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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Methodist Churches
The New Beacon Bible Commentary is an engaging, indispensable
reference tool to aid individuals in every walk of life in the
study and meditation of God's Word. Written from the Wesleyan
theological perspective, it offers insight and perceptive
scholarship to help you unlock the deeper truths of Scripture and
garner an awareness of the history, culture, and context attributed
to each book of study. Readable, relevant, and academically
thorough, it offers scholars, pastors, and laity a new standard for
understanding and interpreting the Bible in the 21st century. Each
volume features: COMPLETELY NEW SCHOLARSHIP from notable experts in
the Wesleyan tradition CONVENIENT INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL for each
book of the Bible including information on authorship, date,
history, audience, sociological/cultural issues, purpose, literary
features, theological themes, hermeneutical issues, and more CLEAR
VERSE-BY-VERSE EXPLANATIONS, which offer a contemporary,
Wesleyan-based understanding derived from the passage's original
language COMPREHENSIVE ANNOTATION divided into three sections,
which cover background elements behind the text; verse-by-verse
details and meanings found in the text; and significance,
relevance, intertextuality, and application from the text HELPFUL
SIDEBARS, which provide deeper insight into theological issues,
word meanings, archeological connections, historical relevance,
cultural customs, and more EXPANDED BIBLIOGRAPHY for further study
of historical elements, additional interpretations, and theological
themes
Believe anything you want. The twentieth century has brought with
it a myriad of opinions, philosophies, doctrines and ideologies.
Each one of them important; each one valid. And the world says,
'Believe what you want.' Authors Wes Tracy and Stan Ingersol have
authored Here We Stand to shatter that conclusion. More than ever,
it is important that we know what we believe. Here We Stand is a
comprehensive study of a wide range of beliefs and where Nazarenes
fit into the ideological puzzle. Tracy and Ingersol provide the
most contemporary and complete overview of major religions and
religious beliefs since Why I Am a Nazarene . Nazarenes have the
unique opportunity to reestablish their identity with a new
generation of people. Here We Stand gives a clear view into other
traditions in a language and approach understood by today's pastors
and laymen. Here We Stand contributes to the distinctiveness of
each group without sacrificing the Christian community as a whole.
Pastors, Sunday School teachers and new Christians will find this
unabridged version of the book What Is a Nazarene? an excellent
resource because it lends a knowledgeable, objective voice to
discussions of doctrine, witnessing and spirituality. Here We Stand
provides the historical and theological background needed to
establish identity and ownership among new and life-long Nazarenes.
Kivar.
Around the turn of the 19th century, the Holiness Movement
blossomed in America. Wesleyan-Holiness denominations sprang up all
over the country. In 1907-8, five of these joined together to form
the Church of the Nazarene.The dream that drew the founders
together was a believers church in the Wesleyan tradition. It is
the same dream that guides the Church of the Nazarene today. But
how does that translate into a world where denominational lines don
t seem to matter as much as they used to? How is a Nazarene
different from a Presbyterian, Baptist, or Pentecostal brother or
sister in Christ? What is a Nazarene? answers those questions in
concise, easy-to-understand terms, as it examines the similarities
and differences between the Church of the Nazarene and other
mainline Christian denominations. With refreshing insight and
candor, What is a Nazarene? will acquaint you with the heritage
that birthed a vision that made a dream come true.
Homosexuality, social drinking, and politics . . .Why is it so hard
to talk about these topics and others like them in the church? What
keeps us from having open and honest conversations about complex
and controversial issues? The silence in the pews about these
matters can be deafening. Often members say little, fearing
disagreement and rebuttal, others strongly assert half-truths and
biases. Nothing gets truly discussed, and many, especially the
youth, become discouraged and leave.A Charitable Discourse
insightfully explores why this happens, looking closely at the ways
people avoid and prevent authentic dialog, from labeling and
grandstanding to religious abuse. Seven controversial issues are
discussed with understanding, sincerity, and compassion.
Despite being widely recognized as John Wesley's key moment of
Christian conversion, Aldersgate has continued to mystify regarding
its exact meaning and significance to Wesley personally. This book
brings clarity to the impact this event had on Wesley over the
course of his lifetime by closely examining all of Wesley's
writings pertaining to Aldersgate and framing them within the wider
context of contemporary conversion narratives. The central aim of
this study is to establish Wesley's interpretation of his
Aldersgate experience as it developed from its initial impressions
on the night of 24 May 1738 to its mature articulation in the
1770s. By paying close attention to the language of his diaries,
letters, journals, sermons, tracts and other writings, fresh
insights into Wesley's own perspective are revealed. When these
insights are brought into wider context of other conversion
narratives in the Christian milieu in which Wesley worked and
wrote, this book demonstrates that this single event contributed in
significant ways to the ethos of the Methodist movement, and many
other denominations, even up to the present day. This is a unique
study of the conversion of one of history's most influential
Christian figures, and the impact that such narratives still have
on us today. As such, it will be of great use to scholars of
Methodism, theology, religious history and religious studies more
generally.
Hymnody is widely recognised as a central tenet of Methodism's
theological, doctrinal, spiritual, and liturgical identity.
Theologically and doctrinally, the content of the hymns has
traditionally been a primary vehicle for expressing Methodism's
emphasis on salvation for all, social holiness, and personal
commitment, while particular hymns and the communal act of
participating in hymn singing have been key elements in the
spiritual lives of Methodists. An important contribution to the
history of Methodism, British Methodist Hymnody argues that the
significance of hymnody in British Methodism is best understood as
a combination of its official status, spiritual expression, popular
appeal, and practical application. Seeking to consider what, when,
how, and why Methodists sing, British Methodist Hymnody examines
the history, perception, and practice of hymnody from Methodism's
small-scale eighteenth-century origins to its place as a worldwide
denomination today.
Brian Beck has had a long and distinguished career in Methodist
studies, having additionally served as President of the UK
Methodist Conference and helped lead the international Oxford
Institute of Methodist Theological Studies. This book is the first
time that Beck's seminal work on Methodism has been gathered
together. It includes eighteen essays from the last twenty-five
years, covering many different aspects of Methodist thought and
practice. This collection is divided into two main sections. Part I
covers Methodism's heritage and its implications, while Part II
discusses wider issues of Methodism's identity. The chapters
themselves examine the work of key figures, such as John Wesley and
J. E. Rattenbury, as well as past and present forms of Methodist
thought and practice. As such, this book is important reading for
any scholar of Methodism as well as students and academics of
religious studies and theology more generally.
John and Charles Wesley are among the most influential Christians
who have ever lived. Their fearless preaching in the face of
violent opposition and the rise of the Methodist movement
powerfully influenced an eighteenth century England that was rife
with corruption, drunkenness, crime and religious apathy. Julian
Wilson provides a vividly detailed account of the Wesley brothers'
lives and ministries. John Wesley travelled ceaselessly on
horseback, preaching gospel sermons that transformed whole
communities whilst Charles Wesley became probably the most prolific
hymn writer in history. This engaging book will help you to
appreciate the significance of John and Charles Wesley in their own
time and understand why their spiritual legacy endures today.
Content Benefits: Read this fascinating biography of John and
Charles Wesley and be inspired by their passion for the gospel. * A
biography of both John and Charles Wesley * Understand the
beginnings of Methodism * Discover the man behind so many beloved
hymns * Includes their conversion experiences, their triumphs and
failures and their writings and preaching * Explores John Wesley's
involvement in the abolition of slavery * Part of the Classic
Authentic Lives Series * Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from
the 'heroes of the faith' * Ideal for anyone who loves biographies
Originally published in 1984, this book charts the political and
social consequences of Methodist expansion in the first century of
its existence. While the relationship between Methodism and
politics is the central subject of the book a number of other
important themes are also developed. The Methodist revival is
placed in the context of European pietism, enlightenment thought
forms, 18th century popular culture, and Wesley's theological and
political opinions. Throughout the book Methodism is treated on a
national scale, although the regional, chronological and religious
diversity of Methodist belief and practice is also emphasized.
This is the first ever full-scale biography of John Cennick, who
was an outstandingly successful eighteenth-century preacher. He was
the first layman to be used as a Methodist preacher by John Wesley
and was a significant contributor to the success of Methodism in
the Bristol area, especially Kingswood. Charles Wesley encouraged
him to also become a hymnwriter, editing his early hymns. Cennick
then became the right-hand man of the Calvinist Methodist, George
Whitefield, becoming not only 'the apostle of Wiltshire' but the
main leader of the work of that branch of Methodism in London and a
close friend of the Welsh evangelist Howell Harris. Upset by the
dissensions within Methodism, he became first a member and then an
ordained deacon within the Moravian Church and their chief
evangelist - working across parts of England and Wales, but mainly
in northern Ireland, where he established fifteen chapels, over
forty religious societies and over two hundred preaching places. It
is estimated that between 1739 and his early death at the age of
just 35 in 1755 he preached on between eight and nine thousand
occasions, sometimes in the face of appalling mob violence.His
story - and why John Wesley sought to erase his contribution -
provides a real insight into the religious revival initiated by the
Methodists and Moravians.
The United Methodist Church has been in conflict over
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender inclusion issues since 1972. That
year, in response to the gay liberation and gay rights movements,
wording was added to the UMC Book of Discipline (the compilation of
denominational policies and doctrines) characterizing homosexuality
as "incompatible with Christian teaching." Since then, United
Methodist ministers have been forbidden to perform same-sex
commitment ceremonies (and United Methodist churches forbidden to
host them), a rule has been passed that non-heterosexual United
Methodist ministers must be celibate, and the UMC has forbidden the
funding of any program or organization "supporting" homosexuality.
These policies have been met with significant resistance by those
fighting for GLBT inclusion. In this groundbreaking book,
Udis-Kessler examines this struggle, analyzing both sides of this
divisive debate among one of the most prominent religious
organizations in the United States.
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