METHODIST HISTORY April 2012 Volume L Number 3
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Paper for the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, August 2007 History of Methodism Working Group
Paper for the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, August 2007 History of Methodism Working Group A Calling to Fulfill: Women in 19th Century American Methodism Janie S. Noble In Luke’s account of the resurrection, it is women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women who take the message of the empty tomb to the apostles (24:10).1 The Old and New Testaments provide other witnesses to women’s involvement in a variety of ministries; the roles for women in the church through time have been equally as varied. Regardless of the official position of the church regarding their roles, women have remained integral to continuation of our faith. Historical restrictions on the involvement of women have been justified both scripturally and theologically; arguments supporting their involvement find the same bases. Even women who stand out in history often did not challenge the practices of their times that confined women to home, family, or the convent. For example, Hildegard of Bingen is considered a model of piety and while she demonstrated courage in her refusal to bend to the demands of clergy, she was not an advocate of change or of elevation of women’s authority in the church. Patristic attitudes have deep roots in the Judeo-Christian traditions and continue to affect contemporary avenues of ministry available to women. Barriers for women in America began falling in the nineteenth century as women moved to increasingly visible activities outside the home. However, women’s ascent into leadership roles in the church that matched the roles of men was much slower than in secular areas. -
The Place of the Local Preacher in Methodism
Wofford College Digital Commons @ Wofford Historical Society Addresses Methodist Collection 12-7-1909 The lP ace of the Local Preacher in Methodism Joseph B. Traywick Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/histaddresses Part of the Church History Commons, and the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Traywick, Joseph B., "The lP ace of the Local Preacher in Methodism" (1909). Historical Society Addresses. Paper 14. http://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/histaddresses/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Methodist Collection at Digital Commons @ Wofford. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Society Addresses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Wofford. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Place of the Local Preacher in Methodism With Sketches of the Lives of Some Representative Local Preachers of the South Carolin'a Conference BY REV. JOSEPH B. TRAYWICK An Address Delivered Before the Historical Society of the South Carolina Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Abbeville, S. C ., December 7, 1909. \ The origin of local preachers and their work in Methodi sm, like all else in that great SI)irituai awakening, was Providential. The work at the Foundry in London had been inaugurateu by Mr. Wesley for some lime. When he must needs be away for awhile. he nppoillted Thomas Maxfield. a gifted layman, to hold prayer meetings in hi s absence. But Maxfield's exhortations proved to be preaching with great effect. On Mr. Wesley's return, he was alarmed Jest he hOld gone too far; but the wise counsel of his mother served him well at thi s critical h OUT in the great movement. -
“Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love”: George Jackson (1864-1945) and the Transatlantic Connections of Methodism in Canada, the USA and Great Britain
Methodist History, 50:3 (April 2012) “BLEST BE THE DEAR UNITING LOVE”: GEORGE JACKSON (1864-1945) AND THE Transatlantic CONNECTIONS OF METHODISM IN CANADA, THE USA AND Great Britain1 MARTIN WELLINGS Historians of the early years of the Evangelical Revival, like George Rawlyk, Reg Ward and Mark Noll, have taught us to recognise the web of contacts and correspondence linking Europe, Great Britain and North America in the mid-eighteenth century, contacts which helped to dissemi- nate the stories and methodology of the Revival.2 Scholars and students have not paid as much attention to the later history of those connections, and this paper suggests that this is a topic whose significance we might profitably consider. The paper offers a case study of a man, a book and a reaction. The man is George Jackson (1864-1945), a minister of the British Wesleyan Methodist Connexion. The book is The Preacher and the Modern Mind, the published version of a lecture Jackson gave to the Wesleyan Conference in Liverpool, England, in July, 1912. The reaction has been described as a rare example of organised Fundamentalism among British Methodists, spawning one of the very few groups in Great Britain which fits George Marsden’s definition of a Fundamentalist: “an Evangelical who is angry about something.”3 And Jackson’s opponents in the Wesley Bible Union were certainly very angry indeed.4 At first sight this controversy within British Methodism looks very insular, but further investigation reveals that George Jackson’s formation as a preacher and theologian, his reputation as an advocate of “modern thought” and the reactions to The Preacher and the Modern Mind all owed a good deal 1 A version of this paper was presented to the Wesleyan Studies Group at the American Academy of Religion in Montreal in 2009, and I am grateful to members of the Group for their insightful comments. -
Church Membership and Pastoral Authority in American Methodism
Church Membership and Pastoral Authority in American Methodism Rex D. Matthews NB: This paper is very much a work-in-progress and is intended only for discussion by members of the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies. Please refrain from public quotation or attribution without the specific consent of the author. Introduction A recent decision by the Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church stimulated a good deal of controversy across the denomination. That decision stated that “the pastor in charge of a United Methodist church or charge is solely responsible for making the determination of a person’s readiness to receive the vows of membership.” It further stated that a pastor in charge “cannot be ordered by the district superintendent or bishop to admit into membership a person deemed not ready or able to meet the requirements of the vows of church membership of The United Methodist Church,” and concluded that the 2004 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church “invests discretion in the pastor in charge to make the determination of a person’s readiness to affirm the vows of membership.”1 In a “Pastoral Letter to the People of The United Methodist Church” issued in response to that Judicial Council decision, the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church plainly affirms the “Wesleyan practice” that “pastors are accountable to the bishop, [district] superinten- dent, and the clergy on matters of ministry and membership.” Bishop Peter Weaver, at the time the President of the Council of Bishops, was quoted -
Aspects of Arminian Soteriology in Methodist-Lutheran Ecumenical Dialogues in 20Th and 21St Century
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto ASPECTS OF ARMINIAN SOTERIOLOGY IN METHODIST-LUTHERAN ECUMENICAL DIALOGUES IN 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY Mikko Satama Master’s Thesis University of Helsinki Faculty of Theology Department of Systematic Theology Ecumenical Studies 18th January 2009 HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO − HELSINGFORS UNIVERSITET Tiedekunta/Osasto − Fakultet/Sektion Laitos − Institution Teologinen tiedekunta Systemaattisen teologian laitos Tekijä − Författare Mikko Satama Työn nimi − Arbetets title Aspects of Arminian Soteriology in Methodist-Lutheran Ecumenical Dialogues in 20th and 21st Century Oppiaine − Läroämne Ekumeniikka Työn laji − Arbetets art Aika − Datum Sivumäärä − Sidoantal Pro Gradu -tutkielma 18.1.2009 94 Tiivistelmä − Referat The aim of this thesis is to analyse the key ecumenical dialogues between Methodists and Lutherans from the perspective of Arminian soteriology and Methodist theology in general. The primary research question is defined as: “To what extent do the dialogues under analysis relate to Arminian soteriology?” By seeking an answer to this question, new knowledge is sought on the current soteriological position of the Methodist-Lutheran dialogues, the contemporary Methodist theology and the commonalities between the Lutheran and Arminian understanding of soteriology. This way the soteriological picture of the Methodist-Lutheran discussions is clarified. The dialogues under analysis were selected on the basis of versatility. Firstly, the sole world organisation level dialogue was chosen: The Church – Community of Grace. Additionally, the document World Methodist Council and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification is analysed as a supporting document. Secondly, a document concerning the discussions between two main-line churches in the United States of America was selected: Confessing Our Faith Together. -
THE EVANGELIST: a Biblical Study
Gareth L. Reese has been teaching the Word of God to students at Central Christian College of the Bible since 1957. As an author, Professor Reese THE has written extensive course materials in a verse-by-verse commentary on twenty-fve books of the New Testament EVANGELIST: and a syllabus of 400 pages of supplementary notes for use in Greek classes. A Biblical Study His frst book, New Testament History: Acts, has been used as a textbook at many Bible colleges. It has been translated into Russian and Portuguese. In addition to the syllabi, he has also published nine commentaries. Those commentaries contain various special studies on scripture that are relevant to the passage. This booklet is one of those special studies, taken from his commentary on Romans. His wife and partner in ministry and publication is Kathleen by Beerbower Reese. The Reeses were blessed with two sons, Timothy (Kim) and Jonathan (Kathy). They also have three Gareth L. Reese grandchildren, Abby, Courtney, and Ian. This special study examines the different evangelists of the New Testament church, the qualifcations of evangelists in the New Testament, and the duties of evangelists for today’s church. Additional copies of this booklet are available at the CCCB bookstore. To order, call 888-291-3909. 911 East Urbandale Drive Moberly, Missouri 65270 660-263-3900 www.CCCB.edu Special Studies in Scripture THE EVANGELIST: A Biblical Study by Gareth L. Reese Special Studies in Scripture God’s Providence: A Biblical Study © 1999 by Scripture Exposition Books All rights reserved. No part of this booklet may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the author. -
Diversity and Co-Operation
CHAPTER 2 Diversity and Co-operation Dissent traced its origins back to the seventeenth century. During the Commonwealth Presbyterianism had triumphed. The Church of England had been re-organised on Presbyterian lines: bishops had been abolished; all ministers were treated as equal. In 1662, following the restoration of Charles II to the throne and bishops to the church, those ministers who could not accept the new dispensation were ejected from their posts. Many gathered congregations outside the Church of England; and most were Presbyterians. During the eighteenth century their successors, swayed by the influences of the Age of Reason, gradually abandoned Trinitarian orthodoxy. By the early nineteenth century many of these ‘rational Dissenters’ were prepared to call themselves Unitarians.1 Although their origins were mainly Presbyterian, they differed totally from the Presbyterians of the nineteenth century—essentially Scottish immigrants who brought their orthodox religion to the major cities, together with Northumberland, and who in 1851 possessed 160 places of worship and 0.2% of the population.2 The Unitarians were of comparable strength,SAMPLE with 229 chapels and 0.2%, but were spread rather more evenly over the country. Their city centre causes, such as High Pavement in Nottingham or Mill Hill in Leeds, were dominated by prosperous business and professional families with a powerful civic spirit whose Dissent was usually hereditary. Yet a wide social range was to be found amongst them. In Lancashire a rationalist schism from Methodism had brought over a substantial working-class membership.3 There was a steady 1 R. K. Webb, ‘The Unitarian Background’, in Barbara Smith, ed., Truth, Liberty, Religion: essays celebrating two hundred years of Manchester College (Oxford, 1986). -
Stephen Crane's Father and the Holiness Movement
Syracuse University SURFACE The Courier Libraries Spring 1990 Stephen Crane's Father and the Holiness Movement Christopher Benfey Mount Holyoke College Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/libassoc Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Benfey, Christopher, "Stephen Crane's Father and the Holiness Movement" (1990). The Courier. 265. https://surface.syr.edu/libassoc/265 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Libraries at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Courier by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ASSOCIATES COURIER VOLUME XXV, NUMBER 1, SPRING 1990 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ASSOCIATES COURIER VOLUME XXV NUMBER ONE SPRING 1990 Intentional Omissions from the Published Civil War Diaries of Admiral John A. Dahlgren By Robert J. Schneller, Jr., Ph.D. Candidate in History, 3 Duke University Stephen Crane's Father and the Holiness Movement By Christopher Benfey, Assistant Professor of English, 27 Mt. Holyoke College "I Want to Do This Job": More Margaret Bourke~White Letters to Erskine Caldwell By William L. Howard, Assistant Professor of English, 37 Chicago State University The New School of Wood Engraving By Edward A. Gokey, Advanced Graduate Student of 53 Fine Arts, Syracuse University The Punctator's World: A Discursion (Part Four) By Gwen G. Robinson, Editor, Syracuse University Library 85 Associates Courier News of the Syracuse University Library and the Library Associates 127 Stephen Crane's Father and the Holiness Movement BY CHRISTOPHER BENFEY Stephen Crane was the son and grandson of prominent Methodist ministers, and it is often assumed that his colorful life of excess and adventure was an understandable rejection of that legacy. -
Page 1 of 7 1 WESLEYAN REFORM UNION of CHURCHES a BRIEF
Page 1 of 7 WESLEYAN REFORM UNION OF CHURCHES A BRIEF INTRODUCTION Who We Are The “Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches” is a Union of about 100 self-governing local churches spread throughout the country that work together to reach the communities in which they are situated. The Union serves its churches through various committees, departments and personnel, and by encouraging and supporting individual churches in their effort to grow spiritually and numerically as they seek to fulfil the Great Commission. Our Vision Our vision is to enable God’s people to grow in discipleship and evangelism, and see the Kingdom of God extended. As an umbrella body we seek to equip, support, resource and empower our churches to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the communities around them. Our desire is to serve our churches, help mobilize our congregations, ministers and pastors to become more effective ambassadors of Christ, and advance the Great Commission in their villages, towns and cities. History The “Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches“ was founded in 1849 by some local congregations/churches members of the Wesleyan Reform movement who, at that time, didn’t want to join the Methodist Connexion. The Union was formed to give more freedom to local congregations to govern themselves, and to give more authority and value to local leadership. Today, the final authority in all matters is the Church Members meeting. Where We Work The Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches has individual churches as well as those who group themselves together into ‘circuits’ of geographical local churches for mutual support and encouragement. -
Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches Introduction Pack
Page 1 of 7 WESLEYAN REFORM UNION OF CHURCHES A BRIEF INTRODUCTION Who We Are The “Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches” is a Union of about 100 self-governing local churches spread throughout the country that work together to reach the communities in which they are situated. The Union serves its churches through various committees, departments and personnel, and by encouraging and supporting individual churches in their effort to grow spiritually and numerically as they seek to fulfil the Great Commission. Our Vision Our vision is to enable God’s people to grow in discipleship and evangelism, and see the Kingdom of God extended. As an umbrella body we seek to equip, support, resource and empower our churches to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the communities around them. Our desire is to serve our churches, help mobilize our congregations, ministers and pastors to become more effective ambassadors of Christ, and advance the Great Commission in their villages, towns and cities. History The “Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches“ was founded in 1849 by some local congregations/churches members of the Wesleyan Reform movement who, at that time, didn’t want to join the Methodist Connexion. The Union was formed to give more freedom to local congregations to govern themselves, and to give more authority and value to local leadership. Today, the final authority in all matters is the Church Members meeting. Where We Work The Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches has individual churches as well as those who group themselves together into ‘circuits’ of geographical local churches for mutual support and encouragement. -
Circuit Riders
Published on NCpedia (https://www.ncpedia.org) Home > Circuit Riders Circuit Riders [1] Share it now! Circuit Riders by Lynne S. Lepley, 2006 George Whitdield, North Carolina itinerant preacher. Image courtesy of Wheaton College. [2]Circuit riders were itinerant preachers who traveled from place to place ministering to the spiritual needs of the people. The term came to be synonymous with Methodist [3] preachers, followers of the teachings of John Wesley, who had begun the Methodist movement in eighteenth-century England as a way of bringing reform to the Church of England. [4] In the geographical area of North Carolina, there were many famous itinerant preachers who left their mark. The nationally and internationally known evangelist George Whitefield [5] preached in the eastern towns of New Bern (1739) and Bath [6] (1748). Other itinerants with denominational ties such as Charles Woodmason [7] (Anglican) and Francis Makemie [8] (Presbyterian) traveled from place to place in North Carolina and other states establishing congregations. It was the Methodists, however, who brought new order to the idea of itinerancy, with preachers, or circuit riders, as they came to be known, assigned to a specific area of parishes, called "circuits." The minister "rode the circuit" by traveling from community to community and from church to church within his appointed area. Under the leadership of the American bishop Francis Asbury [9], the circuits became the basic organizing unit of the Methodist movement in North Carolina and throughout America. Asbury himself was probably the greatest of the Methodist circuit riders. From 1771 to his death in 1816, he rode some 228,000 miles throughout the country. -
James Barber, Evangelical Preacher: His Life and Times, 1797 - 1867 by Denny Williams (His Great-Great Grandson)
4 The Chronicle James Barber, Evangelical Preacher: His Life and Times, 1797 - 1867 by Denny Williams (his great-great grandson) The reasonably-read historian knows that the 1700’s and early 1800’s were a period of great turmoil amongst the general population – and especially those of religious faith, both in Europe and, increasingly, in North America. Roy Adkins, writing of the times, notes, It was a time of social upheaval… Intellectuals were discussing everything, trying to make sense of a planet about which, in comparison with modern knowledge, they knew virtually nothing. At the same time they also looked for a morality and a philosophy to replace the failing superstitious piety that had maintained this state of ignorance for so long. From the intimately personal to the public and political, it was a very different world, yet because the written languages of the time are still easily read today and because modern costume dramas, using modern speech and accents, greatly reduce the feeling of strangeness in portrayals of the period, it is easy to form a false impression that life two hundred years ago was closer to life today than it actually was… it is useful to pause occasionally and remember how the world has changed in the last five or ten years and how much more it has changed in the last two centuries. 1 Conditions in Europe were a significant cause of migration to North America. Thousands of German people [principally from the region of Germany known as the ‘Palatinate’] came to this colony of William Penn; so many that when Jacob Albright was born in 1759, the entire south eastern section of Pennsylvania, with the exception of Chester County, was occupied principally by them.