Humility in the Writings of Charles Wesley and the Early Church Fathers/Mothers

Humility in the Writings of Charles Wesley and the Early Church Fathers/Mothers
Author: S T Kimbrough
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 109
Release: 2024-09-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Humility is a central focus of the early church fathers/mothers. Similarly, it is at the heart of Charles Wesley’s thought expressed in his poetry, sermons, and journal. For Wesley, humility plays an active role in the process of salvation. “It can but lead to faith,” he says. For the fathers/mothers of the early church, salvation void of humility is unthinkable. For Wesley the words “humble” and “humility” pervade almost every aspect of Christian character, personality, and experience. A careful examination of Wesley’s writings reveals congruences with and a close relationship to the thought of the early church fathers and mothers on the subject of humility. Throughout this study, examples from witnesses of the Eastern church emphasize the closeness of their thought with that of Charles Wesley. A careful comparative study is made of St. Basil the Great’s “Homily on Humility” and Wesley’s multiple references to humility in prose and poetry. This leads to an interesting response to the question: How does one practice humility? St. Basil says, “Everything that Christ did was a lesson in humility.” This study suggests that in the cycle of the Christian year and the liturgical rehearsal of everything that Christ did, one learns to practice humility.

Mary, Mother of Martyrs

Mary, Mother of Martyrs
Author: Kathleen Gallagher Elkins
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2020-10-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 172528846X

The Virgin Mary has been idealized as a self-sacrificing mother throughout Christian history, but she is not the only ancient maternal figure whose story is connected to violent loss. This book examines several ancient representations of mothers and children in contexts of sociopolitical violence, demonstrating that notions of early Christian motherhood, as today, are contextual and produced for various political, social, and ethical reasons. In each chapter, the ancient maternal figure is juxtaposed with an example of contemporary maternal activism to show that maternal self-sacrifice can be understood as strategic, varied, politically charged, and rhetorically flexible.

The End of the Christian Life

The End of the Christian Life
Author: J. Todd Billings
Publisher: Brazos Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2020-09-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493427547

We're all going to die. Yet in our medically advanced, technological age, many of us see death as a distant reality--something that happens only at the end of a long life or to other people. In The End of the Christian Life, Todd Billings urges Christians to resist that view. Instead, he calls us to embrace our mortality in our daily life and faith. This is the journey of genuine discipleship, Billings says: following the crucified and resurrected Lord in a world of distraction and false hopes. Drawing on his experience as a professor and father living with incurable cancer, Billings offers a personal yet deeply theological account of the gospel's expansive hope for small, mortal creatures. Artfully weaving rich theology with powerful narrative, Billings writes for church leaders and laypeople alike. Whether we are young or old, reeling from loss or clinging to our own prosperity, this book challenges us to walk a strange but wondrous path: in the midst of joy and lament, to receive mortal limits as a gift, an opportunity to give ourselves over to the Lord of life.