Presenta la historia del movimiento wesleyano en el siglo XVII como mas que simple descripcion de la extension de la organizacion, desarrollo teologico y ampliacion misionera; pero tambien la historia del pueblo llamado metodista con el cual y por el cual Wesley consumio su tiempo y energia. Presents the history of the 17th century Wesleyan movement, not only as a description of a spreading organization, a developing theology, and a widening mission, but also the story of the people called Methodists and with whom wesley spent his time and energy.

A critical contribution to the history of Britain and the U.S., this book demonstrates how the search for personal supernatural power lay at the heart of the so-called eighteenth-century English evangelical revival. John Kent rejects the view that the Wesleys rescued the British from moral and spiritual decay by reviving primitive Christianity. The study is of interest to everyone concerned with the history of Methodism and the Church of England, the Evangelical tradition, and eighteenth-century religious thought and experience.

"Pamela Walker's treatment of the Salvation Army restores religious and social complexity to a group too easily misunderstood in the twenty-first century. Drawing us into a vivid, vibrant world of Victorian experience, Walker proves that the significance of the movement extended far beyond the demonstrations that became a familiar part of London street life."--Deborah Valenze, author of "The First Industrial Woman"

"A major contribution to our understanding of Victorian society, [this book] will undoubtedly become the key work on the origins of the Salvation Army, a major reference not just among historians of religion, but also among urban historians, gender historians, and historians of popular culture. . . . Perhaps the outstanding feature of the book is the author's ability to interweave a highly nuanced account of the development and theological orientation of the Salvation Army, and a fresh appraisal of its central figures, with a broader understanding of Victorian society, culture, and politics."--Andrew Davies, author of "Leisure, Gender, and Poverty"

"Deeply researched and vividly written, this book offers an innovative and consistently thought-provoking interpretation of the Salvation Army's origins and early history. Three aspects of the book are especially interesting. First, the discussion of conversion, including its physical manifestations, is powerful and convincing. Second, the theme of gender runs through the book. As well as presenting a striking portrait of the Hallelujah Lasses, Walker shows how the Salvationists challenged conventional notions both of femininity and of masculinity. Third, her discussion of Salvationist propaganda and its ambivalent relation tothe urban working class milieu is consistently illuminating. She shows how the Army drew on certain aspects of popular culture in order to subvert other aspects."--Hugh McLeod, author of "Secularisation in Western Europe 1848-1914

This is the first collection of the complete writings of Susanna Wesley, the mother of John, Charles, and Samuel Wesley, the founding fathers of Methodism. As an outstanding female figure of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, her writings should interest not only Methodists' but feminists and scholars of English social and religious history as well.

This is a study of the transplantation of a creed devised by and for African Americans--the African Methodist Episcopal Church--that was appropriated and transformed in a variety of South African contexts. Focusing on a transatlantic institution like the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the book studies the complex human and intellectual traffic that has bound African American and South African experience. It explores the development and growth of the African Methodist Episcopal Church both in South Africa and America, and the interaction between the two churches. This is a highly innovative work of comparative and religious history. Its linking of the United States and African black religious experiences is unique and makes it appealing to readers interested in religious history and black experience in both the United States and South Africa.

When American Methodist preachers first arrived in Upper Canada in the 1790s, they brought with them more than an alluring religious faith. They also brought saddlebags stuffed with books published by the New York Methodist Book Concern - North America's first denominational publisher - to sell along their preaching circuits. Pulpit, Press, and Politics traces the expansion of this remarkable transnational market from its earliest days to the mid-nineteenth century, a period of intense religious struggle in Upper Canada marked by fiery revivals, political betrayals, and bitter church schisms. The Methodist Book Concern occupied a central place in all this conflict as it powerfully shaped and subverted the religious and political identities of Canadian Methodists, particularly in the wake of the American Revolution. The Concern bankrolled the bulk of Canadian Methodist preaching and missionary activities, enabled and constrained evangelistic efforts among the colony's Native groups, and clouded Methodist dealings with the British Wesleyans and other religious competitors north of the border. Even more importantly, as Methodists went on to assume a preeminent place in Upper Canada's religious, cultural, and educational life, their ongoing reliance on the Methodist Book Concern played a crucial role in opening the way for the lasting acceptance and widespread use of American books and periodicals across the region.

On July 31, 1869, twenty-two members of the holiness movement of the Methodist church gathered to pray on a beach on the New Jersey shore. Before long, Ocean Grove was established as "God's Square Mile, " the first permanent camp meeting dedicated to the pursuit of both holiness and recreational activities. In this richly illustrated account, Troy Messenger looks at the numerous informal amusements of summer life at Ocean Grove and provides a glimpse into a fascinating moment in the development of both nineteenth-century religion and an American leisure culture.

Like other seaside resorts of the time such as Atlantic City and Coney Island, Ocean Grove boasted a festival atmosphere and offered such diversions as baby parades, oriental bazaars, pageants, beach games, ushers' marches, and drills by the Young Rough Riders. While guests were forbidden to drink, smoke, play cards, or drive their cars on Sunday, they were encouraged to enjoy other pursuits that would have scandalized pious Methodists of an earlier era, such as relaxing on the beach, taking the summer off, attending popular amusements, and staging comic gender satire with cross-dressed men. At Ocean Grove, however, even seemingly frivolous activities had a higher purpose: every aspect of daily life was focused on the attainment of perfection and all were performances of "holy leisure."

The genius of Ocean Grove, Messenger argues, was in extending holiness from the parlor meeting to the beach. Here, conservative evangelicals discovered a moral imperative to enjoy rest and recreation. By praying and playing together, the people of Ocean Grove acquired a unique understanding of self and community, one that illuminates theliberal social-reform movements of the nineteenth-century religious middle class and the early leisure industry.

Stories of faith, sacrifice, commitment and sheer grit are part of the foundation and fabric of the Church of the Nazarene. Read about the extraordinary, everyday people of faith who overcame great odds and made life-changing sacrifices for the sake of the church. Such as, the theologian who started in a converted chicken-coop, the district superintendent from skid row, the pastor extraordinaire who was elected to the beer board, and the Nazarene 'Mother Teresa.' Every effective movement in Christian history succeeded because unsung heroes gave themselves to a great cause. That cause for the Nazarenes was holiness of heart and life. Each story is alive, filled with a magnetic heartbeat, and provides a bridge to connect contemporary believers with unsung heroes of the past. These stories about very human people will nourish your spirit and remind you of the amazing delight of living the Christ-led life.

This resource gives planners of youth group meetings everything they need to carry out theme-based programming. Each of the six themes includes five options (some configuration of programs, Bible study, service project, out and about, and community-building games), plus related food suggestions, decoration ideas, music and video recommendations, celebrations, publicity helps, and a retreat schedule. Also includes background for leaders about the themes, Scriptures, and the relevancy to students.

The Methodist Church, with its distinctive musical inheritance by which the worldwide Church has been enriched, famously expresses its theology through its singing. Its authorised hymnbook therefore means more than a hymn book does in other traditions - it expresses the central beliefs of the Church itself and is commended to congregations as their core worship resource. Seven years in development, Singing the Faith is authorised by the Methodist Conference and replaces Hymns and Psalms, published almost 30 years ago. Containing the classic, best loved hymns of the Christian tradition it also incorporates many bold and exciting elements including hymns, songs and liturgical chants from the world church. A large proportion of its 830+ items are 20th and 21st century compositions, offering congregations a feast of musical choices spanning centuries and continents. It is arranged thematically in three parts: God's Eternal Goodness - the Trinity, praise and adoration, creation, gathering for worship, Scripture and revelation God's Redeeming Work - the life of Christ revealed throughout the Christian year God's Enduring Purposes - the Holy Spirit, our life in God, prayer, the sacraments, our human journeys, the saints and the life to come. Many helpful indexes enable fitting choices to be made that will enrich all occasions of worship. This organ edition has been designed to meet the practical requirements of church musicians. With an enlarged page size and sturdily bound in three hardback volumes, it also lies flat on music stands.

Semple covers virtually every aspect of Canadian Methodism. He examines early nineteenth-century efforts to evangelize pioneer British North America and the revivalistic activities so important to the mid-nineteenth-century years. He documents Methodists' missionary work both overseas and in Canada among aboriginal peoples and immigrants. He analyses the Methodist contribution to Canadian education and the leadership the church provided for the expansion of the role of women in society. He also assesses the spiritual and social dimensions of evangelical religion in the personal lives of Methodists, addressing such social issues as prohibition, prostitution, the importance of the family, and changing attitudes toward children in Methodist doctrine and Canada in general. Semple argues that Methodism evolved into the most Canadian of all the churches, helping to break down the geographic, political, economic, ethnic, and social divisions that confounded national unity. Although the Methodist Church did not achieve the universality it aspired to, he concludes that it succeeded in defining the religious, political, and social agenda for the Protestant component of Canada, providing a powerful legacy of service to humanity and to God.