The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies

The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies
Author: William J. Abraham
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 780
Release: 2009-09-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0191607436

With the decision to provide of a scholarly edition of the Works of John Wesley in the 1950s, Methodist Studies emerged as a fresh academic venture. Building on the foundation laid by Frank Baker, Albert Outler, and other pioneers of the discipline, this handbook provides an overview of the best current scholarship in the field. The forty-two included essays are representative of the voices of a new generation of international scholars, summarising and expanding on topical research, and considering where their work may lead Methodist Studies in the future. Thematically ordered, the handbook provides new insights into the founders, history, structures, and theology of Methodism, and into ongoing developments in the practice and experience of the contemporary movement. Key themes explored include worship forms, mission, ecumenism, and engagement with contemporary ethical and political debate.

Pulpit, Press, and Politics

Pulpit, Press, and Politics
Author: Scott McLaren
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2019-07-15
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1442619783

When American Methodist preachers first arrived in Upper Canada in the 1790s, they brought with them more than an alluring religious faith. They also brought saddlebags stuffed with books published by the New York Methodist Book Concern – North America’s first denominational publisher – to sell along their preaching circuits. Pulpit, Press, and Politics traces the expansion of this remarkable transnational market from its earliest days to the mid-nineteenth century, a period of intense religious struggle in Upper Canada marked by fiery revivals, political betrayals, and bitter church schisms. The Methodist Book Concern occupied a central place in all this conflict as it powerfully shaped and subverted the religious and political identities of Canadian Methodists, particularly in the wake of the American Revolution. The Concern bankrolled the bulk of Canadian Methodist preaching and missionary activities, enabled and constrained evangelistic efforts among the colony’s Native groups, and clouded Methodist dealings with the British Wesleyans and other religious competitors north of the border. Even more importantly, as Methodists went on to assume a preeminent place in Upper Canada’s religious, cultural, and educational life, their ongoing reliance on the Methodist Book Concern played a crucial role in opening the way for the lasting acceptance and widespread use of American books and periodicals across the region.

Methodism

Methodism
Author: David Hempton
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0300106149

Hempton explores the rise of Methodism from its unpromising origins as a religious society within the Church of England in the 1730s to a major international religious movement by the 1880s.

How United Methodists Study Scripture

How United Methodists Study Scripture
Author: Catherine Gunsalus González
Publisher:
Total Pages: 120
Release: 1999
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780687084227

This new series of books challenges United Methodists to engage in life-transforming practices. Each book explains a theme and underscores major emphases within the United Methodist denomination: * How should I read and study the Bible? * How should I pray and engage in my devotional life? * How can I reach out and share my faith? Each adult study is divided into four sections with suggestions for group discussion, and can be completed in 4 to 8 sessions. No leader's guide is needed. In the 4 chapters of this book four authors contribute with different emphases to the process of Bible study and interpretation. Catherine Gonzalez's chapter summarizes the roles of the Bible in the periods of the early church, the early and later Middle Ages, and the Protestant Reformation. The chapter by Ben Witherington concentrates on the Bible in early Methodism, focusing on John Wesley, Francis Asbury and Richard Watson. Dr. Tilson's chapter addresses issues of contemporary scriptural study and interpretation, emphasizing the significance of historical context. Gayle Carlton Felton's concluding chapter investigates distinctively United Methodist approaches to and uses of the Bible.

Wesley and Methodist Studies

Wesley and Methodist Studies
Author: Geordan Hammond
Publisher: Clements Publishing Group
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2012-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1926798139

Wesley and Methodist Studies (WMS) publishes peer-reviewed essays that examine the life and work of John and Charles Wesley, their contemporaries (proponents or opponents) in the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival, their historical and theological antecedents, their successors in the Wesleyan tradition, and studies of the Wesleyan and Evangelical traditions today. Its primary historical scope is the eighteenth century to the present; however, WMS will publish essays that explore the historical and theological antecedents of the Wesleys (including work on Samuel and Susanna Wesley), Methodism, and the Evangelical Revival. WMS has a dual and broad focus on both history and theology. Its aim is to present significant scholarly contributions that shed light on historical and theological understandings of Methodism broadly conceived. Essays within the thematic scope of WMS from the disciplinary perspectives of literature, philosophy, education and cognate disciplines are welcome. WMS is a collaborative project of the Manchester Wesley Research Centre and The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History, Oxford Brookes University.

Wesley and the People Called Methodists

Wesley and the People Called Methodists
Author: Richard P. Heitzenrater
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2013
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 142674224X

The practical and theological development of eighteenth-century Methodism.

Mainline Or Methodist?

Mainline Or Methodist?
Author: Scott Thomas Kisker
Publisher: Upper Room Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: Church renewal
ISBN: 9780881775419

Where do we go from here? The dynamic history and identity of the United Methodist Church is lost among the pluralistic landscape in America today. As a living organism, the church can expect to evolve with the culture that surrounds it. The problem, according to lifelong member and author Scott Kisker, is that the United Methodist Church seems to have lost its missional foundation as it climbed to mainline American Protestant church status. Trying to be both mainline and Methodist is a deadly combination. In fact, it's a leading cause for the denomination's spiritual and numerical decline, Kisker asserts. "Real Methodism declined because we replaced those peculiarities that made us Methodist with a bland, acceptable, almost civil religion, barely distinguishable from other traditions," writes Kisker. "Like the Israelites under the judges, we wanted to be like other nations. We no longer wanted to be an odd, somewhat disreputable people. And we have begun to reap the consequences." So...where do we go from here? In his passionate yet critical review, Kisker says we must reclaim the rich roots of salvation, disciple-making, and witness that made the tradition so strong. In Mainline or Methodist? he reveals what's not working and unveils a vision for renewal that embodies the distinctive Wesleyan tradition of the apostolic and universal Christian faith.

Spiritual Literacy in John Wesley's Methodism

Spiritual Literacy in John Wesley's Methodism
Author: Vicki Tolar Burton
Publisher:
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2020-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9781481314183

Vicki Tolar Burton argues that John Wesley wanted to make ordinary Methodist men and women readers, writers, and public speakers because he understood the powerful role of language for spiritual formation. His understanding came from his own family and education, from his personal spiritual practices and experiences, and from the evidence he saw in the lives of his followers. By examining the intersections of literacy, rhetoric, and spirituality as they occurred in early British Methodism-and by exploring the meaning of these practices for class and gender-the author provides a new understanding of the method of Methodism.

Faithful and Fractured

Faithful and Fractured
Author: Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2018-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493410733

Clergy suffer from certain health issues at a rate higher than the general population. Why are pastors in such poor health? And what can be done to help them step into the abundant life God desires for them? Although anecdotal observations about poor clergy health abound, concrete data from multiple sources supporting this claim hasn't been made accessible--until now. Duke's Clergy Health Initiative (CHI), a major, decade-long research project, provides a true picture of the clergy health crisis over time and demonstrates that improving the health of pastors is possible. Bringing together the best in social science and medical research, this book quantifies the poor health of clergy with theological engagement. Although the study focused on United Methodist ministers, the authors interpret CHI's groundbreaking data for a broad ecumenical readership. In addition to physical health, the book examines mental health and spiritual well-being, and suggests that increasing positive mental health may prevent future physical and mental health problems for clergy. Concrete suggestions tailored to clergy are woven throughout the book.