i am ron swisher hosting on behalf of our producer, hugh burrows. i've been a host 15 years now and it has been a great honor to do so . my previous guest was bishop warner brown who is retiring this year. he's been a bishop for eight years . and i had karen here and my theme for today is the united methodist church and the basic tenants of our church . i thought they might be helpful for understanding that . today one of the foremost method scholars , greg is with us. thank you. >> i know you came from sacramento and it's quite the drive and i appreciate you making the effort. >> it's a privilege to be here, it really is. >> i know that many churches now do not like denominational names, what does it mean to be united methodist ? >> it is consistent with what i believe much of the culture of society is looking for. we try to hold together the notion of spur personal spirituality with responsibility . we believe that many of us are looking for ways to grow within our spirit and with in our faith . in secular terms, we talk about self-help and in spi