2007-Wtj-42-1.Pdf

Wesleyan Theological Journal Publication of the Wesleyan Theological Society PRACTICING HOSPITALITY IN THE FACE OF “COMPLICATED WICKEDNESS” (Keynote Address) ................. 7 Christine D. Pohl JOHN WESLEY’S ADVICE TO THE METHODISTS ON FRIENDSHIP .............................................................................. 32 Jason E. Vickers PAUL AND HIS FRIENDS WITHIN THE GRECO-ROMAN CONTEXT ............................................................ 50 George Lyons and William H. Malas, Jr. FRIENDSHIP AND HOSPITALITY IN THE PARABLES OF JESUS ................................................................... 70 Jirair S. Tashjian FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD: SOCIAL ACCOMMODATION AND THE EVANGELISTIC IMPERATIVE IN 1 TIMOTHY .............. 87 Jeffrey S. Lamp PAUL’S QUEST FOR A HOLY CHURCH: ROMANS 14:1—15:13 .. 103 Robert Smith FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD AND THE WORLD: OXFORD TO HOLLYWOOD ............................................................ 120 Charles W. Christian WHAT TABLE? WHAT GUESTS? THE EUCHARIST AS HOSPITALITY .............................................. 134 James N. Fitzgerald THE ROOT FROM WHICH THEY SPRING (Presidential Address) .................................................................... 148 Craig Keen THEOLOGICAL AESTHETICS A WESLEYAN SAMPLING OF CUISINE ........................................ 160 Kenton M. Stiles THE ICONIC NATURE OF HOSPITALITY IN ST. GREGORY OF NYSSA ......................................................... 183 Greg Voiles THE MISSIONARY STRATEGY OF JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE ... 199 D. William Faupel ANNUAL AWARDS: 2006 ............................................................... 215 BOOK REVIEWS AND ADVERTISING ........................................... 223 Volume 42, Number 1 Spring, 2007 The Journal of the WESLEYAN THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY A Fellowship of Wesleyan-Holiness Scholars Editor and Chair of the Editorial Committee: Barry L. Callen, 1993 to present All communications concerning editorial matters should be addressed to the Editor, Barry L. Callen, c/o Anderson Univer - sity, 1100 East 5th Street, Anderson, Indiana 46012. Commu - nication about book reviews is to be directed to the Book Review Editor, Richard Thompson, c/o Spring Arbor Univer - sity. Membership dues and other financial matters should be addressed to the Secretary-Treasurer, Samuel M. Powell, c/o Wesleyan Theological Society, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106. Rate and application form are found at the end of this issue. E-mail addresses for all officers of the Soci - ety are also found on the inside of the back cover. Publication Address: Wesleyan Theological Society, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106. Society Web Address: www.wesley.nnu.edu/wts WESLEYAN THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY (Organized 1965) The Society’s mission is to encourage the exchange of ideas among Wesleyan-Holiness theologians; to develop a source of papers for CHP (Christian Holiness Partnership) seminars; to stimulate scholarship among younger theologians and pastors; and to publish a scholarly journal. WESLEYAN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL ############# Published by the Wesleyan Theological Society 3900 Lomaland Drive San Diego, CA 92106 © Copyright 2007 by the Wesleyan Theological Society ISSN-0092-4245 This periodical is indexed in the ATLA Religion Database, published by the American Theological Library Association, 300 S. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606. E-mail: [email protected], or visit http://www.atla.com/. Available on-line through BRS (Bibliographic Retrieval Series), Latham, New York, and DIA - LOG, Palo Alto, California. Available in Microform from University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeek Road, Dept. I.R., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106. Other than the most recent issues, the journal is available electronically at this online address: http://wesley.nnc.edu WTS on the Web: www.wesley.nnu.edu/wts Views expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the Wesleyan Theological Society, the Editor, or the Editorial Committee. Printed by Old Paths Tract Society Shoals, Indiana 47581 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS NUMBER ARTICLE WRITERS: Charles W. Christian Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho D. William Faupel Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C. James N. Fitzgerald Pastor, Trinity Church of the Nazarene, Texas Craig Keen Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California Jeffrey S. Lamp Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma George Lyons Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho William H. Malas, Jr. Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy, Massachusetts Christine D. Pohl Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky Robert Smith Point Loma Nazarene University, California Kenton M. Stiles Doctoral Candidate, Graduate Theological Union Jirair S. Tashjian Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, Oklahoma Jason E. Vickers United Theological Seminary, Trotwood, Ohio Greg Voiles Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri BOOK REVIEWERS: Roger J. Green Krishana Oxenford Suckau Jeffery Wittung EDITOR’S NOTES The 2006 annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society con - vened March 2-4, 2006, on the campus of the Nazarene Theological Sem - inary in Kansas City, with Carl Campbell of Nassau, Bahamas, function - ing as program chair. The theme of the meeting was “Friendship and Hospitality: Wesleyan Perspectives.” Meeting jointly with the WTS were the Wesleyan Philosophical Society, the Society for the Study of Psychol - ogy and Wesleyan Thought, and the Asian Theological Studies Group. The theme of this 2006 meeting is represented in this issue by a selection of the papers presented on that occasion. Four of them look carefully at various biblical materials and sources that explore friendship and hospitality (Jeffrey Lamp, George Lyons/William Malas, Robert Smith, and Jirair Tashjian). Looking back to the perspectives of John Wesley are the keynote address by Christine Pohl and the article by Jason Vickers. Along with the presidential address by Craig Keen are additional articles that ponder questions like, Is it necessary and/or spiritually dan - gerous for Christians to be friendly with ungodly people and hospitable to a non-Christian culture? In this issue, one finds addressed subject areas as widely diverse as the arts (Charles Christian), the eucharist (James Fitzgerald), aesthetics (Kenton Stiles), iconography (Greg Voiles), and missionary strategy (William Faupel). As always, the address of the WTS web site and the email addresses of all current officers of the Society are found in this issue. Also found is an application for membership. Here is who to contact: 1. If you wish to apply for membership—Dr. Sam Powell 2. If you wish to write a book review—Dr. Richard Thompson 3. If you wish to place an ad—Dr. Barry Callen, Editor Barry L. Callen Anderson, Indiana — 5— PRACTICING HOSPITALITY IN THE FACE OF “COMPLICATED WICKEDNESS” The Keynote Address: The Wesleyan Theological Society’s Annual Meeting, March, 2006 by Christine D. Pohl If our understandings of hospitality are limited to a pleasant evening of food and conversation with friends or family, then to speak positively of “practicing hospitality in the face of ‘complicated wickedness ’ ” seems morally outrageous and socially irresponsible. In fact, it is not a pairing of images that John Wesley would have chosen. Instead, he might well have argued that conventional practices of hospitality contributed to the prob - lems of human wickedness and misery by wasting needed resources, rein - forcing social distinctions, feeding pride and social distance, and weaken - ing spiritual zeal and sacrificial love. When Wesley used the term hospitality in reference to the practices of English society, which he did very rarely, it was almost always nega - tive and associated with indulgence, waste, and stealing from the poor. In the sermon “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” he wrote that the rich man had “fared sumptuously every day.” Then Wesley challenged: Reconcile this with religion who can. I know how plausibly the prophets of smooth things can talk in favor of hospitality; of making our friends welcome, of keeping a handsome table, to do honor to religion, of promoting trade and the like. But God is not mocked; He will not be put off with such pretences as these. Whoever thou art that sharest in the sin of this rich — 7— POHL man, were it no other than “faring sumptuously every day,” thou shalt as surely be a sharer in his punishment. 1 Wesley’s estimation of contemporary English hospitality seems to have paralleled that of his contemporary and friend, Samuel Johnson. In response to James Boswell’s question about “how far he thought wealth should be employed in hospitality,” Johnson asserted: You are to consider that ancient hospitality, of which we hear so much, was in an uncommercial country, when men being idle, were glad to be entertained at rich men’s tables. But in a commercial country, a busy country, time becomes precious, and therefore hospitality is not so much valued. No doubt there is still room for a certain degree of it; and a man has a satisfaction in seeing his friends eating and drinking around him. But promiscuous hospitality is not the way to gain real influence. You must help some people at table before others; you must ask some people how they like their wine oftener than others. You therefore offend more people than you please. 2 Johnson then suggested more effective ways to gain influence and earn lasting regard, which he related to business enterprises and lending money. For Johnson, what remained of an historically rich moral concept was its outdated usefulness

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