Being a pastor means leading people to hope in a city coming. Hebrews 13:14 directs the focus of pastoral leadership, For here we have no lasting city, but we seek a city that is to come. Seeking a city to come must always be in the mind of professing Christians, especially so during such a tumultuous (putting it lightly) political season.

We communicate because God has communicated to us. He did this in creation by providing space in which to make himself known. In a definite sense, he has spoken to us in the sending of the Son. We know this because the Bible tells us so.

Wesley held the Bible before his parishioners and founded a movement called Methodism. A Methodism that strays from Scripture would not be recognized by Wesley, by my great-grandmother, and I am guessing not by many throughout the United Methodist Church today.

The long trail of SBC resolutions represents the same thing: A culture of racism, fostered by our total depravity, requires an ongoing conversation if we are to align our hearts and actions with the good news of God’s salvation in Christ.