Have you ever wondered how the world would look had the Confederacy won the Civil War, if the Nazis won World War II, or if the Soviets or China reached the Moon first? The genre of dystopian alternative fiction invites us to second guess everything and imagine a world where the arc of history bends toward injustice.
What would the United Methodist Church look like in such an alternative history? What kind of story could we develop?
To begin, we move backward in time and choose an inflection point. We have several choices. We could let the “Traditional Plan” of 2019 prevail, spoil the mergers of 1968 or 1939, or go even further. Imagine a United Methodist Church where Arminianism is a heresy.
In this alternative history, George Whitefield takes over early Methodism. John Wesley is expelled from the movement after his embarrassment in Georgia. The influences of Calvinism take hold, enter the American Colonies through Methodist immigrants, blend with the hierarchical structures of colonial Anglicanism, and following the Revolution create the MCE, the Methodist Church of the Elect.
Since this is dystopian fiction, we are free to move things along a bit toward the extremes. The new church would begin within traditional Reformed theology but, over its 240-year history, evolve in ways that would make even John Calvin blush. Here, we pick up the five points known as TULIP: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints.
TOTAL DEPRAVITY
Within the Methodist Church of the Elect, every human soul is perpetually stuck in a state of total moral depravity. No one can make any claim to merit to get into heaven or into anything else, including the various structures of the denomination. Our works are filthy rags, and appeals to merit are heretical.
This principle proves especially useful when evaluating spiritual leaders. Traits such as psychopathy, greed, narcissism, and Machiavellian politics are still considered depraved, but depravity is normal. Character cannot become a qualification for office without implying that some people possess greater moral merit than others. Consequently, moral failure can never by itself constitute proof that a leader is unfit.
Furthermore, the conveyance of power and privilege upon such persons is a sign of God’s amazing grace. The more obviously undeserving the recipient, the more amazing the grace.
UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
Within the Methodist Church of the Elect, the pursuit of election would replace the pursuit of holiness. Consequently, the MCE would have an overwhelming preoccupation with all things related to status. Power is used to mediate status, and possession of status demonstrates that one has been predestined to become a member of the elect.
Within two generations of its organization, the MCE becomes organized into rigid economic hierarchies within the clergy and social castes within the laity based on wealth, connections, and nepotism. Over time, inherited privilege itself becomes interpreted as evidence of divine election. Those born nearest to power are assumed to have been placed there providentially.
Election conveys social status, and this election is unconditional, predestined and conveyed by sovereign divine ordinance. Since God’s elevation of the elect is unconditional, all other matters of election are similarly unconditional. God chooses what happens. We do not.
The MCE still holds conferences, but holy conferencing serves the purpose of conferring, not conversation—acknowledging the elect with honors, offices, and awards. With election being solely a function of divine edict, democracy becomes divisive and debates a sign of disrespect for authority.
Contentment replaces consent. Conformity replaces community. Civility replaces collegiality.
LIMITED ATONEMENT
Those who take issue with a rigid caste system run by and for the predestined ones may appeal to Scripture or Jesus for help, but soon their hopes will be dashed to pieces. The benefits of God’s grace are limited to the elect. Jesus did not come to save everyone, only those who were predestined.
As with eternal salvation, this limitation applies to all aspects of the church’s resources. Grace always flows toward the elect.
In their disproportionate wealth and privilege, however, they do not neglect the poor. Indeed, care for the poor becomes an important sign of virtue, provided that charitable acts carry absolutely no consequence upon the constituency or order of the church. The hungry may be fed, but they must never acquire the power to decide how the food is distributed. The poor may receive generosity, but not equality.
Giving must always remain “disinterested.”
IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
Far from evoking resentment and jealousy, the aristocratic elect within the MCE enjoy very high levels of admiration and popularity. This is due, in part, to their good humor and humility.
As totally depraved souls, they never claim to deserve supreme status. The grace that made them what they are was irresistible. They did not choose privilege; it chose them!
In their public lives, they may wear sackcloth and ashes, eat with sinners, sleep among the poor, and even suffer insult and injury, but they can no more dispense with their supremacy than gold can polish away its untarnished brilliance. Salvation, the world, and all the resources of the church were meant for them from before all time.
Made by irresistible grace, they become irresistible.
PERSEVERANCE OF THE ELECT
The original doctrine was called perseverance of the saints, but over time the MCE discovers that sainthood is difficult to measure. Election is much easier.
Since God’s sovereign will and wisdom are perfect, election is also permanent. Once graced with power, position, and privilege, the elect are always graced.
Just as merit had no bearing upon election, it lays no claim upon evaluation. For the elite, failure, scandal, embarrassment, and misconduct may result in a reassignment of office, but never a demotion. Term limits become meaningless.
The higher the pay, the longer the stay.
Their names are written in the Book of the Good Life. No one, no law, no process, no trial or consequence can take away the glorious inheritance God has preordained for them.
Sanctification has been replaced by institutional permanence.
TWO PLOT LINES
Within this fictional universe, we will need both characters and conflict.
Human beings naturally yearn for fairness and justice.
In our alternative universe, an English child is found rummaging through the ruins of an abandoned country home. There she finds an original copy of Wesley’s General Rules. She brings the little booklet home and asks her mother, “Mommy, why did Mr. Wesley tell the elect not to wear gold and costly apparel?” A dangerous memory is uncovered!
Her mother posts photos of the relic online.
Others bring their own findings.
Fragments appear from forgotten libraries, attics, archives, and abandoned churches. Old sermons circulate. Passages from Wesley are copied and shared. People discover strange teachings about doing no harm, doing good, visiting prisoners, feeding the hungry, resisting luxury, and pursuing holiness.
The elect discover this Wesleyan movement, label it heresy, and unleash a campaign of propaganda, surveillance, and political repression. The growing heresy is by no means their only challenge.
The lethal combination of insatiable consumption and mortality-driven decline raises concerns of a coming scarcity. To preserve the permanence of their status, the elect begin to restrict resources even further, creating more interest in the banned doctrines and methods of John Wesley.
As the eccentric heresy finds new friends at the margins of the MCE, another adversary emerges.
Looking out upon white fields of aging worshipers gathered in unsustainable temples, the pastors of the largest churches secretly meet together to consider their own fate.
“We cannot sustain these taxes,” they say. “What benefit do we receive from the supreme ones? Our election is permanent.”
Distracted by their paranoia over the growing heresy, the supreme elect play golf, drink wine, and enjoy Holy Land tours with their true adversaries: powerful clergy who scheme to undermine their authority, break up the empire, and divide the spoils.
War is inevitable and comes suddenly.
There are no winners, only collapse.
The preacher in the high castle looks out his window upon a once glorious church soon to be sold to venture capitalists.
“At least the money will keep flowing after the people quit going.”
Out of the dust and ruins of this fallen empire, a forbidden doctrine gains a following:
Humans are endowed with moral responsibility and freedom.
Individual choices create social and eternal outcomes.
Jesus loves everyone equally.
Relationships and decisions require mutual consent.
Everything we cherish is fragile.
So is injustice.