[Editor's note: When Rev. Barnes created his advice column, "Dare To Ask Jim," last month, he indicated that it would occasionally occupy this space. Its reappearance in the very next issue makes it look like our pastor is like a child with a new toy.]
Dare To Ask Jim?
Dear WAG,
This question is rather personal. Still, I'll answer it. My nine greats grandmother was Martha Carrier who was convicted and hung as a witch as part of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Therefore, legally it is true that I am descended from a witch. However, she and the others who were convicted were unquestionably innocent. Therefore my being descended from a witch is false. In addition, because she was innocent, I have seen no need to tell any of the District Superintendents or Bishops under whom I serve or have served. Your raising this question does, however, give us the opportunity to let the events of 320 years ago remind us that when we - or public authorities - rush to judgment on the guilt of a person without sufficient evidence, justice is not served. This is the case even when a large segment of the community - as in late 17th century Salem - jumps to the conclusion that a person is guilty. Like modern DNA evidence which has exonerated many falsely accused or convicted, the witch trials make it clear that evidentiary standards are not technicalities, but rather essential to the protection of God's people. This lesson is most important when the crime alleged is particularly upsetting. The more horrible a crime or alleged crime seems, the more we want someone punished and thus the quicker we rush to judgment. In those situations, persons with doubts and questions are often afraid to express them and our Christian values of love, justice, and fairness are often trumped by community pressure.
Jim
[Editor's note: We send "The Trumpeter" to both the District Superintendent and the Bishop. They have now been informed about our pastor's ancestry.]
Dear Jim,
Our attendance is traditionally low during the summer, but this year seemed lower than in the recent past. How come you didn't get a call from God like you have the last couple of years? Echoes in the Sanctuary
Dear Echoes,
SHHHH!!
I am quietly hoping that God is waiting to see if this Fall our commitment to worshipping, sharing, and serving Christ will be so apparent that God will conclude that this summer's attendance drop was attributable to the extraordinarily high temperatures and a need to rest and refuel before the next leg of our journeys. If that is the case, the absence of the dreaded summer phone call is simply evidence of God's patience with us. Of course, some might attribute the fact that I didn't receive the call to God's losing my cell phone number or to God's enjoyment of my squirming as I wondered when I would pick up the phone and hear: "Jim, this is God." Still others might suggest that God gave up on us.
I reject all of those alternatives as inconsistent with the God I know.
Jim
Dear Jim,
You get a little preachy about summer and vacation worship. You even encourage the congregation to bring back bulletins from the churches at which they worshipped when not here. You took two Sundays off as a part of your vacation. Did you worship? Did you bring the bulletins home?
Committee Against Hypocrisy in the Pulpit
Dear CAHP,
I worshipped at West Stockholm UMC on the morning of August 12 and at both the Spragueville UMC (9:00) and the Ogdensburg UMC (11:00) on August 19. On October 7, the bulletins will be hung on the wall with care. You may rest your minds and close your investigation.
Jim
[Editor's Note: Questions for "Daring To Ask Jim" can be submitted to "The Trumpeter" at UMCPotsdam@yahoo.com.]