Lasting challenge: Doing, knowing 'the right thing'
By Bishop Woodie W. White
"Of course, we are going to do the right thing!" He said the words with a quiet, calm confidence. I was reassured.
While a student in seminary, there was a period when I found some difficulty in securing field work placement to fulfill the school's requirement.
As announced position openings appeared on the bulletin board, and as pastors and district superintendents came to interview students, I joined my schoolmates in applying for these opportunities. I imagine there were a number of positions for which I was not qualified. However, I was advised by some of those seeking students that the problem was my race. One pastor advised that he would welcome me in the position of youth worker, but he was certain parents would object to my relating to their daughters!
It was a time of discouragement, disappointment, bitterness and envy. I would listen to my classmates as they returned from their assignments and talked with enthusiasm about their local-church experiences. I wanted to join them by sharing mine! Finally, I secured employment as an elevator operator in a popular downtown department store.
Actually, I enjoyed the work. I liked meeting the public and especially announcing the floors and their merchandise. "Sixth floor, housewares, furniture," I would say in a clear, distinct voice.
One day, I found a message in my mailbox, from a pastor indicating he wanted to meet me to discuss a position as youth director. A meeting was arranged and the pastor invited me to accept the position. I did not want to be rejected again so I asked if he was certain that the all-white congregation would accept me. He assured me there would be no problem and said, "Of course, we are going to do the right thing!" The right thing to this pastor meant not discriminating against a young student because of his race.
I became the youth director, had a positive experience and learned much from the pastor who had been a military chaplain and a district superintendent. He and his gracious wife lived to do the right thing. It was a blessing to be touched by such caring commitment.
Over the years I have remembered those words and a simple act of commitment to do the right thing. I have tried to follow the example. Yet I discovered to do the right thing, one must first know the right thing. Thus, I began forming my understanding of what was right.
First, there was the early counsel of parents, then teachers, other adults and authority figures. As I matured, Scripture and the teachings of the church became foundational. In college I discovered a course in ethics that further provided grounding and understanding. Then of course came the Book of Discipline, the Social Principles, and my reliable Book of Resolutions. All of these in some measure helped me reason and walk through a sometimes-challenging maze of decision making.
Sadly, there were times when doing the discerned right thing was difficult, and I chose the easy way. But most times the discerning was the greater challenge.
That good, committed and faithful people discern the right thing differently only adds to the challenge. Some support war, others do not. Some affirm The United Methodist Church positions on homosexuality, capital punishment and abortion, while others with equally informed conscience do not. Yet, there must be a right thing!
I agree with noted author, the Rev. Leonard Sweet, when he asserts in his book Faithquakes, "Because God is absolute, it is not true that there are no better or worse answers. Because God is absolute it is not true that all answers are of the same weight, that it is all a matter of opinion. Because God is absolute, there are standards; there are canons; there are wrong answers . . . that some ways of living are better than others. . . ."
Nearly 50 years ago, my pastor and mentor inspired and reassured me with calm confidence, "Of course, we are going to do the right thing!" The equal challenge is to KNOW the right thing.
Copyright 2005 United Methodist Reporter. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Retired United Methodist Bishop Woodie W. White currently serves as bishop-in-resident at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga.