Polity, Practice, and the Mission of The United Methodist Church
Polity, Practice, and the Mission of The United Methodist Church

Author: Thomas E. Frank

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2006-04-01

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 1426763573

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"Commissioned by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry for use in United Methodist doctrine/polity/history courses." This in-depth analysis of the connection between United Methodist polity and theology addresses ways in which historical developments have shaped--and continue to shape--the organization of the church.This revised edition incorporates the actions of The United Methodist General Conference, 2004. The book discusses continuing reforms of the church's plan for baptism and church membership, as well as the emergence of deacon's orders and other changes to ordained ministry procedures. The text is now cross-referenced to the Book of Discipline, 2004, including the revised order of disciplinary chapters and paragraph numbering. Denominational statistics are updated, along with references to recent works on The United Methodist Church and American religious life.

The Doctrines and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
The Doctrines and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church

Author: African Methodist Episcopal Church

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2017-05-01

Total Pages: 135

ISBN-13: 1469633264

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Published in 1817, The Doctrines and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first definitive guide to the history, beliefs, teachings, and practices of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Beginning with a brief history, the book moves into a presentation of the "Articles of Religion," including the Trinity, the Word of God, Resurrection, the Holy Spirit, scripture, original sin and free will, justification, works, the church, purgatory, the sacraments, baptism, the Lord's Supper, marriage, church ceremonies, and government. Immediately following the articles is an extended four-part catechism that more fully explicates the meanings and implications of the doctrinal statements. A DOCSOUTH BOOK. This collaboration between UNC Press and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library brings classic works from the digital library of Documenting the American South back into print. DocSouth Books uses the latest digital technologies to make these works available in paperback and e-book formats. Each book contains a short summary and is otherwise unaltered from the original publication. DocSouth Books provide affordable and easily accessible editions to a new generation of scholars, students, and general readers.

The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies
The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies

Author: William J. Abraham

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2009-09-24

Total Pages: 780

ISBN-13: 0191607436

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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.

Almost Christian
Almost Christian

Author: Kenda Creasy Dean

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2010-07-16

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0199758662

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Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.

American Methodism Revised and Updated
American Methodism Revised and Updated

Author: Kenneth E. Rowe

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2022-11-15

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 179101660X

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The essential guide to American Methodism revised and updated through 2020. Four of Methodism’s most respected teachers give us a vivid picture of 260 years of Methodist experience in America. The revised edition updates the Methodist movement’s story through 2020, including the social, political, economic, technological, and global disruptions that cause faith communities and denominations to pull apart. American Methodism Revised and Updated begins with the explosion of evangelical Pietism and revolutionary Methodism, the First Great Awakening, as an independent nation was formed. It then highlights key 19th century themes and Methodist contributions, such as spreading scriptural holiness through missions and literature, planting tens of thousands of Sunday schools and churches by Circuit Riders, the pivotal Methodist schism between abolitionists and enslavers, the innovative building of schools and hospitals into the next century, and the revivalism of the Second Great Awakening. Finally it explores the movements of 20th century Methodism, including the expansion of home and foreign missions, the Methodist drive for Prohibition, the decision for nationwide reunification on the cusp of World War II, reunification with the United Brethren during the Vietnam War, the Methodist ordination of women during the 1950s, Black Methodist leadership in the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and the liturgical renewal or reformation of worship (ancient and future).