The University of Phoenix of Religion

I have been interested in Chelsea Clinton’s wedding, in part because she seems to be a centered young woman who has dealt well with the vagaries of her parents and the glass house environment in which she had to grow up. I admire that.

I was also interested because, as a minister, I officiated at a similar Jewish-Methodist wedding.

It was not just as a minister, either. It was as a father, when Mary Beth married Ben Friedman at Suburban Temple in Cleveland.

The rabbi said we would do the traditional Jewish wedding, and I could add “anything Methodist” I wanted, as long as I didn’t mention “you know who.” I said, “But you-know-who is at least the third most important person in Methodism.” He didn’t seem to get the joke. At least, I thought it was a joke at the time.

What I did was put in a lot of Hebrew scriptures that Jesus had quoted. That way the Jews in attendance thought I was using the Hebrew Bible, and the Christians thought I was using the New Testament. The rabbi assured me that I could use I Corinthians 13—“No one thinks of that as Christian anymore; it’s just part of the culture.”

Apparently, the rabbi at Chelsea’s wedding was not as open-minded. When asked what part of the service was Methodist, the answer was: “A Methodist minister was in attendance.”

This, of course, set off Jon Stewart, of “The Daily Show.” Stewart is Jewish, and by all polls, “the most trusted news anchor on TV.” [It says a great deal about the current state of TV news when the foul-mouthed anchor of a fake news show on a comedy channel is the most trusted. However, I agree with the polls.]

He said: “A Methodist minister was ‘in attendance?’ He didn’t have to DO anything? How easy is it to be a Methodist? They must be like the University of Phoenix of religion; just send in $50 and you’re saved.”

Non-Methodists, and some Methodists, may think this is pretty accurate.

As usual, though, Stewart got to the heart of the matter, in his own inimitable way: The point of religion is salvation. Just like education, a lot of people think it can be had cheap and easy.

The point of religion is salvation, salvation out of brokenness into wholeness, salvation from self-centered life into God-centered life, salvation out of tears into laughter. Stewart got that part right. What he got wrong is the part most Methodists get wrong, too. You don’t have to DO anything, except accept that joyful gift of salvation from God.

Accepting grace isn’t cheap and easy, though. It takes a love sacrifice by God, and it means giving up all the cheap stuff which we think gives meaning to our lives.

Saul of Tarsus would agree with Stewart. Paul of Tarsus could happily be a Methodist.