Methodist Blogger Profile: Whit Johnstone

Whit Johnstone, the Methotaku

Hi, I’m the Methotaku, otherwise known as Whit Johnstone. Most of the time, I live in my dorm room in Arlington, TX, but some weekends I drive back to Irving to visit my family. I’m going to get an actual apartment this summer, hopefully. At this point, I have my Mom, my Dad, and my little sister for family. I’ve attached a fairly recent picture, one that shows my new haircut.

Why do you blog?
me an outlet for things I can’t say IRL.

What has been your best blogging experience?
When I blogged about reading Walter Wink’s The Powers That Be and it was really popular and Rev. Mommy commented about using my posts to study.

What would be your main advice to a novice blogger?
Don’t be afraid to blog trivial things.

If you could only read three blogs a day, what would they be?
Untied Methodist, Wesley Blog, and mock_the_stupid. The last is because it’s funny.

Who are your spiritual heroes?
Jesus (obvious reasons), Martin Luther (for working through depression, and for breaking with an established orthodoxy), John Wesley (the founder of my theological worldview and denomination), Ghandi and MLKJr (because of their dedication to Jesus’ teachings of nonviolence).

What are you reading at the moment?
The Culture of Translation in Anglo-Saxon England

What is your favorite hymn and why?
“They Will Know We Are Christians By our Love”, for both the words and the tune.

Can you name a major moral, political, or intellectual issue on which you've ever changed your mind?
Abortion. I used to be for abortion on demand, whenever. Now I am against second and theird trimester abortions except to save the life of the mother. I still think that abortion should be legal for most medical and economic reasons in the first trimester.

What philosophical thesis do you think is most important to combat?
Prosperity Theology. It’s the antithesis of the Gospel.

If you could affect one major change in the governing of your country, what would it be?
Honestly? No more Bush.

If you could affect one major policy change in the United Methodist Church, what would it be?
I would like to see complete reunion between the UMC, the African Methodist Episcopal denominations, and the Episcopal Church. I hope that it will happen in my lifetime, and I have faith that someday all schisms will be mended, and we will all be one Body.

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
Don’t get discouraged by failure.

What, if anything, do you worry about?
Not graduating from UTA, not being admitted to a good seminary, not being ordained, failing in general. Sometimes I worry that I am too lazy or too impulsive to amount to anything.

If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything that you'd do differently?
I’d be more active in my church’s youth group in high school.

Where would you most like to live (other than where you do now)?
Anglo-Saxon England, in the late 800s to early 900s.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy watching anime and playing videogames. Occasionally I blog or write fanfic. In essence, I’m a total geek. When I do exercise (not often enough), I walk, jog, bike, or play basketball.

What is your most treasured possession?
My laptop, if I have to pick something. But I don’t really care about any of my possessions- I just care about what I do with the possessions. One tool will do as well as another- and there’s nothing sad about replacing a tool when it wears out or if there’s an improved model available.

What talent would you most like to have?
The ability to draw, paint, and write neatly and legibly.

If you could have any three guests, past or present, to dinner, who would they be?
John Wesley, Alfred the Great, and V. Gene Robinson