November 2024 Current

HISTORICAL ME SSENGER

ILLINOIS GREAT RIVERS CONFERENCE VOLUME 56, NUMBER 4 • OCT-DEC 2024

movements attributed to the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, we would agree that our faith is meant to be heart-felt. It is also to be a faith that is deeply thoughtful. While Cartwright could be critical of “Eastern education,” he often promoted education and took some pride in his own course of study. “William M’Kendree, afterward

In April 1739, John Wesley decided to break with the custom and tradition of his time and preach in the open fields. “At four in the afternoon, I submitted to be more vile and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjoining to the city, to about three thousand people.” Dr. Ashley Boggan from the General Commission on Archives and History is encouraging us to re-capture our mission through creative and loving “vile-tality.” “If we want to be vital again, if we want to reach young people in new ways, if we want to pivot and reclaim, revive, and renew our sense Wesleyan mission in this world – perhaps we first need to submit to be more vile.” (Council of Bishops, May 2023) Driven by love we are also moved to engage the broad social issues of our day. Peter Cartwright moved to Illinois, in part, to be in a place free from slavery. But he felt called to do more. “I very freely entered the lists to oppose slavery in this way, and without any fore-thought of mind, went into the agitated waters of political strife…. I cannot see the impropriety of canvassing for political office on Christian principles.” ( Autobiography 119, 120). Cartwright spoke out strongly when the issue of slavery was before General Conference. “I hold myself to be an unflinching conservative Methodist preacher. I know that slavery is evil, and a great evil.” ( Autobiography 196). How might our faith today lead us to speak about war and peace, healthy democracy, economic inequality and opportunity, health care, education? Friends, this is the 200th anniversary of this church named for Peter Cartwright. Peter Cartwright was not a rich man, but he sought to live the richest kind of life in God’s grace. He lived and taught the Wesleyan way of following Jesus, a way marked by copious grace and decisions for it, by growth in grace and PETER CARTWRIGHT CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

IF I WERE A RICH MAN… Peter Cartwright: a man of few things but rich in soul

bishop, but then my presiding elder, directed me to a proper course of reading and study. He selected books for me, both literary and theological; and every quarterly visit he made, he examined into my progress” ( Autobiography , 33). Cartwright had a reputation for being suspicious of education, but a reputation he wanted to distance himself from. “Some have accused me of being an enemy of education; well, now, I don’t mean to boast, but I have given more to educational institutions and colleges than any man in the State of Illinois, than any man that is called a Methodist preacher” ( Fifty Years , 214). He freely engaged in intellectual debate, sometimes rather

(Editor’s note: The following first appeared in the April 1997 issue of Methodist History, a publication of the General Commission on Archives and History. It is reprinted with permission.) Text: Mark 10:17-31

of the frontier,” and “the hero Illinois” (Norwood, 151). Cartwright transferred to the Illinois Conference in the year of its founding, 1824. One of his reasons for leaving the Kentucky Conference was “to get entirely clear of the evil of slavery” ( Autobiography , 112). I have enjoyed getting to know Cartwright through his Autobiography and his book Fifty Years as a Presiding Elder . To be sure, there are things about Peter Cartwright that are not worth emulating. He was open to engaging in physical altercations. He could be pointedly argumentative. His attitudes toward Native Americans in most ways reflected his time. He could be stubborn and stuck. He once wrote, “I am a good old Methodist preacher, and am fully opposed to all innovation” (Norwood, The Story of American Methodism , 240). Friends at Peter Cartwright, don’t be a Peter Cartwright in that way, opposed to all innovation. But we should emulate Peter Cartwright in this, in his lifting up of the Wesleyan way of following Jesus. Cartwright understood that there was true richness to life, true richness of soul, in this Wesleyan way of following Jesus. While there are any number of ways to describe the Wesleyan way, I want to describe it in four dimensions. Grace and the importance of decision. Our Book of Discipline discusses basic Christian affirmations which we share with all Christians such as “faith in the mystery of salvation in and through Jesus Christ”; “that God’s redemptive love is realized in human life by the activity of the Holy Spirit”; that “the reign of God is both a present and future reality”; “the authority of Scripture in matters of faith”; “and the sober realization that the church is in need of continual reformation and renewal.” (¶102). We share these affirmations with all Christians. The Book of Discipline goes on to delineate distinctive Wesleyan emphases, and the first is “grace pervades our understanding to Christian faith and life. By grace we mean the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit.” (¶102). I prefer to say that grace breaks the calculus of deserving, but that is another sermon. Methodist theologian David Field in his helpful book Our Purpose is Love writes: “God’s mission begins with grace. Our ability to love fully and completely is restored through God’s grace.” (p. 20) We believe that God’s grace is poured freely into and onto human life. It is pervasive, and powerful, but its power is in persuasion. God’s grace touches our lives before we are even aware of it. God loves us before we know it, and grace always seeks to find its way into our awareness so we can turn toward this God of grace. God’s grace is persuasive and invitational, welcoming our “yes.” That’s decision, and making decisions to live a grace-filled, loving existence was at the heart of Peter Cartwright’s ministry. He preached and prayed and traveled to help bring people to a saving awareness of grace, something to which we have to say “yes.” Grace and deciding for grace are essential parts of the Wesleyan way. Growth. But we do not decide for grace and love just once. Grace not only brings us to that place where we say “yes” to God, but carries us forward to continued “yes-es.” The Book of Discipline (¶102): “We hold that the wonder of God’s acceptance and pardon does not end God’s saving work; which continues to nurture our growth in grace. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to increase in the knowledge and love of God and in love for our neighbor.” John Wesley preached and taught about growth in grace, “sanctification,” which he also referred to as “Christian perfection” - a difficult phrase for us. But here is what Wesley meant. “By perfection I mean the humble, gentle, patient love of God and neighbor, ruling our habits, attitudes, words and actions” (John Wesley, January 27, 1767; updated by Steve Manskar). David Field puts it well: “Because of God’s love for us, God desires to see our hearts transformed in holiness and new birth” (Field, 19). And for Wesley, love is at the heart of holiness. Warm heart, keen mind . The Wesleyan way of following Jesus, to which Peter Cartwright was dedicated, is an experiential faith, a faith of the warm heart. Most of us are familiar with John Wesley’s account of his experience on Aldersgate Street, where he felt his “heart strangely warmed.” Reading some of Cartwright’s descriptions of camp meetings we would be uncomfortable with some of the weeping and wailing and involuntary physical

Good morning friends. I am Bishop David Bard and I greet you in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the peace and power of the Holy Spirit. I am delighted to be with you this morning. This is my first Sunday sermon as one of your bishops here in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference and I cannot think of a more auspicious place or occasion to preach. I am thrilled to be with you to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Peter Cartwright United Methodist Church. You may be wondering why I chose the particular text I chose for this morning. It is a good question.

unkindly. “Calvinism in the United States is only kept alive in its expiring agonies by a few silly mortals who have long purses and are influenced by the prejudices of education” ( Fifty Years , 128). I can understand why some considered him an enemy of education. The Wesleyan tradition encourages a warm heart and a keen mind. We want to cultivate a thoughtful faith. In an August 17, 1760, letter to a preacher named John Premboth, Wesley wrote: What has exceedingly hurt you in time past, nay, and I fear to this day, is want of reading…. Do justice to your own soul; give it time and means to grow. Do not starve yourself any longer. A thoughtful faith. In describing the theological task which is ours as Wesleyan Christians, our Book of Discipline reads: Our theological explorations seek to give expression to the mysterious reality of God’s presence, peace and power in the world. By so doing, we attempt to articulate more clearly our understanding of the divine-human encounter and are thereby more fully prepared to participate in God’s work in the world. (¶105). A thoughtful faith. We would not speak as rudely as Peter Cartwright about other streams of Christian thought. We are open to wisdom from other streams of the Christian tradition. Yet even today, in seeking a thoughtful faith, we will have occasion to call out versions of Christian faith which seem to us deeply deficient and potentially harmful. The Council of Bishops recently released a pastoral letter, Beloved Community – An Antidote to Extremism . “We strongly denounce political violence, which severs community bonds and supplants the rule of law. We equally denounce authoritarianism and secular and Christian nationalism which foster centralization and abuse of power, accompanied by racism, xenophobia, tribalism, and misogyny…. Christian nationalism demands laws, culture, and public policies be based on a distorted interpretation of the Gospel that elevates power and control over love.” As New Testament scholar and Anglican bishop N. T. Wright and his co- author Michael Bird write: “Christian nationalism is a danger to Christians and non-Christians alike…. It acclaims God’s love of power rather than the power of God’s love…. We should resist Christian nationalism as giving a Christian façade to nakedly political, ethnocentric and impious adventures.” ( Jesus and the Powers , 129, 134). A thoughtful faith. Mission and Social Responsibility.

When I am asked to preach, I typically begin thinking about the sermon using the ecumenical lectionary, that three-year cycle of Scripture readings used in many mainline churches, though perhaps less so in United Methodist Churches today compared to a few years ago. I read the texts to see if something strikes me that might be fitting for the occasion. The reading from Mark’s gospel is the lectionary reading for this week and I thought I could work with it. That may be even more puzzling to you! The story is familiar. Jesus is setting out and a man runs up to him with a burning question. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds, in part, “You know the commandments….” To which the man replies, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing: go and sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. The story is followed by a challenging word from Jesus. “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God…. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” So maybe I made the wrong choice! Peter Cartwright was not a rich man, but his life and work pose the question that emerges in this story – what kind of life do you want to live? What kind of life do you want to live? A popular answer in our society is a life of wealth and taste.

We are a bit like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Oh, Lord, you made many, many poor people I realize, of course, it's no shame to be poor But it's no great honor either So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune? If I were a rich man Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum All day long, I'd biddy biddy bum If I were a wealthy man I wouldn't have to work hard Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum Lord, who made the lion and the lamb

The Wesleyan way of following Jesus has always been missional. The circuit riders like Peter Cartwright were passionate about bringing faith to new places and establishing classes and churches for Christian growth. David Field: “God has a mission in the world, and love is at the heart of that mission…. The core of Wesley’s understanding of Christianity is that God transforms human beings so that their lives become permeated by love for God and neighbor.” ( Our Purpose is Love , 19, 51). This love drives us to do good, to make a difference in the world, to seek justice, peace and reconciliation. It drives us in new and sometimes uncomfortable directions.

You decreed I should be what I am Would it spoil some vast eternal plan If I were a wealthy man?

Success, a worthwhile life, often has dollar signs attached in our society. Peter Cartwright was not a wealthy man, but he knew another kind of richness in his life. In a reflection he offered at the celebration of his fifty years of appointment as a presiding elder during the Illinois Annual Conference session of 1869 held in Lincoln, Cartwright said, “I thank God this day that I have had a religion that has paid me as I went along” ( Fifty Years , 210). For Peter Cartwright, the Jesus way, understood in the Wesleyan way, was true richness of life. He did not want his life, nor the lives of others to be, in the words of the hymn, “rich in things and poor in soul.” Peter Cartwright, after whom this church whose anniversary we mark today is named, was a memorable character. He was a towering figure in Illinois Methodism. Forty-five of his 50 years as a presiding elder were spent in Illinois. Cartwright was described in a classic history of American Methodism as a “lion

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