2016 Wesleyan Discipline:Time, use of

265=== Toward Self ===

(3) To exercise faithful stewardship through the wise use of their time and material resources, practicing careful self-discipline in order to further the mission of Christ’s church (remembering the principle of tithing which is basic to the New Testament standard of stewardship) and to demonstrate compassion to those in need.

Prov. 3:9; Mal. 3:10; Matt. 25:34–40; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:Acts 20:35; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:7; Eph. 5:16; Col. 3:17; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:James 2:15-16; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1 John 3:17.

410

(12) Use of Time and Entertainments. The Wesleyan Church believes that its members should exercise responsible stewardship of their time for worship, work, rest, personal leisure, and service to others. Special care should be given to honoring Christ in one’s choices and pursuit of entertainments. This will include refusing to patronize and to carefully regulate the use in the home of activities, media, and communication where they feature the cheapening of human life, the gratuitiously violent, the use of immoral or profane language, and the sexually explicit and pornographic. Members should avoid involvement with activities that tend to be addictive or conducive to gambling (i.e., risking one’s assets or property on the outcome of legal or illegal games of chance, including government-sponsored lotteries). We believe gambling violates the principle of Christian stewardship (i.e., trusting God’s provision for us, as exemplified in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:Matthew 6:25-34) and the tenth commandment which forbids coveting (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:Deuteronomy 5:21); is harmful to the individual in that it is emotionally addictive; can be a poor example to others of how to manage the resources of God or trust in God’s provision; appeals to greed; endangers families; lowers socio-economic standards and self esteem; engenders false hope; and is exploitative in that it takes advantage of the misplaced hopes, compulsions or poor judgment of others. We believe that total abstinence is the best Christian response to gambling in all its forms.