Reckoning Methodism
Reckoning Methodism

Author: Darryl W. Stephens

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2024-03-29

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 1666775630

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Reckoning Methodism addresses the brokenness of The United Methodist Church (UMC) in the United States. Homosexuality is but one of several fault lines with decades-long histories in this predominantly White denomination. Demographic shifts, racism, and imperialism are heavily implicated in the current state of division. What, then, is the true nature and mission of this church? The UMC is the public church divided. Distinct missional theologies arise from competing commitments and priorities. When Methodist programmatic initiatives—such as vital congregations, environmental witness, and volunteers in mission—fail to account for these differences, denominational unity is weakened. Constructively, this book seeks historical clarity, collective repentance, charismatic learning, and institutional courage as United Methodists reckon with inherited animosities and divisions. This book provides no answers or programmatic fixes. Rather, it provides possibilities for repairing past harms as United Methodists seek ways to continue living out their Wesleyan faith. Reckoning with the public church divided, we glimpse the nature and mission of the church—not only as it has been but also as it could be. Podcast interview with GCAH

Doctrine and Theology in the United Methodist Church
Doctrine and Theology in the United Methodist Church

Author: Thomas A. Langford

Publisher:

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume is intended to set in historical context the official United Methodist theological statements in the Disciplines of 1972 and 1988, and to foster reflection on and discussion of the 1988 statement.

Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline
Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline

Author: Kevin M. Watson

Publisher: Zondervan Academic

Published: 2024-06-25

Total Pages: 512

ISBN-13: 0310097770

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The definitive history of the Wesleyan movement in the United States. An expansive, substantive history of the Wesleyan tradition in the United States, Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline offers a broad survey of the Methodist movement as it developed and spread throughout America, from the colonial era to the present day. It also provides an theological appraisal of these developments in light of John Wesley's foundational vision. Beginning with Wesley himself, Watson describes the distinctiveness of the tradition at the outset. Then, as history unfolds, he identifies the common set of beliefs and practices which have unified a diverse group of people across the centuries, providing them a common identity through a number of divisions and mergers. In the midst of the sweeping changes happening in Methodism and the pan-Wesleyan movement today, Watson shows that the heart of the Wesleyan theological tradition is both more expansive and substantive than any singular denominational identity. "A fresh, panoramic overview of the history of the Methodist movement. . . Promises to be a standard textbook on the history of Methodism for years to come." —TIMOTHY C. TENNENT, Asbury Theological Seminary