My Methodist upbringing was very formative in my politics. I was born in 1969, and there was all this ecumenical 'we're in this together' sensitivity that was part of the United Methodist Church in the 1970s.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I was brought up Methodist, christened as a little baby and went to church every Sunday.
I grew up in the United Methodist Church, and church was always a very big part of my growing up.
In my family, we were Americans, we were Republicans and we were Methodists.
Both my parents are Methodist preachers, I grew up in a church.
I grew up in a little Methodist church that was very rural, very community support-oriented, made up of great people who talked about love and grace and the spiritual experience, but only in rhetorical terms.
I was reared in the conservative atmosphere of a Methodist parsonage.
My dad was a Methodist minister.
Let me be clear: I am a Methodist. By that, I mean I think John Wesley was a recovery of Catholic Christianity through disciplined congregational life.
I was baptized Methodist, but I was mainly raised First Church of NFL, which is to say that my family, especially my father, was much more concerned with watching football on Sundays than attending services.
I was raised Catholic, but my father's people were Methodist, so we went to both churches.