I once had a former pastor, eager to replace our non-UM hymnals with the official hymnal, ram through the proposal in the music director’s absence (The music director and her husband had donated the hymnals as a memorial gift.), saying the director had approved the move. She hadn’t.

A conference delegate supporting an anti-capital punishment policy, when I pointed out that John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes on the New Testament (at Romans 13:4) recognized capital punishment as a legitimate state function, responded in effect, “We know better than Wesley — for example, on slavery.” This was slander (though probably unintended). Slavery had no more determined foe than John Wesley.

I’m inclined to believe Rev. Kulah represents the truer mindset of most African United Methodists. We’ll know when the African conferences vote or when the enabling legislation comes up in 2012 — or when the African conferences say, “Enough!” and vote to leave us in our doctrinal confusion.

Seems to be more than one perspective, and I do not enough to evaluate the contending arguments.

Our denominational “fathers” seem to think they know what’s best for us all, but time and time again they go against the wishes of the people in the pew. Rev. Kulah is right to point out that the Africans, as well as American UMs, have not been consulted on this, and the amendments must not be railroaded through without such consultation.

It seems the leaders expect the Annual Conferences to put it over the top — while the people in the pew don’t know or understand.