Ask The UMC

Since the Church’s inception, Methodists have been actively involved in social and political matters in order to build a more peaceful and just world. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Is The United Methodist Church involved in politics?

Can United Methodists be politically active? The Social Principles offer guidance about the interaction of church and politics.

Church History

A view of Kingswood School in England. Neil Phillips Photography, courtesy of Kingswood School.

Ask The UMC: What was the first school started by Methodists?

Wesley believed everyone should have access to education regardless of gender or class. He championed education as a way to assure that leaders would act ethically and responsibly.

Social Concerns

Members and supporters of the Coalition of Immokalee (Fla.) Workers pray in Nashville, Tenn., at the conclusion of a protest against the Publix supermarket chain's refusal to join a farm workers' rights labor program. The Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church demands that employers "treat farm workers and their families with dignity and respect.” Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Ask The UMC: Does the church support workers' rights?

The United Methodist Church supports workers' rights in a heritage that goes back to early Methodism in England.

Theology and Education

The word shalom is Hebrew for peace and describes harmony between humanity and all of God's good creation. Photo by RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ, courtesy of Pixabay.

Ask The UMC: What does ‘peace’ mean in the Bible?

The Hebrew word “shalom” is translated as “peace.” In the Bible, shalom does not mean feeling calm or without conflict, but rather it is the result of right relationships with God, one another and creation, writes Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications.

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