Social Holiness
Social Holiness
June 15, 2025
By: Marlys McCurdy
In the mid-1700s, John Wesley set us on the path of social holiness. He understood and respected that God had created a magnificent world that we were given with the caveat that we take care of it and each other.
Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
And we haven’t done such a great job of that.
I came across an interesting fact recently. If you grew crops on a farm the size of China, the food produced would equal the amount of wasted food each year. That waste which often goes to landfill in this country becomes methane, which reduces the ozone and contributes to climate change.
The Oceans are warming, the currents are changing in the oceans, and the permafrost is thawing at an alarming rate. Species are endangered on every continent. We have state-sized floats of plastic waste in the oceans.
We suffer through massive droughts, famines and endless wars. But we haven’t done all this alone. It took all 8.2 billion of us to damage God’s creations. So now what?
Wesley knew that we were not particularly good stewards of the earth or each other. Even in the 1700’s it was apparent. He wanted us to strive for Social Holiness.
So, what is social holiness?
Social holiness is the practice of obeying Jesus' commandments to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, loving your neighbor as yourself.
We must honor his creation mightily.
Wesley once claimed that there was no holiness but social holiness.
It is within the Christian community that holiness of life is to be realized. Today, social holiness needs to be extended beyond fellowship and community. It is within the socio-economic and political community that holiness of life is to be realized. We must care for all of creation as God intended. The Social Principles of our church provide a framework for being socially holy
Wesley thought that he had failed. What he did was launch us into a quest for social holiness – social justice. He wasn’t alive to see it but the first official Social Creed of the Methodist church was developed and adopted 1908. When the Methodists Joined with Evangelical United Brethren in 1968-69
the first set of social principles for the UMC was adopted.
Final draft of newest Social Principles was approved at General Conference in 2024 was published as part of the Book of Discipline in January of 2025.
There was a kerfuffle of some magnitude at the 2012 General Conference. The main point of disagreement was acceptance of the LGBQTi individuals as fully recognized members of the United Methodist Church, able to serve as clergy, and recognizing and honoring Gay marriage in the church.
The people at the conference realized that something needed to be done about these disparities
All UMC members and churches should fully understand the dynamic document that is the New Social Principles. It covers all of God’s creation.
Over 4000 members were involved with writing, reviewing and rewriting this document. It is rooted deeply in the Bible and Wesleyan theology. I would encourage all of you to read it online or in the new Book of Discipline. That’s where you will find the litany that Pastor Mike read with you.
Let’s focus on a couple of points from the principles.
1st we have failed in God’s covenant with us to “take care of the garden”. As humans we have strayed far from the perfection of the Garden of Eden. It really is shameful what we have done to his creation. And when you include people, it gets worse.
Wesley was adamant about serving all of creation. “To do justice, to love kindness, walk humbly with God Micah 6:8. This is the essence of social holiness.
We certainly did go out and thrive and multiply but somewhere along the line, with 8.2 billion on the planet today we missed the boat when it came to practicing Social Holiness with each other and with our awesome earth that we were given freely because God loves us.
John Wesley mandated that we do no harm, do good, and follow the ordinances of God. His rules and expectations for the church followed this mandate closely.
2nd God loves us always and fully. Christ died for our sins and we are redeemed.
In the SP it says “we are grateful for Gods forgiving and sanctifying love, given to us all and drawing us toward perfect love.”
By God’s grace we are called be more Christlike, and thus to be merciful just and compassionate.” God isn’t going to abandon us because we haven’t lived up to his covenant.
We are his Children and we are loved
3rd. What now? This is pretty heavy stuff. You have to pare it down to manageable for your life right now right here.
Heaven Help Us is a delightful new book written by John Kasich. A politician – who knew?
Albert Lexie worked two days a week shining shoes in the foyer of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He charges $3 a shine and had a healthy business in the foyer of this hospital. He collected his tips in a jar. He donated all of the tips to the “free care fund” at the hospital. Word got out and his tip total exploded. People heard about it and started tipping very generously. His total donation to the hospital topped $200,000 by the time of his death. All of those tips went to helping children at that hospital.
It was kind of a widow’s mite on steroids. And he didn’t do it alone. He created a community of people that donated to his cause.
Wesley said The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.
Each chapter in this wonderful book details the lives of people who have made a difference.
Don’t assume you cannot do something that matters.
Wesley advised us to: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." Read Stacey’s shirt
"I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will."
We have in this church a warrior who addresses social injustice in our world. God gave us mouths and brains and voices. We can influence our legislators. Donna Boe is a champion for the poor and oppressed in prisons and around the country and world. She has taught us how to influence our legislators. One person at a time. Don’t assume that your voice won’t be heard.
AND don’t just address the legislators from Idaho. Send or call anyone you disagree with or want to compliment. You may never know how much your words touch someone.
Wesley said "Love is the foundation of the Christian life."
We can be kinder to one another. Gary and I always try to “chat up” our servers at restaurants and at stores. Smile and listen to their stories. Everyone wants to tell their stories. Smile and nod, you don’t have to give advice just let them know you care enough to listen. If you are comfortable with it, ask someone if they mind if you pray for them? Maybe not right then or there, but at home. Most people will smile and say thanks. OH, BUT THAT SMILE! That’s soul food for you and them. When you reach out and touch someone this way, it is holy. Social Holiness shares canned food with the food banks. Work at this church’s breakfast for the needy.
Shorten your shower time, conserve water. Don’t throw out that ½ glass of water from yesterday; pour it on a plant or put it in the dog dish. Feed stale bread to wildlife. Be careful where you do it, because some people don’t want it to draw birds and other animals to their neighborhoods.
Give a “Bag of hope” to someone begging. Give them socks, wipes, Vienna sausages and information about local addresses like Aid for Friends and the Salvation Army or our church. You may change someone’s life. You will certainly make them smile (more SOUL FOOD).
Join our Care Team and give a piece of your heart to someone that needs a visit! Listen to their story and help them smile
I’m going to end with a local story about Millie Carey. Millie was a power to behold in this church. She was really, really into mission. Her daughter Annie told me that when Millie was living in Florida, the first hurricane that decimated Haiti weighed heavily on her soul. She went to there to help with money and hands. When she
came back Annie said all she had were the clothes on her back. She had given her purse and her shoes and suitcase and all other clothes away.
Millie’s nickels are dedicated to her. Gary often ushers and so did Millie. When she needed an usher, she knew she could tap my kind husband shoulder and say “we need you today”. He always said “I will for a nickel”. She always paid up. When she was dying of cancer she went back to Florida to be closer to family. One day Millie sent a card to Gary. In it was a quarter. She said she was paying it forward and he should keep ushering. When she was buried a nickel from Idaho went into her grave. It was little thing but,
It touches our hearts every time we tell the story. Millie understood Social Holiness and our need to work as a Christian Community to care for our creation.
We learned from a church in Oklahoma that asking people for their pocket change could fund things outside of budget line items. That church did an entire remodel of their kitchen with just the pocket change they have from each Sunday.
Our fund of Millie’s nickels helped fund the daycare downstairs at Christmas when things were so dire for them. Millie would have been so tickled. I can see her smiling at us each time we pass those red bags. They are out today.
John Wesley said, "I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will."
Amen