Re-recipe

It dawned on me earlier this evening at the Lake, where I was preparing cheesecake with Duck III, Loveapple and Shorts, that the satirical origins of Methodism should be dismissed with lesser confidence today.

As tradition has it, John Wesley and the Holy Club were derisively called "Methodists" by fellow Oxford scholars because of the methodical way in which they operated. As modernity has it, Wesley saw no shame in adopting the name; the sheer number of 70 million global adherents testify to this public truth decade after decade.

However, it is not as if being overscrupulous has proved to be a good thing. I think the sense of being rigid and methodical has not been kept insofar as to uphold biblical values or sustain effectiveness, but rather for the sake of honouring a feature that defines the denomination, almost purely for existential reasons.

It is difficult for me not to say this. Imagine being asked for your opinion when the issue of concern has already been exhaustively decided upon. Imagine being asked for dimensions so that a wooden box can be constructed to prevent a thief without a lockpick from stealing an article half his weight. Imagine being required to sew together a severed carcass every week, each belonging to a different animal, but all of which have been methodically spliced into four sections of equal volume (or so we are told).

Of course, I speak with a bias in at least two ways. Number one, I grew up in a Methodist church. Number two, I grew up in a Methodist church. In that sense, I face the dangers of both over-generalising and over-specifying. But either way, I say what I see and hope that change will come to be.

It is also interesting to note that Methodism differs from other protestant denominations by the what and the why of its name. Baptists are so called because of their subscription to the doctrine of Believer's Baptism, as opposed to that of Infant Baptism. Presbyterians are so called because of their subscription to the doctrine of the Presbytery, or the Eldership, as developed by Paul in his first letter to Timothy. Charismatics are so called because of their subscription to a doctrine that emphasises the physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit (Gr. kharis, meaning favour or grace; in modern theology relating to gifts of the Holy Spirit). So etymologically per se, what doctrinal or biblical position is Methodism then associated with?

You may say that it is an unfair comparison, and I don't doubt that it is in some ways. But when a void of Bible-centredness begins to surface, it is hard to resist drawing the connection.

My point is simply that a new generation requires a new recipe. The template remains the same inasmuch as is laid out biblically. Otherwise, sticking to what worked in the past, attempting to tackle the new with antiquated experiences and wielding unbiblical authority can only dishonour God. Accordingly, quenching the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit (1 Thes 5:19) is not something to be trifled with.

At the end, the cherry syrup on the cheesecake turned out a little too sweet for me. The older cooks who used to prepare it batch after batch already have their tastebuds numb to the stinging saccharine flavour. The younger customers have hence decided to frequent other confectionaries. The few of us fight with our lives for the chance to bake.