Jonathan LeMaster-Smith

Dr. J’s Song of the Day for General Conference!
Loretta Lynn’s “One’s on the Way” reminds us that we have to make it matter.

A Lyric Selection:

The girls in New York City, they all march for women’s lib
Better Homes and Gardens shows, a modern way to live
And the pill may change the world tomorrow but meanwhile, today
Here in Topeka, the rain is a-fallin’
Dog is a-barkin’ and the floor needs a-scrubbin’
One of them is toddlin’ and one is a-crawlin’ and one’s on the way
Oh gee, I hope it ain’t twins again

What we are beginning to do is pass legislation that so far has not been explained well to our congregations (or even to ourselves).

If we are going to be United Methodist we have to lean into the reality of our doctrinal standards ¶ 105 reminds us that our our theological task is contextual and incarnational, and our theological task is essentially practical.

And this work is theological. This is not just for allowing contextuality and practicality and showing how it matters.

If we do all this and nothing is explained, nothing changes, and nothing happens in a real way, we just did our work in a live streamed ivory tower to make ourselves feel good.