DOCSLIB.ORG

The Bible in Mission Before J. Hudson Taylor

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Bible in Mission Before J. Hudson Taylor 2 The Bible in Mission before J. Hudson Taylor 2.1 Introduction This background chapter presents an overview of the use of the Bible in some of the major movements from the Reformation until the nineteenth century before Taylor's era. It includes Puritanism, Pietism, the Moravian Brethren and Methodism and is preceded by a section on Roman Catholicism. These are selected for their overall impact on the development of Christianity, their use of the Bible and their practice of mission. Each section is divided into two parts. Firstly, there is a short analysis of the place of the Bible within each movement. Secondly, an assessment of the role of the Bible in stimulating and shaping mission thought among these movements, which will contribute to an explanation of the origin of Protestant missions and Taylor’s context. 2.2 Roman Catholicism Although the emphasis in this chapter is on Protestant views of the Bible and its influence on mission it is necessary to have a brief overview of the situation in the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally, it is possible for Protestants to underestimate the influence of Rome’s own mission efforts especially as the great majority of Christian work in China before Taylor was Catholic. 2.2.1 Roman Catholicism and the Bible Recent scholarship has emphasised the continuity in biblical interpretation between medieval and Reformation exegesis.1 In the population as a whole there was a demand from many for a better understanding of the Bible. People wanted to benefit from the fruits of the development in humanistic scholarship.2 There was a move back to the study of the Hebrew and the Greek text with an emphasis on the literal meaning prominent. This can be seen in the work of scholars such as the French Franciscan Nicholas of Lyra (1270-1349) who was an exegete whose primary concern was to arrive at an exact understanding of the text.3 He made extensive use of a literal approach to the text and believed that any research into the Bible was done to aid moral development.4 He was reacting against an ‘unchastened speculation’5 in theology that arose from the use of allegory. He thought that the uncritical use of Jewish sources and the scholastic atomization of the text were unhelpful.6 For Lyra, a literal approach was a necessary basis for doing theology and although he was not completely divorced from the interpretative methods of his contemporaries he had an enormous influence through the 1 Richard A. Muller, ‘The View From the Middle Ages’ in R. A. Muller & J. L. Thompson (eds), Biblical Interpretation in the Era of the Reformation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), p. 9. 2 Basil Hall, ‘Biblical Scholarship: Editions and Commentaries’ in Stanley L. Greenslade, The West from the Reformation to the Present Day : Cambridge History of the Bible, Volume III (Cambridge: CUP, 1963), pp. 38-39. 3 R.L.P. Milburn, ‘The ‘People’s Bible’: Artists and Commentators’ in Geoffrey Lampe, The West From the Fathers to the Reformation: Cambridge History of the Bible, Volume II (Cambridge: CUP, 1969), p. 305. 4 Donald K.McKim, Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters (Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 1998), p. 118. 5 Milburn, ‘The ‘People’s Bible’ p. 305. 6 McKim, Historical Handbook, p. 118. 19 publication of the first ever printed commentary (Postilla Litteralis) on the biblical text. This set out the results of his Hebrew scholarship7 and addressed a wide range of interpretative issues, contributing to the idea that the literal meaning of the text was a sufficient basis for theological argument and dogma. This became a standard work in the universities often being printed alongside the text of the Vulgate. In an era that was characterised by doctrinal pluralism,8 there were others who were drawing down the ire of the Church for their work on the Bible. John Wycliffe (1329-84) accepted the Bible’s authority as the one sure basis for faith and wanted it available to the layman.9 He emphasised the literal interpretation of the Bible and restricted his definition of the true Church to those that God had predestined to salvation.10 He had an influence on the Czech nationalist Jan Hus (1374-1415), who stressed the authoritative role of scripture in the church and also called for vernacular translations of the Bible.11 In the Netherlands the Brethren of the Common Life flourished.12 Geert Groote (1340-84) was the founder of this revival movement within the church. They wrote many spiritual tracts and believed that scripture was central to spiritual life. There was an attempt to re-capture the life of the early church.13 They were keen to establish the authority of the original texts of scripture as the authority for their liturgies, the Vulgate and the teachings of the Church Fathers realising that the transmission of texts can lead to corruption.14 These movements indicate that there were signs of renewal of spiritual life in the Church which was usually associated with a partial recovery of the teaching of the Bible.15 In England the Bible occupied a negligible place in the devotional works of the time.16 Few people could read the Latin Vulgate Bible for themselves or knew what it taught. The printing of Bibles in English had been prohibited since 1408, unless sanctioned by the bishops.17 Faith was expressed in assenting to the major doctrinal statements about God, man, the soul, grace and other subjects mediated by others. The text concealed spiritual teaching that only the enlightened could understand18 thus ensuring that the interpretation of the Bible was mainly subject to the tradition and authority of the Church. Another important figure was the Dutch Catholic scholar Desiderius Erasmus (1468-1536).19 Although he did not know Hebrew, he applied himself to the study of the text of the Bible.20 As a monk 7 Beryl Smalley, ‘The Exposition and Exegesis of Scripture in The Bible in the Medieval Schools’ in Lampe, Cambridge History of the Bible, p. 208. 8 Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: Reformation of Church and Dogma 1300-1700. Volume IV (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1984), p. 10. 9 A.G. Dickens, The English Reformation (New York: Schocken Books, 1964), p. 22. 10 Ibid. 11 Steven Ozment, The Age of Reform 1250-1550 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980), p. 166. 12 Erica Rummel, ‘Voices of Reform from Hus to Erasmus’, in Thomas A. Brady, Jr. Heiko A Oberman, James D Tracy (eds), Handbook of European History 1400-1600: Late Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation. Volume II (Leiden: E.J.Brill, 1995), p. 96. 13 E.F. Jacob, ‘The Brethren of the Common Life’, Bulletin of the John Rylands Library Volume 24, No. 1 (Manchester: Manchester University Press, April 1940), p 9. 14 Ozment, The Age of Reform, p. 97. 15 Gerald Bray, Biblical Interpretation: Past and Present (Leicester: Apollos, 1996), p. 166. 16 A.G. Dickens, The English Reformation., p. 9. 17 Ibid. 18 Bray, Biblical Interpretation, pp. 145-146. 19 John C. Olin, Catholic Reform From Cardinal Ximenes to the Council of Trent 1495-1563 (New York: Fordham University Press, 1990), p. x. 20 Francis Bouyer, ‘Erasmus in Relation to the Medieval Biblical Tradition’ in Lampe, Cambridge History of the Bible, p. 492. 20 who served for a time in a monastery that was part of the Devotio Moderna movement, he had been impressed with the work of Groote as his influence worked its way through the congregations. This impressed upon Erasmus the need for a study of the Bible that could lead to interior transformation from which must spring the renewal of society.21 He emphasised the need to read the scriptures in context but also paid attention to the texts of early church history to encourage greater accuracy of their usage within the church.22 He established the importance of the grammatical sense of scripture and that the spiritual sense coming from the text must be expounded with a clear relationship to this grammatical sense.23 His new Latin translation from the Greek was important for he thought that the Vulgate had obscured the teachings of Jesus and he wanted the New Testament to be as widely known as possible.24 Despite these differing views on the Vulgate it is important to note how it maintained its importance as a standard translation for both Catholics and Protestants until well into the sixteenth century25 even though there was some doubts over it as an authoritative translation.26 The Council of Trent re-affirmed the dominant position of the Vulgate in 1546 for the interpretation of scripture27 and a reliable source for teaching and debate.28 This was necessary in the face of many other translations of the scriptures. According to Olin, the Council of Trent, which met in thirty-five sessions from 1545-1563, had three main aims. It needed, firstly to effect reform in the Church. Secondly it had to clarify and define disputed doctrine and condemn heresy. Thirdly it had to restore the peace and unity of the Church.29 The Church had to clarify the value of tradition as contrasted with scripture.30 The restored Catholic scholasticism and more narrowly defined authority of the Council meant that obedience to the authority of the church was re-established for interpreting the Bible over individual scholars’ translations and preferences.31 2.2.2 Roman Catholicism and Mission Both before and after the Reformation the Roman Catholic Church led the way in foreign mission providing a ‘stimulant’ and sometimes a ‘worthy example’ to Protestants.32 The ministry of the Franciscans and the Dominicans had expanded to non-Christian parts of the world33 and managed to 21 Ibid.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Downloaded from Brill.Com10/07/2021 01:40:02PM This Is an Open Access Chapter Distributed Under the Terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 License
    chapter 7 Men, Monsters and the History of Mankind in Vattel’s Law of Nations Pärtel Piirimäe 1 Introduction Emer de Vattel has been widely considered a seminal figure in the European tradition of the law of nations. While attaching himself to the earlier tradition of natural jurisprudence, he offered a normative system of the law of nations that was more firmly and explicitly anchored to the political practice of his contemporary Europe than were the doctrines of his predecessors. Vattel pro- moted the practical applicability of his Droit des gens (1758), stressing that it was not so much written for interested ‘private individuals’, i.e. other scholars or the general public, but it was a ‘law of sovereigns’ that was primarily in- tended for ‘them and their ministers’. It would not help much, he explained, if his maxims were studied only by those who had no influence over public affairs; the ‘conductors of states’, on the other hand, if they chose to learn this science and adopt its maxims as the ‘compass’ for their policies, could produce many ‘happy results’.1 Vattel emphasized the easy comprehension and applica- bility of his book, contrasting his approach with that of Christian Wolff, whose treatise on the law of nations could be understood only if one ‘previously stud- ied sixteen or seventeen quarto volumes which precede it’.2 As Vattel famous- ly declared, his original intention was to introduce Wolff’s system to a wider readership, by rendering his rigid and formal work more ‘agreeable and better calculated to ensure it a reception in the polite world’.3 While it is clear that Vattel’s work amounted to much more than a system- atic account of Wolff’s principles,4 it is in the manner of presentation that the differences between the two scholars are the most striking.
    [Show full text]
  • THOMAS COKE (1747-1814)­ HIS PERSONAL BACKGROUND* by John A
    THOMAS COKE (1747-1814)­ HIS PERSONAL BACKGROUND* By John A. Vickers No history of the Methodist mov,ement in the years immediately before and after John Wesley's death can be written without refer­ 1 ence to Thomas Coke, whose name has become something of a I. I household word in World Methodist circles. Though remembered especially as a pioneer of overseas missions, he also occupies an important niche in the early history of Wesleyan Methodism in both Europe and America. Yet it cannot be denied that Coke has, on the whole, had a "bad press" and that the admiration for his energy and devotion has usually been muted and hedged with qualifications. Quite apart from the treatment he has received in a long line of lives of Wesley, he has been singularly ill-served by his own biographers. Ev,en allowing for the concentration of Methodist scholarship on John Wesley, to the neglect of every other figure on the scene, it remains a curious fact that the only serious study of Coke to appear in the last hundred years is 'that by the American, Bishop W. A. Candler, in 1923. Before that, we have two early lives, by Jonathan Crowther, a friend and fellow-preacher (1815) and by . Samuel Drew, his official biographer (1817), and the solid but un­ documented volume of J. W. Etheridge (1860). The other, slighter studies that have appeared from time to time are largely derived from these.! Yet a considerable, if not overwhelming, volume of material, especially letters, has survived on both sides of the Atlan­ tic, and much of it rem,ains unpublished.
    [Show full text]
  • German Jews in the United States: a Guide to Archival Collections
    GERMAN HISTORICAL INSTITUTE,WASHINGTON,DC REFERENCE GUIDE 24 GERMAN JEWS IN THE UNITED STATES: AGUIDE TO ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS Contents INTRODUCTION &ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1 ABOUT THE EDITOR 6 ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS (arranged alphabetically by state and then city) ALABAMA Montgomery 1. Alabama Department of Archives and History ................................ 7 ARIZONA Phoenix 2. Arizona Jewish Historical Society ........................................................ 8 ARKANSAS Little Rock 3. Arkansas History Commission and State Archives .......................... 9 CALIFORNIA Berkeley 4. University of California, Berkeley: Bancroft Library, Archives .................................................................................................. 10 5. Judah L. Mages Museum: Western Jewish History Center ........... 14 Beverly Hills 6. Acad. of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Margaret Herrick Library, Special Coll. ............................................................................ 16 Davis 7. University of California at Davis: Shields Library, Special Collections and Archives ..................................................................... 16 Long Beach 8. California State Library, Long Beach: Special Collections ............. 17 Los Angeles 9. John F. Kennedy Memorial Library: Special Collections ...............18 10. UCLA Film and Television Archive .................................................. 18 11. USC: Doheny Memorial Library, Lion Feuchtwanger Archive ...................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • World Civ Chapter 21.Pdf
    436 Seeking new land and new markets, European explorers sailed around the world. This painting by Theodore Gudin depicts French explorer La Salle’s Louisiana expedition of 1684. Methods of Government In Unit 4, you will learn about different methods of ruling a nation or empire. At the end of the unit, you will have a chance to compare and contrast the governments you have studied. (See pages 578–583.) 437 Absolute Monarchs in Europe, 1500–1800 Previewing Main Ideas POWER AND AUTHORITY As feudalism declined, stronger national kingdoms in Spain, France, Austria, Prussia, and Russia emerged under the control of absolute rulers. Geography Study the map. What large empire was surrounded by many of these national kingdoms? ECONOMICS Absolute rulers wanted to control their countries’ economies so that they could free themselves from limitations imposed by the nobility. In France, Louis XIV’s unrestrained spending left his country with huge debts. Geography What other evidence of unrestrained spending by an absolute ruler does the time line suggest? REVOLUTION In Great Britain, Parliament and the British people challenged the monarch’s authority. The overthrow of the king led to important political changes. Geography Study the map and the time line. Which British Stuart lands were most affected by the event occurring in 1649? INTERNET RESOURCES • Interactive Maps Go to classzone.com for: • Interactive Visuals • Research Links • Maps • Interactive Primary Sources • Internet Activities • Test Practice • Primary Sources • Current Events • Chapter Quiz 586 587 What are the benefits and drawbacks of having an absolute ruler? You live under the most powerful monarch in 17th-century Europe, Louis XIV of France, shown below.
    [Show full text]
  • DISCOVERY a Double Letter John Wesley and Thomas Coke to Freeborn Garrettson
    DISCOVERY edited by Kenneth E. Rowe A Double Letter John Wesley and Thomas Coke to Freeborn Garrettson by J. Hamby Barton Dr. Rowe recently uncovered in the Drew archives this remarkable double letter: Wesley to Garrettson and, on the reverse of Wesley's letter,Coke to Garrettson. The sheet on which the letters are written is small, measuring 16 by 20 centimeters. Wesley's handwriting, though not strong is clearly legible. The cancelled lines, beginning "In", "way" and "self" are tantalizing but irrecoverable. From the bleed-through which blots Coke's letter it appears that Coke supplemented with a brush blot Wesley's simple "squiggle line" cancel (visible following "In"). The substitution of "States" for "Provinces" in the first paragraph is in Coke's hand as is the superscript "not" in paragraph2, line 2. Note the firmer strokes, the shape ofthe letters and the different slant. ".: At the time, February 1786, Wesley and Coke were togefher in London. Wesley's letter to John Stretton, written on February 26 also has a note from Coke referring to his intended visit to Nova Scotia. Coke had been away from England from September 1784 to June 1785 in the business of organizing the American Church. He continued in England through the 1786 Conference in Bristol when.William Hammet and John Clarke were appointed to Nova Scotia. Hammet was ordained by Wesley at the Conference together with William Warrener who was appointed to the West Indies. 59 60 METHODIST HISTORY Freeborn Garrettson was appointed to Nova Scotia together with James Cromwell by the American Christmas Conference in Baltimore, 1784-85.
    [Show full text]
  • DANIEL HÖCKHINGER, Schraubtaler and 17 Circular Paper Engravings
    DANIEL HÖCKHINGER, Schraubtaler and 17 circular paper engravings chronicling the Salzburg expulsion of Protestants in 1732 17 hand-colored prints on paper housed in a metal (silver?) case Germany (Augsburg), c. 1732 One plain circular metal (silver) Schraubtaler, reverse and obverse with cast and chased scenes, each half inset with circular engraved maps, one signed by the maker, Daniel Höckhinger, containing a set of 17 circular paper medallions (complete) each c. 40 mm. in diameter, finely engraved and meticulously hand-colored, once attached to each other (small tabs still remain on several), small added manuscript numbers to keep them in order, versos hand-painted in various colors in floral designs. In excellent condition apart from minor wear on the verso of three of the paper medallions (numbers 2, 11, 16). Dimensions (diameter) 42 mm. Very rare schraubtaler or schraubmedaille (literally, a screw taler, or screw medal; in English often called a box taler) made to commemorate the expulsion of the Salzburg Protestants and their emigration to East Prussia. Both halves of the medal are elaborately decorated with figurative scenes and open to reveal two maps and a complete series of 17 hand-colored engravings that tell the story. Only four other copies of this remarkable artifact are known to us (one unverified), all in European collections. PROVENANCE 1. Made in Augsburg c. 1732, soon after the events it commemorates; 2. New York, Swann’s, December 5, 2013; purchased from the successful bidder at a later date. ILLUSTRATION The schraubtaler and accompanying etchings depict biblical scenes and the history of the Salzburg Protestants from their expulsion by the Catholic Archbishop Leopold Anton Eleutherius Freiherr von Firmian (1679-1744) to their reception by the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I (1713-1740), after their very long journey east and north to East Prussia (Prussian Lithuania).
    [Show full text]
  • Sermon by Bishop Thomas Bickerton of The
    Luke 24:13-35 Thomas Coke Anniversary May 4, 2014 Bishop Thomas Bickerton, UMC John Wesley once said of Thomas Coke, “I creep like a louse, and the ground I cover I get, I keep; but the Doctor leaps like a flea, and is sometimes obliged to leap back.” There is no doubt that Thomas Coke’s call from God from so deep that he did leap relentlessly in the service of the gospel: Jaunts between U.S. & England (nine trips – took seven weeks to cross), West Indies (four trips), France, Africa (Sierra Leone), and Asia. Oversight of Methodist work in Ireland, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia Provision of Methodist missionaries in Scotland and Wales Organized Methodist societies, strengthened believers, encouraged missionary activity. The “Father of Methodist Missions.” An attorney/mayor of Brecon He gave himself away financially and called people to participate relentlessly. Someone once inquired, “Pray sir, do you know anything of a little fellow who calls himself Dr. Coke, and who goes about begging money for missionaries to be sent among slaves? He seems to be a heavenly-minded little devil; he coaxed me out of two guineas this morning.” He was, in the name of God, truly a heavenly-minded angel. He stated an ardent opposition to slavery/preached at the 1804 session of Congress of the United States. Died on trip to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and was buried at sea in the Indian Ocean Vickers: “in some respects the most important of John Wesley’s recruits to Methodism from the ranks of the Anglican clergy. He was certainly the most dedicated of Wesley’s clerical supporters.” Asbury, at his Memorial Sermon: “A gentleman, a scholar, a bishop to us; and as a minister of Christ, in zeal, in labours, in services, the greatest man in the last century.” All of this begs a very simple question: How do you become a flea? Each year I bring United Methodist ordinands from my Annual Conference to England on a Wesley Heritage Tour.
    [Show full text]
  • “Redeeming the Time”: the Making of Early American Methodism
    “REDEEMING THE TIME”: THE MAKING OF EARLY AMERICAN METHODISM By Michael Kenneth Turner Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Religion May, 2009 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Dean James Hudnut-Beumler Professor M. Douglas Meeks Professor James P. Byrd Professor Dennis C. Dickerson Copyright ©2009 by Michael Kenneth Turner Al Rights Reserved To my ever-supportive and loving wife, Stephanie and To my father, Thomas, who helped every step of the way iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The idea for this dissertation took nascent form during my time as a participant in the 2006 Wesley Studies Seminar. I am very grateful for the fellowship from Duke Divinity School that enabled me to participate in the seminar and do early research on the dissertation. In particular, I would like to thank that group’s helpful leader and organizer, Dr. Richard Heitzenrater. I am also appreciative of the conversations, suggestions, and encouragement I received from Dean Laceye Warner (Duke Divinity School), Dr. Jason Vickers (United Theological Seminary), Dr. Sarah Lancaster (Methodist Theological School of Ohio), Dr. Rex Matthews (Candler School of Theology), and Dr. Steve McCormick (Nazarene Theological Seminary) both during and following the seminar. I am also thankful for all my colleagues and mentors at Vanderbilt University. First and foremost, I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee. Dean James Hudnut-Beumler, my chair, is among the most knowledgeable students of American Religious History that I know. I am very grateful for his guidance through the program.
    [Show full text]
  • Who in the World Are the Anglicans?
    123 Who in the World are the Anglicans? The Anglican Communion is comprised of Ascension and St. Mark’s Church in some 85 million Christians in over 150 Bridgeport is proud of our long Anglican countries. The English Church was established heritage. We started as Ascension Church in wherever the British Empire spread in the Decatur in 1888 and have survived the world. As a federation of National Churches, struggles of many of our Christian neighbors each is independent, and yet linked by a over the decades. In 1965, we joined with St. common history, a shared theology born of Marks and built our current facility. We rejoice our Book of Common Prayer and the Holy at the faithful proclamation of the gospel, no Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. matter what the source, and we mourn the Our worship is both Liturgical and Historic, creeping modern dissolution of the “faith combining elements of a rich musical once delivered to the saints.” Over the past tradition and the prayers of God’s people many decades we have tried to remain from those preserved from Jesus’ day through faithful even though many of our Christian to the modern age. We are the Church of fellows have agreed to a watered down faith poets and sailors; scientists and theologians; stripped of its power to convict the souls of We are members of the One, Holy, Catholic merchants and Captains of State. Among us every human being. and Apostolic Church and consider ourselves are William Shakespeare and Admiral Nelson; We believe that our clergy should be male to be both catholic and reformed.
    [Show full text]
  • The Alexandrian
    2017 Volume 6 Issue 2 1 The Alexandrian Troy University Division of History and Philosophy & Phi Alpha Theta-Iota Mu Conference Proceedings for the Alabama Regional Meeting of Phi Alpha Theta February 25, 2017 Conference Organizers Scott Merriman Dan Puckett Marty Olliff Aaron Hagler Editors Ansley Markwell & Karen Ross 2 The Alexandrian 2017 Volume 6 Issue 2 3 Special Issue of the Alexandrian This special issue of the Alexandrian celebrates the 2017 Alabama Regional Meeting of Phi Alpha Theta, held February 25th on the Montgomery campus of Troy University. It includes participants’ abstracts and the each paper selected as best in session. Congratulations to all of our presenters! Editors Ansley Markwell and Karen Ross would like to thank the many people who made this conference possible: Organizers: Troy University professors Scott Merriman, Dan Puckett, Marty Olliff, and Aaron Hagler. Session moderators: Robert Barone (University of Montevallo), Timothy Buckner (Troy University), Joe Frazer (Judson College), Marty Olliff (Troy University), Dan Puckett (Troy University), LeeAnn Reynolds (Samford University), Karen Ross (Troy University), and Richard Schellhammer (University of West Alabama). Keynote Address: A very special thank you to our guest speaker, Dr. J. Mills Thornton, Emeritus Professor of the University of Michigan. Lunch was provided by the Troy University Foundation. We also wish to express our appreciation for the continued support of the Alexander family. The Alexandrian is named in memory of Professor Nathan Alexander,
    [Show full text]
  • The United Methodist Church Compiled at Kona United Methodist Church
    As of March 28, 2017 The United Methodist Church Compiled at Kona United Methodist Church Who is A United Methodist? In the words of John Wesley (1703-1791) “A Methodist is…one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind, and with all his strength.” A United Methodist is a person who loves God “methodically” or “systematically.” METHODIST This is not a name we gave ourselves. John Wesley and others were a part of the Holy Club at Oxford University. They were so organized, so methodical, so disciplined about Bible study, worship, prayer, and helping the poor that others made fun of them: “You’re nothing but a bunch of method-ists!” However, rather than be angry, Wesley and the others simply claimed the name Methodist. What is THE United Methodist Church? [History] Methodism began as a movement within the Church of England. The Methodist movement was born in England in the 1700s. John Wesley who is the founding father was an ordained Anglican priest. At a prayer meeting in London on May 24, 1738 at Aldersgate, John Wesley’s heart was “strangely warmed”; he felt for the first time that God truly loved him and had forgiven him that led him to become the first teacher of “Methodism.” He encouraged people to discern how they should live out our faith in Christ by looking at four important aspects in developing thoughts on God which is called “Wesleyan Quadrilateral”: Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason. WESLEYAN QUADRILATERAL When discerning (deciding something thoughtfully, carefully, and prayerfully), use these four things to inform your decision and to find confidence that you are walking in the way: Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason.
    [Show full text]
  • The Foreign Minister of Methodism
    The Foreign Minister of Methodism By Warren Thomas Smith Saturday, September 18, 1784, may have dawned as just another day in Bristol, England, but in the province of God it was highly significant. “At ten in the morning we sailed from King—Road for New York. A breeze soon sprung up, which carried us with the help of the tides, about a hundred leagues from Bristol by Monday morning . .” so Thomas Coke made the first entry in his Journal, a little volume published in 1793 and dedicated to John Wesley. The small vessel was not unlike other ships of the time, yet it was playing a role in an important scene of church history. Three of the passengers were to open a new chapter in the religious life of America. Of these one was a dedicated Welsh gentleman who would travel at least a hundred thousand miles on a hundred separate voyages as the Foreign Minister of Methodism and Ambassador of Jesus Christ. Thomas Coke was sailing as the executor of John Wesley’s design for the people called Methodists. It is doubtful that this plump little clergyman, who stood just five feet one inch, fully realized the significance of the voyage he was undertaking. A church was about to be born, and he was to be a key figure in the first moment of its breathing. Background of the Time We cannot form an estimate of the life and work of Thomas Coke without considering the time-spirit in which he lived: (1) His was to be a background of war and threat of war.
    [Show full text]