Old or New School Methodism?

Old or New School Methodism? PDF Author: Kevin M. Watson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190844531
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
On September 7, 1881, Matthew Simpson, Bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, in a London sermon asserted that, "As to the divisions in the Methodist family, there is little to mar the family likeness." Nearly a quarter-century earlier, Benjamin Titus (B.T.) Roberts, a minister in the same branch of Methodism as Simpson, had published an article titled in the Northern Independent in which he argued that Methodism had split into an "Old School" and "New School." He warned that if the new school were to "generally prevail," then "the glory will depart from Methodism." As a result, Roberts was charged with "unchristian and immoral conduct" and expelled from the Genesee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Old or New School Methodism? examines how less than three decades later Matthew Simpson could claim that the basic beliefs and practices that Roberts had seen as threatened were in fact a source of persisting unity across all branches of Methodism. Kevin M. Watson argues that B. T. Roberts's expulsion from the MEC and the subsequent formation of the Free Methodist Church represent a crucial moment of transition in American Methodism. This book challenges understandings of American Methodism that emphasize its breadth and openness to a variety of theological commitments and underemphasize the particular theological commitments that have made it distinctive and have been the cause of divisions over the past century and a half. Old or New School Methodism? fills a major gap in the study of American Methodism from the 1850s to 1950s through a detailed study of two of the key figures of the period and their influence on the denomination.

Old or New School Methodism?

Old or New School Methodism? PDF Author: Kevin M. Watson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190844531
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 404

Get Book Here

Book Description
On September 7, 1881, Matthew Simpson, Bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, in a London sermon asserted that, "As to the divisions in the Methodist family, there is little to mar the family likeness." Nearly a quarter-century earlier, Benjamin Titus (B.T.) Roberts, a minister in the same branch of Methodism as Simpson, had published an article titled in the Northern Independent in which he argued that Methodism had split into an "Old School" and "New School." He warned that if the new school were to "generally prevail," then "the glory will depart from Methodism." As a result, Roberts was charged with "unchristian and immoral conduct" and expelled from the Genesee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Old or New School Methodism? examines how less than three decades later Matthew Simpson could claim that the basic beliefs and practices that Roberts had seen as threatened were in fact a source of persisting unity across all branches of Methodism. Kevin M. Watson argues that B. T. Roberts's expulsion from the MEC and the subsequent formation of the Free Methodist Church represent a crucial moment of transition in American Methodism. This book challenges understandings of American Methodism that emphasize its breadth and openness to a variety of theological commitments and underemphasize the particular theological commitments that have made it distinctive and have been the cause of divisions over the past century and a half. Old or New School Methodism? fills a major gap in the study of American Methodism from the 1850s to 1950s through a detailed study of two of the key figures of the period and their influence on the denomination.

After Arminius

After Arminius PDF Author: Thomas H. McCall
Publisher:
ISBN: 0190874198
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Inspired by the ideas of the Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius, Arminianism was the subject of important theological controversies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and still today remains an important position within Protestant thought. What became known as Arminian theology was held by people across a wide swath of geographical and ecclesial positions. This theological movement was in part a reaction to the Reformed doctrine of predestination and was founded on the assertion that God's sovereignty and human free will are compatible. More broadly, it was an attempt to articulate a holistic view of God and salvation that is grounded in Scripture and Christian tradition as well as adequate to the challenges of life. First developed in European, British, and American contexts, the movement engaged with a wide range of intellectual challenges. While standing together in their common rejection of several key planks of Reformed theology, supporters of Arminianism took varying positions on other matters. Some were broadly committed to catholic and creedal theology, while others were more open to theological revision. Some were concerned primarily with practical matters, while others were engaged in system-building as they sought to articulate and defend an over-arching vision of God and the world. The story of Arminian development is complex, yet essential for a proper understanding of the history of Protestant theology. The historical development of Arminian theology, however, is not well known. In After Arminius, Thomas H. McCall and Keith D. Stanglin offer a thorough historical introduction to Arminian theology, providing an account that will be useful to scholars and students of ecclesiastical history and modern Christian thought.

Respectable Methodism

Respectable Methodism PDF Author: Daniel F. Flores
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666713961
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
The Wesleyan-Methodist movement entered American history as a fragment of British Methodism. It quickly took on a new identity in the early republic and grew into a vibrant denomination in the nineteenth century. The transitions from the rugged pioneer religion modeled by Bishop Francis Asbury to the urbane religion of industrial America was by design the goal of influential leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Nathan Bangs was perhaps one of the most significant of such leaders. He rose from obscurity to the ranks of power and influence by refining patterns of worship, expanding denominational publishing, and structuring ministerial education. This study is concerned with the development of respectability in American Methodism. It also explores questions on how Bangs and other leaders dealt with in-house conflicts on issues related to race, slavery, and the poor.

Methodism

Methodism PDF Author: David Hempton
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300106149
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
Hempton explores the rise of Methodism from its unpromising origins as a religious society within the Church of England in the 1730s to a major international religious movement by the 1880s.

Embodying Wesley's Catholic Spirit

Embodying Wesley's Catholic Spirit PDF Author: Daniel Castelo
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1625649894
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 175

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Book Description
To what degree is Wesleyan theology part of the church's catholic witness? This book explores this question from a number of angles and goes on to embody some of these possibilities in conversation with other major traditions and figures within the Christian church. Overall, the volume shows that Wesleyan theology does draw from and can contribute to conversations related to the catholic Christian witness.

Marks of Methodism

Marks of Methodism PDF Author: Russell E. Richey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
"In this synthesis of the prior volumes in the United Methodism and American Culture series, Richey and his colleagues challenge the caricature of Methodism as a nontheological tradition by teasing out the theological dimensions that are embedded in characteristic Methodist practices. Their articulation of the various implications of itinerancy, discipline, connectionalism, and catholicity will be central to all future considerations of Methodist ecclesiology. But just as important is the way in which they constantly move beyond description to challenge and provide resources for North American Methodists as we move into this new century."--BOOK JACKET.

The Churching of America, 1776-1990

The Churching of America, 1776-1990 PDF Author: Roger Finke
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 9780813518381
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Impressive . . . bound to generate lively discussion--and not a little controversy--within the nation's church community.

Why Another Sect

Why Another Sect PDF Author: Benjamin Titus Roberts
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description


Up from Methodism

Up from Methodism PDF Author: Herbert Asbury
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Farmington (Mo.)
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description


Pursuing Social Holiness

Pursuing Social Holiness PDF Author: Kevin M. Watson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199336369
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
Kevin M. Watson offers the first in-depth examination of an essential early Methodist tradition: the band meeting, a small group of five to seven people who focused on the confession of sin in order to grow in holiness. Watson shows how the band meeting, which figured significantly in John Wesley's theology of discipleship, united Wesley's emphasis on the importance of holiness with his conviction that Christians are most likely to make progress in the Christian life together, rather than in isolation. Demonstrating that neither John Wesley's theology nor popular Methodism can be understood independent of each other, Watson explores how Wesley synthesized important aspects of Anglican piety (an emphasis on a disciplined practice of the means of grace) and Moravian piety (an emphasis on an experience of justification by faith and the witness of the Spirit) in his own version of the band meeting. Pursuing Social Holiness is an essential contribution to understanding the critical role of the band meeting in the development of British Methodism and shifting concepts of community in eighteenth-century British society.