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ABSTRACT Preaching Wesley's Ordo Salutis ABSTRACT Preaching Wesley’s Ordo Salutis: A Study in Wesleyan Theology Today by Edward E. Beedle In 1786 John Wesley wrote in “Thoughts upon Methodism”: "I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out" (Wesley Works 148). Wesley’s fear was that the people called Methodists would lose the passion of their faith, that they would become ineffective in working for the kingdom of God. It appears that in many United Methodist Churches today Wesley's fears are becoming reality, not only United Methodist churches but also churches of all denominations. It appears churches are losing any sense of identity as historical Christian churches. Unless United Methodist churches regain the teaching of the faith there is a bleak future ahead. The Church needs to regain the practice of catechesis, teaching the foundations of the faith. Churches in the Wesleyan tradition need to regain the practice of teaching the distinctive of Wesleyan theology. This project studies the effects of teaching John Wesley’s order of salvation and what makes Wesleyans distinct in their faith. A series of seven sermons on Wesley’s ordo salutis was prepared and preached, and a series of six classes was prepared and presented on some of the distinctives of Wesleyan doctrine. The research type for this project is a mixed method using surveys, focus groups, and participant observations. There is a pre-test survey and post-test survey for both the sermon series and the discussion classes. Following the completion of the sermon series there were two focus groups and following the discussion classes there was a focus group. Each focus group consisted of three to five people. Analysis of the data yielded negligible positive change in theological perspective in Wesley’s theology of salvation and the Wesleyan distinctives. Possible explanations for these results are discussed. DISSERTATION APPROVAL This is to certify that the dissertation entitled Preaching Wesley’s Ordo Salutis: A Study in Wesleyan Theology Today presented by Edward E. Beedle has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for the DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at Asbury Theological Seminary Dissertation Coach Date Representative, Doctor of Ministry Program Date Dean of the Beeson Center Date Preaching Wesley’s Ordo Salutis: A Study in Wesleyan Theology Today A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Edward E. Beedle May 2017 © 2017 Edward E. Beedle ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Beedle 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 1 NATURE OF THE PROJECT ...................................................................10 Overview of the Chapter ………………………………………………………...10 Autobiographical Introduction ..............................................................................10 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................11 Purpose of the Project……………………………………………………………14 Research Questions ……………………………………………………………...14 Research Question #1 ................................................................................14 Research Question #2 ................................................................................14 Rationale for the Project ........................................................................................15 Definition of Key Terms .......................................................................................16 Delimitations .........................................................................................................17 Review of Relevant Literature ...............................................................................18 Research Methodology .........................................................................................20 Type of Research ......................................................................................21 Participants ................................................................................................21 Description of Participants ………………………………………………21 Data Collection .........................................................................................22 Data Analysis ............................................................................................23 Generalizability .........................................................................................24 Beedle 5 Project Overview ..................................................................................................24 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW FOR THE PROJECT .........................................25 Ordo salutis ............................................................................................................25 Catechesis/Discipleship .........................................................................................42 Research Design Literature ...................................................................................67 Literature Review Summary .................................................................................69 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR THE PROJECT …………………72 Overview of the Chapter ………………………………………………………...72 Problem Restated ………………………………………………………………..73 Nature and Purpose of the Project .........................................................................74 Research Questions ................................................................................................75 Research Question #1 ................................................................................75 Research Question #2 ................................................................................76 Ministry Context ...................................................................................................76 Participants ............................................................................................................78 Criteria for Participation ...........................................................................78 Description of Participants .......................................................................78 Ethical Considerations ..............................................................................79 Pilot Test ………………………………………………………………………...80 Procedure for Collecting Data ..............................................................................81 Procedure for Analyzing the Data Collected ........................................................82 Reliability of Project Design .................................................................................84 CHAPTER 4 EVIDENCE FOR THE PROJECT ..............................................................85 Beedle 6 Introduction ...........................................................................................................85 Participants ............................................................................................................86 Research Question #1: Description of Evidence ..................................................89 Research Question #2: Description of Evidence ..................................................95 Summary of Major Findings ................................................................................103 CHAPTER 5 LEARNING REPORT FOR THE PROJECT ...........................................104 Overview of the Chapter .....................................................................................104 Major Findings .....................................................................................................104 First Finding .............................................................................................104 Second Finding ..........................................................................................108 Third Finding ............................................................................................112 Ministry Implications of the Findings..................................................................115 Limitations of the Study.......................................................................................115 Unexpected Observations ....................................................................................116 Recommendations ................................................................................................117 Postscript .............................................................................................................119 APPENDICES …………………………………………………………………………121 A. Surveys ............................................................................................................122 Sermon Survey ……………………………………………………………..122 Class Survey ……………………………………………………………….128 B. Focus Group Questions ..................................................................................131 C. Sermon Outlines ............................................................................................133 D. Class Outlines ………………………………………………………………156 Beedle 7 E. Ethical Considerations
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