tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post8225626144939561425..comments2024-03-22T08:29:51.173-05:00Comments on UM & Global: The Nordic Theory of GivingDavid W. Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17024204453848260271noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post-16793636767786493112017-07-27T16:29:26.363-05:002017-07-27T16:29:26.363-05:00Robert,
Thanks for your comments. It is interesti...Robert,<br /><br />Thanks for your comments. It is interesting to hear the background of WCC experiments with increasing autonomy through a radical approach to valuing contributions. You are right, of course, that the economic realities of the world cannot be ignored. The question for me is how we as the body of Christ demonstrate a system of valuing and being valued that reflects Christ's universal love for all rather than the world's rather unequal system of assigning economic value.David W. Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17024204453848260271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post-18167213021351338992017-07-26T19:03:36.449-05:002017-07-26T19:03:36.449-05:00David,
Thanks for another thoughtful and stimulati...David,<br />Thanks for another thoughtful and stimulating post on the global nature of the church.<br /><br />The Nordic theory of love, as you point out, embraces the concept of autonomy as the antidote to dependency. In last week's posting about the mission structure of the Nazarene Church, you commended their emphasis upon three self philosophy (self sufficiency, self determination, self propagation) for producing a higher quality of participation in their global church fellowship. <br /><br />Autonomy is a key ingredient in church polity aimed at neutralizing the controlling influences of external authority. It expressed itself in the movement of many Methodist founded mission churches into independence during the post colonial period. And it was also the force behind the provocative missionary moratorium intended to enhance the prospects of strengthening indigenous leadership and direction for many of the same churches in the South. <br /><br />But the struggle to achieve economic self sufficiency for these churches has been a daunting challenge. They, like the many conferences that stayed in the connectional relationship within the UMC, remain in the grips of the charitable mentality of the churches enjoying more favorable economies of the North. <br /><br />In the early 1990's, the World Council of Churches initiated a consultation to address the issue of financial dependency with the theme Ecumenical Sharing of Resources. Representatives agreed to a radical affirmation of a global stewardship principle in which there would be no absolute donors and no absolute recipients. They attempted to define a process for identifying and celebrating the distinct gifts each member body brought to the ecumenical table without attaching any financial value. These efforts at balancing the equation between donor and recipient soon broke down as the vagaries of the global economy and declining fortunes of member churches prompted increasing uncertainty for the survival of the Council itself. <br /><br />So, when we look to relationships within the UM denominational fellowship that can be enriched by a shared service(s) or common resource(s), an equitable distribution of financial wealth will most certainly and always be the primary issue. Though ill informed about Nordic love, I am not too sanguine about what it offers as the additive needed to break the grip of harsh economic realities. Nevertheless, I heartily endorse the experience of autonomy it promotes as the quality needed to enhance the integrity of each participant and require their full accountability both locally and globally.<br /><br />Robert HarmanRobert Harmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14846547721123021765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post-13370247493389625532017-07-26T07:29:19.039-05:002017-07-26T07:29:19.039-05:00What an ingenious theory, David! Definitely pickin...What an ingenious theory, David! Definitely picking this up for UM Insight. Thanks!Cynthia Astlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09842662315052146636noreply@blogger.com