ABSTRACT
Is there a Methodist conscience? And if so, what does it look like? Methodists have been prophetic activists on a number of social issues, including those named in this essay’s title. But Methodists also have a long history of preserving the status quo as part of their process of moving from countercultural religious movement to culturally influential church. This essay focuses on British and American Methodism, but recognises that what it means to be a socially involved Methodist is a contested concept across the globe. It also recognises that the official pronouncements of any religious group do not always parallel the thoughts of people in the pews, and that this tension runs strongly through Methodist stance(s) on race, alcohol and war.1
