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View / Download 1.8 Mb Copyright by Christopher Thomas McAlilly 2019 Abstract American Methodism existed without a rite of confirmation from 1784 to 1965. This study seeks to understand the distinctive problems and possibilities emerging from Wesleyan theology and Methodist history that inform our engagement in the broader Protestant conversation about rites of initiation and the formation of children and youth. After taking a brief look at the current landscape of youth and religion in American life through the lens of practical theology and sociology, this study turns to important historical and theological questions: How did the rite of confirmation emerge in the West in general and in the Church of England in particular? Why did Wesley remove the rite of confirmation from the 1784 Sunday Service? What were the consequences for American Methodism? Why was it reintroduced? How should we approach confirmation now? This study argues that John Wesley was not oblivious to questions of initiation. However, the removal of a rite of confirmation suggests that he was less interested in a single ritual event in which one received a bestowal of the Holy Spirit or made a one-time profession of faith. The burden of his ministry was to create thick communities of discipleship formation and to motivate and incentivize continued participation in the way of salvation through the means of grace in Spirit-filled community. This end, that is, this aim—continued participation in the way of salvation through the means of grace in Spirit-filled community—must shape all Methodist theological reflection and liturgical rites of initiation. iv Dedication For Millie, Thomas, Micah, and Bolen that you may grow to trust evermore in the grace of God you received through water and the Spirit. For the late Reverend Doctor Roy Dean McAlilly, pioneer of my faith and vocation, my love of learning and desire for God. v Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... x Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1. The Confirmation Project ................................................................................................ 7 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Aim, Objectives, Methodology ............................................................................................ 11 1.3 Findings ................................................................................................................................... 13 1.4 Findings for American Methodism ..................................................................................... 16 1.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 2. The National Study of Youth and Religion ................................................................. 21 2.1 Methods ................................................................................................................................... 22 2.2 Key Research Findings .......................................................................................................... 23 2.3 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 30 Chapter 3. Development of Confirmation in the West ................................................................ 32 3.1 New Testament ...................................................................................................................... 34 3.2 Early Church ........................................................................................................................... 41 3.3 First Reference to Sacramental Status of Confirmation .................................................. 48 3.4 The Disintegration of the Rites of Christian Initiation .................................................... 52 3.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 54 vi Chapter 4. Confirmation in the Church of England ..................................................................... 56 4.1 Confirmation in the Sarum Manual .................................................................................... 57 4.2 Martin Bucer’s Reinterpretation of Confirmation ............................................................ 59 4.3 Confirmation in the Book of Common Prayer ................................................................. 63 4.4 An Unresolved Tension in the English Rite of Confirmation ....................................... 65 4.5 Confirmation in Eighteenth Century England .................................................................. 69 4.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 72 Chapter 5. Removal of the Rite of Confirmation .......................................................................... 73 5.1 The Rites of Christian Initiation in John Wesley’s Life ................................................... 73 5.2 The Rite of Confirmation in Wesley’s Writing ................................................................. 77 5.3 Puritan Critique ...................................................................................................................... 80 5.4 Other Possibilities .................................................................................................................. 82 5.5 From Initiation to Ongoing Participation .......................................................................... 85 Chapter 6. Consequences of Removal ............................................................................................. 87 6.1 The Practice and Theology of Baptism .............................................................................. 88 6.2 The Formation of Children .................................................................................................. 92 6.3 Membership: From Society to Church ............................................................................... 97 6.4 The Introduction of Membership Rites in the MEC and MECS ............................... 108 6.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 110 Chapter 7. Reintroduction of the Rite .......................................................................................... 112 7.1 From 1860-1960 .................................................................................................................. 112 7.2 The 1965 Rite of Confirmation ........................................................................................ 115 7.3 Confirmation as a Human Profession ............................................................................. 118 vii 7.4 Evolution of the Rite of Confirmation in the UMC, 1968-1988 ................................ 120 7.5 Description of the Rite ...................................................................................................... 125 7.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 132 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 133 8.1 Implications for Pastors and Local Churches ................................................................ 134 8.2 Adolescent Confirmation .................................................................................................. 135 8.3 Infant “Confirmation” (or a Unified Rite of Initiation) ............................................... 137 8.4 Future Research: Covenant in Wesleyan Theology ....................................................... 140 8.5 Future Research: Initiation and Ecclesiology ................................................................. 141 8.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 143 References ......................................................................................................................................... 144 Biography .......................................................................................................................................... 144 viii List of Figures Figure 1: Normal Duration of Confirmation in the UMC. .......................................................... 17 Figure 2: Typical Starting Age of Confirmation ............................................................................. 17 ix Acknowledgements Writing emerges from good conversation. I am grateful to Joe Gunby, Smith Lilley, Chad Bowen, Paige Swaim-Presley, and Tim Yenter for many good conversations as I tried to tease out what
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