Path of Holy Discontent

John Wesley published “Free Grace,” an Arminian sermon denouncing Calvinism as blasphemous.  He argued that any doctrine of unconditional election (humanity has no choice—we are either saved or damned) and limited atonement (Jesus only died for the ones he would save) denies all of the scripture which claim God loves all, that God wishes for none to perish, that God is no respecter of persons.

All that is a great argument, but it took it further and says that Calvinism leads to people living unholy lives, that Calvinists live lives of fear without assurance of faith—but Arminians never doubt their assurance.  There’s quite a few points in his argument that are incredibly weak—and George Whitefield calls him on it (coming next week!).

I wanted to convey how divisive this message was by turning it into a fisticuffs match between John and George.  Charles Wesley had written a song (Unlimited Redemption) that went along with the Free Grace sermon, and I think that today, music carries messages to the masses much more than preaching, so I just went with a Rap Battle, to be continued with George’s rebuttal.

Spiritual Healers Help CDC Track The Plague In Uganda

When medical anthropologist Mary Hayden visits her colleague Yofet, he tells her, “Mary, you don’t need to call before you arrive because I already know you’re coming.”

Yoset, you see, is a traditional healer in northern Uganda. “The spirit comes over him and tells him how to treat people,” Hayden tells Shots.

But recently, Yoset’s practice has expanded beyond the ethereal. He and about 40 other healers and herbalists are helping to track down the plague in Uganda for scientists here in the U.S.

"We trained traditional healers how to spot the symptoms of the plague," says Hayden, who now works at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. “We gave them cellphones with the hospital’s number programmed into it. And we gave them bicycles so they could help get people to clinics.”

Hayden described the project and its results so far to scientists at a tropical medicine meeting in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.

Back in 2009, Hayden was working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A team of scientists there were using computer models topredict where the plague might appear in northwest Uganda. The region records about 400 plague cases a year.

But a single infection can mushroom into hundreds more if the bacteria move to a person’s lungs and start spreading through the air.

There was one major obstacle preventing the team from tracking the disease: Many villages in rural Uganda don’t have medical doctors or nurses to diagnose or treat the plague.

"Most people are 15 to 20 kilometers from a health clinic," Hayden says. "When you have the plague, you’re really sick and you’re not walking 15 to 20 kilometers."

But many patients do go see their village’s herbalist or healer, like Yoset. Hayden and her team trained them to spot potential cases of the plague and other severe diseases and then refer the people for modern medical care.

Continue reading.

Photographs: 

Top: Yofet, a spiritual healer in northwestern Uganda, has referred cases of the plague and severe malaria to nearby clinics. (Courtesy of Mary Hayden) 

The United Methodist Church is one of constant formation, practical life and study, and social holiness. By understanding how the nature of the of the church, its context, theological guidelines, and polity inform one another and can have clues into how the church would settle new and emerging issues. One the the biggest issues facing the United Methodist Church, is human sexuality, specifically on the topic of whether or not ordination of self professing and practicing homosexuals as well as the celebration of homosexual unions in the church should be allowed. This issue is one that stands to divide the church as groups polarize on each side. Though it is necessary for the United Methodist Church to make a stand on this issue the more important thing is to work on our life-together so that productive conversation and healing on either side can begin.