world fall.
Lee fought a loosing cause; Napoleon met his Waterloo.
Lincoln freed the slaves; and Cochise counted coup!

I have read the feats of mighty men that have trod the paths of time,
With deeds of saintly godliness, and acts in violent crime.
From Adam to my own kind sire, all tried to fill a need.
The good intents within their souls were squelched by selfish greed.
Then judgment came collecting toll, due billed from up above,
And can only be marked "Paid in Full", when sealed in God’s true love!

I’ve been searching for a hero, a person large as life.
Unstained by vengeful violence, not marred by war and strife.
I’ve searched for men in every tribe that have sailed the seven seas.
Or stamped a page in history books with big I’s and larger Me’s.
With one exception, all were marked with ego’s tainted gloss.
I’ve been searching for a hero and I found Him on a cross!

Copyright 2001 Barney Shepherd
All Rights Reserved

* * * * * * * * *

Dear Barney:

Thank you for your expressions of sympathy. My wife's mother died July 27 and we celebrated the Service of Death and Resurrection July 30 at First United Methodist Church in Elizabethton. Coincidentally, the funeral was on the date of our 40th wedding anniversary.

I am out of the office and was unable to retrieve the attachments to the email. I have forwarded them to my secretary who will retrieve them for me. So, I am unable to respond fully to your articles.

However, I did read your Letter to the Editor in the Clarion-Ledger and found it rather troubling. First, I regret that you never contacted me directly with you concerns about the FOX News report or my statement regarding racial reconciliation. I know of no decision by any agency in The United Methodist Church to "down size" and encourage people in smaller churches to join larger ones. I have not missed a Council of Bishops meeting since my election in 1992 and the Bishops have never considered such a notion. In addition, I am president of the General Board of Discipleship this quadrennium and have been a member of that Board since 1996 and no such proposal has ever surfaced or been discussed. In fact, we have indicated that strengthening the small membership churches is crucial. I have so indicated in my work as a bishop in both the Nashville Area and now in Mississippi. I would be very interested in the source and content of the FOX News report. I devote major attention to small membership churches and the implication that I have been part of or am supportive of such an unknown proposal is inaccurate and unfair.

Secondly, I did affirm at the Annual Conference session that reconciliation is at the heart of the Christian gospel and that racial reconciliation is a priority concern for the church. The racial divide in Mississippi within the church and the society is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the New Testament, and the mission of the church as understood by our Wesleyan tradition. For the church to ignore that reality would be an act of unfaithfulness to Jesus Christ.

I made it clear at the annual conference that our priority is being and making disciples of Jesus Christ and that our mission as a church is to be a sign, foretaste, and instrument of God's kingdom. That is our priority because it is the priority of the gospel. Living that priority requires, among other things, that we transcend all barriers of race, class, culture and nation. The church is to be a visible sign of the world as God intends it to be; and God intends that the human family be one, with the barriers removed.

Much of my energies and efforts are going into strengthening the basic foundations of discipleship among United Methodists of Mississippi. I spend much time teaching, writing, leading sessions with clergy and laity around understanding and appropriating our Wesleyan tradition. I have made it clear that my priority is to address every concern and issue out of our commitment to Jesus Christ.

The newspaper was correct in reporting that I affirmed racial reconciliation as a priority of the Annual Conference. I stated that in the context of a vote on a resolution and in the Service of Repentance and Reconciliation. You seem to have assumed a programmatic understanding of my position and you apparently have made racial reconciliation competitive with the concerns of small membership churches and evangelism. Such an assumption is unwarranted.

I invite you to join with me in laying a foundation for everything we do in accountable discipleship. I have found it important to be part of a small group that holds me accountable for following the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor through acts of devotion, worship, compassion, and justice. To omit any one of these four components of discipleship in the Wesleyan tradition is to be untrue to our heritage and the Christian faith. I am willing to respond to any reasonable inquiry from the Clarion-Ledger regarding The United Methodist Church.

My understanding of the United Methodist Church and my position on many issues confronting the church are readily available in publications. Three books have been written at the request of the denomination. One is WHO ARE WE? THE DOCTRINE, MISSION, AND MINISTRY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. It is the Leader's Guide for the study of our doctrine/theology and mission as defined in the Book of Discipline. Another is LIVING OUR BELIEFS: THE UNITED METHODIST WAY, which is intended to be an explanation of basic beliefs of our Methodism. A third is A BISHOP'S REFLECTIONS, which is a collection of essays written for the weekly conference newspapers when I was the bishop of the Tennessee and Memphis Conferences. I refer to these since you seem to be making a lot of assumptions about me and the "hierarchy" of the church based on single issues and incomplete and even inaccurate news reports. Also, I write a column for every issue of the Mississippi United Methodist Advocate. Those articles deal with issues confronting us as disciples of Jesus Christ as well as concerns related specifically to United Methodists in Mississippi. Thank you for your concern and passion for the faithfulness of the church. May God grant to us the grace and power to live now in the light of His present and coming kingdom of compassion, justice, generosity, and joy!

In Christ's service,

Kenneth L. Carder, Bishop
Mississippi Conference
The United Methodist Church

* * * * * * * * *

Dear Barney:

I have read with great appreciation your sensitive tribute and
affirmation of love and faith "Naoma, Mom and Apple Pie." Thank you for
sharing it with me. Your love, commitment, and grace-filled spirit are
evident.

Regarding your "Circuit Rider" essay, I find much with which I strongly
agree. After reading your analysis of The United Methodist Church, I am even
more hopeful that you will read the material I referenced in my previous
email. The Annual Conference passed a resolution requesting that all churches
within the Mississippi Conference study WHO ARE WE? THE DOCTRINE, MISSION, AND MINISTRY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. I fully agree that we need to return to our roots as Wesleyans and I have devoted my forty years of ministry to living, proclaiming, teaching, and attempting to clarify the
Christian faith as understood by The United Methodist Church.

I believe your critique of the seminaries and denominational leaders is
excessively harsh and judgmental. I can assure you that many leaders are
addressing the matter of theological education and doctrinal faithfulness.
Your critique of the Wesleyan quadrilateral is overly generalized. Some
people have misinterpreted Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience as
equal; but that is not and never has been the position of the denomination.
Neither has that been the teaching in our United Methodist seminaries with
which I am familiar. I would simply encourage you to be accurate in your
assessment and realize that we who are in positions of leadership are not the
enemy. Sin is our common enemy and none of us are beyond its infection.
I invite your prayers for me and for the church we both love.

Blessings,
Kenneth Carder

* * * * * * * * *

My Dear Bishop,

Thank you for the prompt and sincere reply to my recent e-mail messages and the copy of my letter to the editor of the Clarion-Ledger.

I am required, for all intents and purposes and as a lifetime Methodist, to consider you to be my spiritual leader as Bishop of the United Methodist Church of Mississippi. Therefore I must, as a fellow Christian, consider our differences of opinions to be just that, on certain aspects of our Christian faith.

I do not consider you or the leaders of the United Methodist Church as the enemy nor was that my intention. I am merely a lay member trying to find what has happened to our church. You are part of the hierarchy of my church and I am asking you for guidance that directly affects the spiritual lives of some 190,000 Mississippian Methodists. The simplicity of my faith and those of fellow Methodists requires simplistic replies.

You intimate in previous correspondence that I am somewhat inaccurate with my assessments and assumptions of the leadership of the UMC. The fact remains that the leadership of the United Methodist Church leaves a lot to be desired. Please forgive me if I am again assuming too much but your approach leaves me to consider you to be an intellectual liberal looking at a troubled world through rose colored glasses; as if we can convince a secular nation to accept our faith without the benefit of evangelism. Last years we spent almost 15 minutes on evangelism at the convention in Tupelo. How long did they spend this year?

Incidentally, I intend to purchase your books. Have you read mine? We could teach each other a few things. We might surprise ourselves! Huh?

Who am I to have the audacity to question the leadership of my church?

Is it because our leaders actions by word, deed and mouth contradict or gloss over the basic simplicity of my faith that "Ye must be born again?" Am I being judgmental in my interpretation that the denomination has redefined the purpose for our existence?

I am not a theologian. I am a creature of faith and my writings reflect this simple fact.

I get the impression that many of our leaders, including the clergy and bishops have been busy redefining some one else’s born again experience and have spent considerable time defining truth and faith by their own intellect. Have they ever been on the road to Damascus?

For example – when I read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah am I to accept a lifestyle of homosexuality as sinless even in the pulpits of our church?

Are we to accept abortion upon demand as also sinless? When does life begin? Is this tantamount to murder?

What is the primary or top priority of the United Methodist Church in our state? When we read an editorial in the largest newspaper in the state that they agree with our bishop that racial reconciliation is the priority of our church this year, should we merely treat this as a whim of the bishop and a fad that will change next year. Or does this change with each appointed bishop? Recent history tell us this.

Where is the discipline in the Book of Discipline? I remember when it was simple, concise and to the point.

Really, how does the denomination look upon evangelism as an effective tool for disciple ship? Is it a good tool for witnessing to people that have never made a decision for Christ or have never been born again?

When one discovers the tree is bearing an alien or a non-Christian fruit should we challenge them directly or should we just pray about it and hope they will do better.

Do you think that the UMC has become a separate entity unto its own making and desires? If not then how does the more affluent Methodists leaders retire to the beautiful and lush retirement villages of Lake Junaluska in the mountains of North Carolina. When I think about this I get a mental image of a minister and his disciples in long flowing white robes and sock less sandals wading through endless sand piles of intense arid heat. At night they used a rock as a pillow as they rested their tired and weary some bodies while they communing with their God!

I realize that racial reconciliation and the poor are problems that will be, according to scripture, continuing concerns for Christianity for all time. However it is not our primary objective.

The leader of the United Methodist Church simply must maintain leadership and answer our questions if it is to be an effective and viable part of the holy catholic church .

These are just a few questions that wisdom requires that we and our leaders must take a stand on in order to lead us out of darkness.

God’s plan for the salvation of mankind is unchangeable. We must face the fact that mankind and all the religions of the earth MUST accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior otherwise they are lost for all eternity.

This is what I believe as I beg and plead that all should repent and become responsible Christians and enjoy His blessings and joy even though we live in a secular and evil world. This is a gift that must be accepted individually and shared in a common atmosphere.

The following is a prayer of repentance I wrote several years ago. I make no apology for my stand on the essentials of my Christian faith as I present them to you in God’s love.

REPENTANCE

I traveled the rocky roads of moral bankruptcy as the gates of Hell loomed nigh;
My chariot was propelled by my own ego, and my brakes had ruptured discs.
I rested my weary, tortured soul in the satanic fantasies of evil minds.
I played silly games of hide and seek with sadistic trolls from Hell.
I was baptized daily in the luxurious pool of compromise.
I died each day at dawn, simply because I was too cowardly to live.
My cloak of good intentions was worn to tattered shreds.
I had purchased a burial plot in the valley of dry bones!
I shook with fear for my identity and wondered if Phoenix would fly again.
I wrestled nightly with Jacob’s angel and placed my birthright on hold.
The countdown for launch was over and my umbilical cord was still
connected.
My spaceship was nearing home and I was unprepared to disembark.
I stood in front of a full-length mirror and stared at a picture of Dorien Gray!
I had played the role of a dazzling celebrity but I wondered; who the hell am
I?

I still lived on the rim of ruin as I continued to play with my plastic yo-yos.
I shouted angrily to a distant God and sought blessings, but only for myself.
I place token offerings upon the altars of my, so-called faith.
And I expected usury rates on my meager investments.
Old acquaintances would suffer and die and I mourned not their passing.
The welcome mats on which I had trod were no longer there!
The murky mire on my boots left muddy tracks on Memory Lane.
I lacked the proper credentials as I tried to pay my respects to a friend.
I cried out in the stillness of his death and I repented in anguish.
My voice was not heard and I shed the most bitter of tears.
I wept, not for my friend; I wept for myself!
The price I had placed on friendship was impossible to meet.
In the silent sadness of reality, I found myself totally alone.
Too late, alas, I cried in vain, what is man without a friend!

I stood naked and ashamed upon the auction block of human degradation.
Job’s God was the high bidder and he paid dearly for my worthless hide.
I was introduced to this man called Jesus and I am eternally grateful.
As I cool my fevered brow beneath the shadow of his cross,
I bask in the delights of my own uniqueness as I walk in His likeness.
Our anguished hopes bind us together and we meet in mutual response,
Blending mind, heart and spirit into a refinement of divine purpose.
I am the created! He is the creator! And I bow to his sovereignty.
We stroll together into uncertainty and I fear not!
I drink from an eternal spring and I thirst no more.
I share with my fellow man, for I am my brothers keeper.
I reach for the unreachable and I search for the unsearchable
As I soar like an eagle while confined within the bowels of man’s genius,
For I walk with the Master and He has set me free!

Copyright 1996 Barney Shepherd
All Rights Reserved

* * * * * * * * *

Bishop Carder

The sudden death of my wife Naoma cause considerable delay expressing my enjoyment in reading your books WHO ARE WE? and LIVING OUR BELIEFS. These books helped me a lot.

I liked both of them, and I do believe they should be a source of study for the entire membership of the Methodist faith especially Who Are We? I will endeavor to do this within my church. I have never read anyone who expresses our collective beliefs any better.

I agree with your character "Chief," the homeless man, who said, "The world ain't supposed to be like this."

The wise and wonderful lay people of the United Methodist Church are expressing a different list of priorities than you have displayed with the advocacy of the recent state flag issue and racial reconciliation.

A detailed analysis of the flag vote of both black and white voters has clearly shown that it is not a major issue for the UMC of Mississippi.

Racial reconciliation is an on going issue with the UMC in Mississippi. Great progress has been made in the past and greater progress will be accomplished in the future but the laity do not consider it to be the primary issue for the coming year.

These two issues were public relations disasters inasmuch as the laity more or less considered them to reflect a lack of respect for their spirit, intellect and common sense.

The laity consider the primary purpose of our beliefs is evangelism and the formation of Christian discipleship the top priority as you expressed in the Preface to Living our Beliefs. Especially, in a waning denomination. I personally consider Christianity and evangelism are synonymous. You seldom mention evangelism in your books. Is there a reason?

Something is awry within the make up of the entire United Methodist Church. I detect a malaise within the entire membership, the laity, the clergy and the Bishops; and of course a distortion of essential beliefs led by misguided members of the clergy and some Bishops. Within my own church the new minister has almost totally disregarded the traditional "normal" Methodist form of worship, the lighting of the candles, the Apostles' Creed, the Lords Prayer, regular Communion and without consultation with the lay leadership whatsoever. If your character "Chief" just happened to be a member at this time he would say, "This church ain't supposed to be like this."

The United Methodist Church of Mississippi must take our world and our church exactly like we find it at this moment in time. It is our duty to prioritize the essential issues of our faith. We must do this collectively. You, as Bishop and spiritual leader, should utilize the wisdom of the laity and the clergy to accomplish an effective method to turn this church around, as quickly as possible.

I would suggest something like a series of mini-conferences of the lay leaders and an equal number of clergy (excluding district superintendents) from each district to assist you in prioritizing these issues.

The evils of our present day culture are very persuasive and very aggressive. These sins have permeated within the very heart of our church's congregations and its leadership.

By sheer numbers, the laity of the UMC must become its antitheses - goodness and righteousness - with much more persuasion, persistence and aggressiveness.

Through divine progression or a righteous evolutionary process of the Christian faith as explained in my article THE WORD the lay people are fast becoming the visionary ministry of evangelism.

As Bishop you have the authority, the administrative, theological and spiritual skills to give the lay people of the UMC of Mississippi the respect they have earned and deserved.

No one is indispensable, even in God's plans. You have a golden opportunity to lead your people and set them free. Methodism must change. The laity must have an equal voice in order for us to proclaim the good news; One day, the world will not be like this! Your "Chief" will smile.

Yours in Christ,

Barney Shepherd


THE WORD

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
(John 1 - 1)

Down through the ages mankind has used words to describe this glorious thing called God. Many prophets of old, made attempts to do this. Their stories are now a matter of history and are recorded in the Old Testament. Only one man has been able to do this. He was Jesus Christ a sinless creature, that by faith in almighty God, actually became part of what we now know as a spiritual triune, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - the past, the present and the future. Thus fulfilling God's plan for salvation of mankind for all eternity. (See Of Good and Evil)

The story of Jesus Christ as described in the New Testament is by far the most interesting character that anyone can read about. It is a story of love unparalleled in the annals of time; yet it is also a story of the consequences of mankind's rejection of this same love.

In reading about Jesus Christ, we find that the only public words he ever wrote of which we are aware, were trampled out by the dust of the multitudes. I am sure that Jesus could have personally recorded the words of his ministry himself or through a scribe. Had He done this it would have literally been the Word of God! Yet he chose, by faith, to let his disciples and others bear the responsible for this task. The reflections, by faith, of His truth by others became the true authority for the continuation of his simple message and gift of salvation to all of mankind then, now and forevermore. Faith then becomes contagious. Whew! The Holy Bible is therefore an instrument of collective Christian faith and truly becomes The Word of God!

God has always kept His promise to His people. I am not on His time clock, but in retrospect we can study history and it will give us some idea of what He has in mind for us. Events from the past leads me to believe that God is using this collective Christian faith to further enhance His kingdom. We, the faithful, are no longer satisfied with the somewhat limited efforts of our intermediaries and are turning to the Holy Spirit as our primary source of authority. (See God's Field Representative)

As we soar like an eagle while confined within the bowels of man's genius we must reach for the unreachable and search for the unsearchable. God has given us powerful new tools of communications. In the early years of this new millennium the laity of the church with our computers and the world wide web are being forced into a visionary ministry of evangelism. We are now just beginning to share one on one blessings of our Christian faith with friends and non-believers in the farthest corners of this whole world. We must rely upon this collective faith and stress the simplicity of God's plan for salvation in our prophetic and visionry endeavors.

This nation is no longer a Christian nation. Our culture has, in more recent years, been indifferent to the Christian faith and is demanding a secular society. The dogma of secularism has now permeated most of our mainline churches and is diluting our moral and ethical Judeo-Christian principles. It is affecting an entire nation.

Jesus said unto them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." (Mark 6-4)

When Jesus dispatched His disciples (evangelists) two by two He told them, "And if anyplace will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." (Mark
6-ll)

The most exciting evangelical movement to come along within my lifetime, and possibly, hundreds of years, is now demanding to be heard. God has given them a new voice and the necessary tools to carry out His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ to all the people and nations of this earth.

Christianity and evangelism are synonymous. According to the latest polls only eight percent of the population of the entire earth are of the Christian faith. In our nation, eighty-one percent of our children never go to Sunday school or receive any religious instructions from any church whatsoever; while we play the part of being a part time Christian whenever it is convenient and will fit into our busy schedules.

About 2800 years ago the nation of Israel while slouching their indifference to an angry God was warned by some of the minor prophets, like Amos and Hosea of God's wrath. Just within my lifetime, 1948 to be exact, Israel is once again recognized by the present community of nations and God is now in the process of reconciliation with His chosen people. Again we must consider God's time clock but the Israelites must now accept the Messiah, Jesus Christ or perish.

History has a habit of repeating itself. What will happen if the people of this nation, my country, refuses to welcome and will not listen to our present day disciples, visionaries and evangelicals when they shake the dust off their feet? Is it our destiny that missionaries from the far corners of this world will one day be the only ones singing the tidings and great joy of the good news; the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and secular nation.

Copyright Barney Shepherd 2001
All Rights Reserved

* * * * * * * * *

Barney:

Thank you for your thoughtful email and suggestions. If you read the conference newsletter, the ADVOCATE, you will know that in the last issue I have called on laity and clergy to focus on our foundation in Christian discipleship. I have emphasized this across the conference in every meeting I have been leading and in most of my sermons and teaching opportunities. I will be spending two days in the upcoming Pastors' School to discuss our foundational beliefs and practices and United Methodist Christians.

I may not use the word evangelism often in what you have read, but I am committed to evangelism as the sharing in word and deed the gospel of salvation of the entire cosmos through Jesus Christ.

Perhaps my involvement in the flag issue and my call to make racial reconciliation a priority was not good "public relations." But I am not primarily interested in public relations but in faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Neither are we able to always choose the timing or the place of speaking on issues. Reconciliation is a priority of the gospel and it will continue to be a priority as I attempt to lead the Mississippi Conference to follow Jesus and build a solid foundation in accountable discipleship. I do so, not out of a political or public relationship agenda, but out of my understanding of the mandate of the gospel.

Thank you for your kind words about the books. May God continue to comfort and sustain you and your family.

Blessings,
Kenneth Carder

* * * * * * * * *

Barney:

You are in my prayers this morning as you continue to deal with the loss of your dear wife. From your previous sharing, it is obvious that your relationship was full of love and grace. May you know the comfort of God's presence and love.

Kenneth Carder

* * * * * * * * *

Bishop Carder

When you had your heart attack last year I was reluctant to reply or give a response to your last e-mail communications concerning your mandate of reconciliattion as a continuing priority as you lead your fellow Methodists of the Mississippi Conference.

I was happy to learn that you are now able to return to your duties. Welcome back!

In your last communication you stated::

"I may not use the word evangelism often in what you have read, but I am committed to evangelism as the sharing in the word and deed the gospel of salvation of the entire cosmos through Jesus Christ."

The lack of a complete and clear outline of your Christian priorities are what scares me.

Apparently many other Mississippi Methodist, clergy and laity, feel as I do.

Here in Philadelphia a new mission known as The Mississippi Fellowship of United Methodist Evangelicals (MSFUME) were organized and is now headed up by Rev. Jeff Switzer, pastor of the Sandtown United Methodist Church They say that their mission is renewal and reformation of the current priorities both locally, nationally and internationally within the United Methodist Church. I am sure that your Meridian Superintendent Andy Ray has kept you informed.

I joined MSFUME and volunteered my services simply because I agreed with the fundamental priorities of the Christian faith as we once accepted with zeal within the pages of The Book of Discipline. Most lay members of the UMC still believe in the
priority of the Great Commission!

I now have second thoughts. The history of these renewal and reformation movements Confessing Movement, Good News and now MSFUME reflect the fact that these orginizations are controled strictly by members of the clergy and the movements become their own individual careers. They simply become separate entities unto themselves and therefore they perpetuate their own image. They simply forget their purpose for their existence. Oh, sinful ego!

The heirachy and clergy of the UMC have shown little respect for the intellect of the laity, their tithes and their faith. Too many of them, even the ones that wants renewal, cannot understand that this reformation cannot happen with out the respect and support of the lay members.

Bishop Carder, join the laity of your church. I would suggest that you make the Great Commission and evangelism the priority of the coming Mississippi Conference and do it with all the zeal you can muster.

You are in a unique position. If you fail the lay members they will merely leave the UMC and go somewhere else leaving you in a theological argument with the likes of MSFUME and others that no one can win.

How can you not make the following our highest priority?

And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28: 18-20

Yours in Christ,

Barney Shepherd

A copy of an E-mail from Bishop Carder of Wednesday, April 09, 2003.

Barney:

Thank you for your email

I have stated to the leadership of the annual conference that my priority is strengthening the doctrinal and theological foundations of the church as defined and proclained in our Wesleyan tradition. That has been my priority throughout my ministry as a pastor and bishop. You will find that in my writings, preaching, and teaching. The administrative responsibilities are
fulfilled with that priority and grounding. I have clearly communicated to the leadership of the conference that recovering our Wesleyan doctrine, discipline, and practices is central to everything I do as a bishop.

Your sstatement "The lack of a complete and clear outlinepf your Christian priorities are what scares me" seems to be an unfair judgement based on very limited knowledge and experience in relationship with me and the leadership of the annual conference.

I find it disturbing that only one board member of MSFUME has shared with me any concern for strategy for renewal. I communicated with the board member that I will enthusiastically participate in any effort for genuine renewal as
it is expressed in our Wesleyan tradition. That is, commnitment to the understanding, proclaiming and living of basic Christian doctrines, practicing the means of grace and accountable discipleship, and reaching out to and forming relationships with those whom Jesus called 'the least of these' and Charles Wesley called, "Jesus' bosom friends" the poor and the vulnerable. I have to datereceived no response to the invitation to share with the MSFUME in the pursuit of thgose means of renewal.

A danger of any renewal group is the assumption that our efforts bring renewal and division of the church into "us" and "them." That leads to spiritual pride and a jedgmentalism that contradicts the gospel. It results in the assumptionthat if "they" were like "us" renewal could come. Neither does renewal come through political processes or legislation. God chooses to give renewal as God cghoses. Our task is to follow Jesus by doing what he said to do, going where he says to go, and welcoming and nurturing those for whom he died.

The forthcoming session of the Annual Conference will focus on the theme "Birth and Rebirth." We will spend considerable time emphasizing the basic foundations of the Christian faith and practice as understood in our Wesleyan tradition.

I invite you and the laity and clergy of the Misssissippi Conference to join in renewed commitment to foundations of our faith and living of the gospel of Jesus Christ in alll its personal and social dimension.

May weall be renewed by following Jesus all the way to the Cross and the Empty Tomb.

Lenten and Easter Blessings,

Kenneth Carder

* * * * * * * * *

A copy of my E-mail to Bishop Carder and the Reverend Jeff Switzer dated Monday, April 14, 2003

For the record I am listing below, the essentials of acceptance of God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ along with a few observations that I have experienced in the 63 years of Christian service within the Methodist church.

To become a Christian all you have to do is to believe that Jesus Christ was and is exactly who he said he was and is. It is a gift that each one of us must accept personally and individually. John 3 - 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

When you truly believe you will begin to explore the essential truths as revealed within the scriptures of the Holy Bible, including the following statements:.

Jesus said: Matthew 22 37-40 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these
two commandments."

He further states Matthew 28 18-20 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make diciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

All the rest is commentary!

When we accept Christ we become a permanent member of the catholic or universal church of Jesus Christ, thus the essential priorities of any denomination claiming to be a part of Christ's universal church is as stated above. There are and will be many elected priorities, but none that can be comparable to those mandated and commanded by Christ himself.

Before we go any further I must make the following observations:

Like Job, we must realize that all answers lies with God!

Genuine Christians are the most responsible people in the world.

We must accept Christ individually; yet we must worship and love our God collectively.

Remember, being a Christian is like being pregrant. Either you are or you aren't.

And there is no such thing as being a better Christian.

The Holy Spirit, is available at a moments notice to all Christians; a divine inspiration and the best authority to be Christlike if we will only listen.

True joy can only be experienced through the Christian faith.

Institutionally, the United Methodist Church has become, mainly within the last thirty years, a separate entity unto itself. It long ago began to perpetuates its own image and in essence it has forgotten its intended purpose.

You two, Kenneth L. Carder, Bishop of the United Methodist Church of Mississippi and Reverend Jeff Switzer, President of the Mississippi Fellowship of United Methodist Evangelicals are perfect examples of what I am talking about. We all know, along with approximately 190,000 members of the laity and clergy of the UMC in Mississippi that renewal and reformation is necessary for our survival as a effective denomination of the protestant faith.

You are both trying to prove to the rest of us that you are the best Christians there are in the UMC for the whole state! Get real. There is no such thing.

I would like the both of you to look at what I see, as a lay member of the UMC, in the situation that I now find myself: I recently learned there is a local orginization that believes as I do; that the UMC must return to the basic Scriptural truths we once knew. I joined. I learned that the orginization MSFUME was headed by a pastor of a local United Methodist Church. Everyone I talked to, including members of the board directors of MSFUME were reluctant to answer any of my questions and referred me to back to the pastor. Reluctantly, it seemed to me, the pastor advised me that he did not know our Bishop. He had never read the the Bishops books or publications but he considered the Bishop to be his adversary. In the two personal contacts and the two separate phone calls I volunteered my services to this cause. As a writer I thought I could be of service especially with the laity. The pastor had no idea how or if he could use my services. At last if figured it out. This was a one man show controled by the pastor and a few people that had put together a hastily, ill advised attempt to present a number of resolutions to the Mississippi Annual Conference. All of this was done this behind the Bishop's back. I later learned the Bishop talked to one board member of MSFUME in which he, the Bishop, said he would enthusiastically participate in any effort for genuine renewal but he has received no response to the invititation to share with the MSFUME in the pursuit of those means of renewal. From the beginning MSFUME becomes a separate entity unto itself serving an egotistical purpose as all the renewal and reformation projects within the UMC do. Most clergy in these renewal projects wind up making this a career!

I have never met Bishop Carder personally, yet we have been corresponding by e-mail practically since he first came to Mississippi as Bishop of UMC. I maintain that the essential priorities of the Christian faith is as stated above and as a lay member of the UMC I need to know that these essential truths are Scripturely correct as they once were. The Bishop is reluctant to take a stand on these essential Scriptural truths. Asking the Bishop a question about these truths is like asking him the time of day. In his answer he will tell you how to build
a clock! His books, his publications, his writings and his interpertation of the Wesleyan
doctrine and tradition has become his own nemesis.

Leaders must be aware of our sins of omission and their consequences.

According to Bishop Carder the forthcoming session of the Mississippi Annual Conference will focus on the theme "Birth and Rebirth."

I certainly hope that you all remember John 3 - 7 when Jesus answered: You should not be surprised at my saying , 'You must be born again.'

* * * * * * *

Bishop Kenneth L Carder will finish his current term as Bishop of the Mississippi Conference
and will join the faculty at the School of Divinity, Duke University.

The Reverend Jeff Switzer continues as pastor of the Sandtown United Methodist Church and the President of The Mississippi Fellowship of the United Methodist Evangelicals, Philadelphia,
Mississippi.

After 63 continuous years of service I am no longer connected to the United Methodist Church!