Welcoming the Holy Spirit Stephen Seamands cracks open the mysteries of the
Holy Spirit.
A charge to keepStanley R. Copeland testfies to the peaceful witness of Bill Hinson.
Ruth Graham: The X-factor Terry Mattingly pays tribute to Ruth Bell Graham.
Darwin & Damascus: Forks in the road to enlightenmentElizabeth Glass maps out a response to the latest
prophets of atheism.
Pithy and persuasive: G.K. Chesterton’s writing still inspires Mary
Jacobs welcomes the colorful Catholic to the table.
Einstein’s search for God Steve Beard gives voice to the relativity
and religion of a genius.
God’s school of prayer Margaret Therkelsen reveals the Spirit’s tutorials in life-changing prayer.
COLUMNS
Next Generation Systemic thinking: Youth ministry as wind chime
RENEW Women’s Network Reclaiming the Wesleyan social witness: Offering
Christ
The Great Commission Hope for a recovering suburbanite
From the Heart The rest of the story
Annual conferences focus on starting new churches
Holsinger faces challenges on United Methodist involvement
Good News board has conversation with Bishops Jones and Dyck
Worldwide Methodism grows by one million per year
Culture in View
Amazing Grace
Twelve years ago in these pages, I shared my conviction that the liberal theological consensus that had dominated the leadership of mainline Protestantism for the last half-century was dying. Today, I believe that even more strongly, especially as it pertains to United Methodism.
The fact is that theological liberalism never received widespread acceptance among the people called Methodists. In his Methodism and Society in the Twentieth Century, Walter Muelder wrote, “Only a minority in the [mainline] denominations identified themselves with [liberalism] and many of these were related to theological seminaries, to boards and agencies, or to councils somewhat remote from the…local churches.”
Today, many clergy and laity are unswayed by scholars who vote on which portions of the Bible they believe are authentic, such as the Jesus Seminar. Also, they are shocked at the smorgasbord (I’ll-take-what-I-like) approach toward major Christian doctrines. And it is no more acceptable if liberal theology is referred to as “progressive.”
After nearly four decades of decline, United Methodists have, I believe, lost patience with such doctrinal disregard. United Methodists may well be waking from their doctrinal amnesia (cf. William J. Abraham’s book by that title). That is, they are rediscovering and studying Christian doctrine again, and represent a swelling crescendo for a return to the sensus fidelium—the consensus of the faithful, in the life of the church. At an annual conference I visited this spring, a pastor commented about the solidly evangelical delegation being elected to General Conference, saying “Our conference expects its delegates to affirm the evangelical faith.” That is indeed heartening.
This doctrinal consensus has a remarkably long and reliable history. It is not up for regular re-writes nor determined by discussion groups and straw votes. It is the faithful message that builds strong, vital local churches across the connection. To preach otherwise is to turn to “a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all,” Paul writes (Galatians 1:7a).
Might we United Methodists be recovering our Wesleyan theological heritage? Hopefully so. While much still needs to be done, especially in theological education, I do believe we are witnessing a renaissance in the study and living out of our Wesleyan theological heritage. A number of recent books give reason for hope. Let me offer a sampling.
• Every United Methodist should get Kenneth Kinghorn’s three-volume set of John Wesley’s The Standard Sermons in Modern English (Abingdon, 2002). Here are Wesley’s standard sermons in a form more suitable for today’s reader. He has rephrased awkward, outdated constructions and provided a helpful introduction to each sermon, stating the purpose and circumstances. These volumes are a treasure.
• Bishop William H. Willimon has written a delightful new volume, United Methodist Beliefs: A Brief Introduction (Westminster John Knox Press, 2007). He challenges United Methodists to know and understand what they believe. To those who say being a Methodist means “you can believe fairly much whatever seems right to you,” Willimon replies, “They are dead wrong, a scandal to the religious movement that is the lengthened shadow of John and Charles Wesley.” He is challenging, feisty, and worth reading.
• Bishop Scott Jones has written a helpful volume entitled United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center (Abingdon, 2002). Jones believes that all the church does should be undergirded by its doctrinal corpus. Jones states that commitment to the church’s doctrine is to be expected from both candidates for ministry as well as those already in the church. He notes that for both clergy and laity, the “dissemination of doctrines contrary to the established standards of doctrine of The United Methodist Church” is a chargeable offense that could lead to expulsion from the ministry or from membership in the denomination. This serious work, says Jones, “is focused on interpreting the current teaching of the United Methodist Church in its authoritative form.” Both Willimon and Jones’ books are valuable resources.
• Dr. Kenneth J. Collins, the prolific and highly-respected professor of Wesley studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, has written a number of outstanding books on Wesleyan theology recently. Three stand out: his The Scripture Way of Salvation (Abingdon, 1997), John Wesley: A Theological Journey (Abingdon, 2003), and just out from Abingdon, his impressive The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace (400 plus pages).
There are others one might add. But it’s enough to suggest that United Methodism may well be seeing a recovery and re-claiming of her rich, Wesleyan theological heritage. Oh Lord, may it be so.
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