In his exceptional biography of Francis Asbury, John Wigger describes the characteristics that made the father of American Methodism an effective communicator. These four traits were:
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1. legendary piety and perseverance, rooted in a classical evangelical conversion experience.
2. ability to connect with ordinary people.
3. ability to understand and use popular culture.
4. organization of the Methodist church.
This is the third post in a four-part series that considers each of the traits that made Asbury an effective leader. I will also consider whether these traits are relevant for contemporary church leaders. (You can view the previous posts by clicking the traits listed above.)
The third trait that made Asbury an effective communicator was his understanding and use of popular culture (7). If the second aspect of what made Asbury an effective communicator marked a difference between he and John Wesley, this is a trait that Asbury and Wesley shared. Wigger described the way this trait function for Asbury, particularly with regard to his relationship between John Wesley and Americans:
Asbury acted as a mediator between Wesley and common Americans. Wesley and Asbury came from significantly different backgrounds, but they shared a realization that the dominant religious institutions of their day were failing to reach most people. The great question they both addressed was how to make the gospel relevant in their time and place. The audience was never far from their minds (7).
One of the major challenges Asbury faced as a mediator between Wesley and the average American was which parts of popular American culture to embrace and which parts to reject. Asbury embraced the revivalistic atmosphere that was inseparable from early nineteenth-century camp meetings. As a result, American Methodism embraced the camp meeting early on, while many other denominations hesitated. Asbury initially took a firm stand against American Methodists holding slaves. However, he ultimately compromised on this stand.
The camp meeting and American slavery show the tension in engaging popular culture. Wigger ultimately argues that “this mediating impulse, transmitted from Wesley through Asbury, became a trademark of American Methodism” (7). It was certainly not without complication, but it is one of the reasons American Methodism grew exponentially during the decades that Asbury was the bishop of the newly created Methodist Episcopal Church.
Would this characteristic be significant for contemporary church leadership?
Yes, but the same tensions alluded to above are an unavoidable part of any engagement with popular culture. Wigger’s discussion of the broader implications of religious movements engaging the surrounding culture provides a helpful framework for thinking about the contemporary relevance of this aspect of Asbury’s leadership style:
All religious movements interact with the prevailing culture of their adherents. Popular religous movements like early American Methodism exist in a tension between religious values and the values of the dominant culture, alternately challenging and embracing the larger culture around them. To either completely accept or reject the larger culture is to cease to be either religious on the one hand, or popular on the other. Leaders like Asbury understand this tension and work within it (7).
Early American Methodism provides a fascinating example of a Christian tradition both changing the culture and being changed by it. Among other things, this example ought to chasten religious leaders or institutions that talk about cultural engagement in overly static or one-directional ways. If a person or institution succeeds in understanding and using popular culture, they will almost certainly be changed by that culture.
The very fear of being “converted” by popular culture has led some to avoid engaging popular culture at all. To use Wigger’s phrase, this is to cease to be popular. Wesley and Asbury were both unapologetically in favor of gathering a large audience.
The desire to be relevant (or sometimes for contemporary American Methodism to be popular once again) has led some to embrace popular culture with no hesitation. To the extent that this has happened in American Methodism, I think it is at least in part because there was a time that being American and being Methodist were nearly synonymous. Contemporary American Methodists who feel this temptation would do well to heed Wigger’s warning that to completely accept the larger culture is to cease to be religious, or more importantly, Christian.
Wigger argues that the success of any religious movement “hinges on maintaining contact with the culture around them” (7). I think he is right. The Church needs leaders who know Jesus, are committed to practicing their faith in consistent daily ways, can connect with ordinary people, and understand the culture around them and who seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance for how to best engage that culture.
[Note: I think Wigger’s description of culture could be a bit more nuanced. The idea that there is a popular culture (as opposed to a more complicated network of cultures that intersect in a variety of ways) that a community of faith decides to engage or not engage is a bit too straightforward.]
So what do you think? In order to be effective, does a leader in the church need to understand and use popular culture? Why or why not? How have you seen church leaders do this well? How do you think it could be done better?
Going from preachin’ to meddlin’: My guess is that most people tend towards one of the extremes Wigger discusses, either embracing or rejecting popular culture uncritically. Do you tend to embrace or reject popular culture? How might you be able to engage popular culture more faithfully for the glory of God?
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How do we help United Methodists “unseal” their theological beliefs from the rest of their lives? It’s as if our beliefs are “bubble-wrapped” and kept separate from the day-to-day interpretation of life. Of course, people do pay attention to end-times scenarios (a big part of pop culture) or scandalous events, but I don’t get the sense that “the average” United Methodist (or any other American Christian, for that matter) thinks much about how their beliefs guide their quotidian interactions with popular culture.
I’m enjoying this series, Kevin. Thanks for taking the time to share all of this.
One question that comes to mind for me is this: How much does engaging one’s culture (or not) depend on the leader’s personality? Is “engagement” in any way similar to being gregarious by nature? I believe engaging our culture (being in the world but not of it) is vital for us if we are to reach people for Jesus, and often wonder how much of it can be taught vs just being something that is innate in some but not others. Your thoughts?
Steve – Great questions. I’d love to talk with you more about this. My sense is that many UMs would say that their beliefs explicitly guide their engagement with popular culture. The interesting question that follows for me, though, is this: Is there an agreed upon set of beliefs that UMs have that ought to inform any engagement with popular culture. (Of course, I think there is. The standards of doctrine, etc., listed in the Book of Discipline. But how do those actually function in contemporary United Mehtodism?) It is often difficult to tell which comes first in popular UM discourse, popular culture engaging UM beliefs or UM beliefs engaging popular culture.
Chad – I am intrigued by the questions you raise. I think there is likely something to it. However, I also think that observing and thinking about how to speak into popular culture is something that one can do regardless of whether they are naturally gregarious or and introvert or an extrovert. Particularly in web 2.0, I think one can engage popular culture in many ways regardless of how talkative they are, etc. Thoughts?
Kevin, I agree that in the end, we cannot blame our personalities for not engaging. You cause me to consider that Jesus’ commission to “go” was not predicated on whether or not anyone liked to travel. I think we can use our personalities as a crutch too often, but the flip side of that, God calls and uses all sorts, and perhaps the people I can’t engage because of who I am, someone else might because they are differently tempered.
In any event, I wish our seminaries did more to prepare us for these sorts of tasks. I hope yours is! 🙂 thanks again for these insights!
I will be attending your Discipleship Seminar at Seattle Pacific University on October 5th. Will you be including any references to Frances Asbury’s methods in promoting adherence to Wesley’s General Rules? Methodists shouldn’t throw away Asbury’s applications just because they are over 230 years old! I will be writing your response on our “Wesleyan Covenant Connection” Facebook page. Thank you for sharing your faith with us. Wally Snook