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<div>Colleagues, those of you who may have a deep historical connection to United Methodism may be aware that this church faces the likely possibility of schism in February, 2019.</div><div><br></div><div>If it is of interest, I invite you to read the attached first draft of my analysis of the competing plans and voices that will 'come to a boil' at the General Conference of 2019.</div><div><br></div><div>Warning: it's an eight-page slog!</div><div><br></div><div>If you can get through it, I'd be appreciative of your thoughts and reflections.</div><div><br></div><div>I would add as a footnote that I highly value our work in Human Development Projects and through a global network of indigenous ICA's.</div><div>I am SO grateful to all of us for pioneering in creating a non-colonialist model for genuine service to humankind around the world.</div><div><br></div><div>Marshall Jones<br></div><div><br></div>
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<div style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;color:#26282a;">Below is my letter to my United Methodist colleagues:<br><div><br></div>
<div><div id="ydped8be0dcyiv1846606719"><div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div id="ydped8be0dcyiv1846606719ydp355cf2b5yiv3682086375"><div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">I am writing to you with a heavy heart to ask you to seriously read and offer your comments on my first draft of the attached opinion piece on the 'Traditionalist Plan' that was written by a few bishops and included with the report from the Commission on A Way Forward.</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">I would normally prefer to remain seething in silence, but, having read and reread the Commission's report and devoured all the commentary I could find, I felt forced to dig in and list in detail what I believe is the 'poison pill' hidden at the heart of the Traditionalist Plan.</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">It's not the obvious punitive focus of the Traditionalist Plan that concerns me, but rather the political reality of the African elephant in the room. If the Plan passes at General Conference, it will be because the majority of African delegates will have been persuaded to support it, not fully realizing its implications for their work at home.</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">So far I have seen no commentaries that dig in depth into just how the African delegates are being duped by the 'Reform and Renewal Coalition' to vote with them at GC 2019.</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">To spell out the hidden, implicit dynamic between the Coalition and the African delegates, I faced the difficult task of tackling the underlying racism and cultural prejudice that burdens the dialogue between African United Methodists and the white majority of American United Methodists.</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">After working for the former Methodist Board of Missions in my twenties, I have a great appreciation and respect for the entire history of Christian missionary work across Africa, including reducing African languages to writing and then translating and publishing the NT in those languages and organizing schools reflecting western patterns, including Africa University.</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">Yet our current situation is the result of planting Methodism in Africa with a polity based in and adaptive to our American roots, and then asking the African delegates to vote on polity changes that are primarily sensitive to changes in American culture. <br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">It would take a great leap of faith and imagination for African delegates to vote to remove the exclusionary language of "incompatibility" from our Discipline while retaining it in their Central Conferences.</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">I would hope that they would be more ready and willing to do this if they realized how deeply their 'heteronormative' biases are being 'played' by the Coalition and how deeply racist and manipulative their conservative white male "friends" are in fact. And if they can be challenged to honor the humanness of LGBTQ members of our communion with the grace and graciousness we all deserve.</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">Please let me know if you would be willing to read and comment on the attached document. Otherwise, simply delete this message!</div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">Wayne Marshall Jones, MDiv, MA (Psychology)<br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;">Elder (retired), WNCCUMC <br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"> <br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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