Lyle E. Schaller (1923–2015)

I will preface this with a disclosure: I was raised as a Methodist, then a United Methodist (UMC), but I abandoned the church with hard feelings on my side, and became an atheist. A friend who is very active in the church that I left has been telling me that UMC is attempting to reinvent itself, and I have embarked on reading a number of relevant books.

Schaller wrote this book in response to United Methodism @ Risk by Leon Howell. While he felt that it was an important book, he things that there are more issues, or lines in the sand, than the two raised in @ Risk. He also prefers the speak of people from Jerusalem and people from Athens, rather than "progressives" and "conservatives". The title refers to the fact that UMC has been shrinking since the 1960s.

Schaller has produced an almost overwhelming list of controversies, although at the root of many is "the contagious disease of intradenominational quarreling" that makes people take stands, rather than accepting diversity. I personally would have to read this book at least twice to digest it. Occasionally the terminology is a little confusing, but since it is presumably intended for United Methodists, this is more my lack of background than a flaw in the book.

Schaller comes across as a very likable and fair-minded person with a low-key sense of humor that lightens the book. He comments that the perspective of younger women is needed "(That inventory is far larger than the number of UM women who are older than this writer!)" (I'm guessing that he was in his eighties when he wrote this.) In addition to his own concerns, he has included essays from six other authors to broaden the book.

This book gives United Methodists a lot to think about, although the sheer number of controversies may be disheartening. Schaller does have some suggestions, including learning to get along, and this gives the detail to balance more general accounts of what is wrong with, and how to fix, the denomination. Imitating Schaller's apparently genial and generous personality would be a start.… (altro)