When a brother or sister Christian sees the Church or the world with remarkable (perhaps God-given) clarity, we would be wise to pay close attention. Hence, what follows.

During the summer of 2006, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, preached a sermon titled "The Challenge and Hope of Being an Anglican Today." In this sermon, Archbishop Williams noted that today there are three parties competing within the Anglican communion. According to the Archbishop, the three parties within Anglicanism are: liberalism, evangelicalism, and catholicism.

Because the same parties now exist within The United Methodist Church -- and most other churches, for that matter -- we might consider each of the three parties in the most general of terms.

Liberalism today is dedicated to creating the Kingdom of God here and now. By striving for "inclusiveness" in Church life and "social justice" in society, liberalism believes it is advancing God’s Kingdom in this world. Given its primary commitments, liberalism often tends to underplay, or to redefine, traditional Christian doctrine and morals. The liberal party in the Church sits comfortably with other forms of liberalism in society. Its parish newsletter can appear to be the editorial page of the New York Times.

Evangelicalism in our time believes that, on nearly all matters, the teaching of Scripture is plain and simple. According to evangelicalism, the only question is this: Will the Church agree with, and abide by, the plain meaning of Scripture? Not so much concerned with the unity of the Church, evangelicalism strives for the purity of the Gospel. Therefore, in the evangelical view, compromising the faith is a much more serious error than dividing the Church. Evangelicalism preaches and teaches in a way that evokes either Yes! or No! from its hearers.

Catholicism is not the same as Roman Catholicism. The party of catholicism, in all churches, is committed both to the truth of the Church’s faith and to the unity of the Church’s life. In fact, catholicism believes that the Bible tests the Church, even while the Church discerns what God is saying through Scripture. Catholicism, therefore, is the most patient party. It is willing to support disciplinary action in the Church only as a last resort, and in a way that acknowledges all Christians are forgiven sinners who need what only the Church can provide. While not given to ultimatum -- Do this, or suffer that! -- catholicism is willing to draw doctrinal and moral lines that serve the Church’s life together.

To the whole Church, liberalism provides challenge, evangelicalism offers energy, and catholicism adds wisdom. On the other hand, liberalism’s content can become intolerably thin, evangelicalism’s decisiveness can degenerate into divisiveness, and catholicism’s patience can collapse into laziness. That is why these parties need each other and need to push each other -- under the Lord Jesus Christ, who is building His Church.