Why Do Our Beliefs Matter?
Bill Arnold, Maxie Dunnam, and I sit down for a conversation about the significance of Christian belief.
Hello Again, and a Eulogy
I haven’t blogged on this site in over a year. That’s mainly because I’ve poured most of my public writing into Firebrand, and in all likelihood most of my more substantive pieces for public consumption will continue to appear there. My hope, though, is to post shorter pieces here from time to time. I recently…
Are Methodists Arminians?
I often hear that Methodists are Arminians, rather than Calvinists. This is true, but only in a limited sense. Wesley did publish the Arminian Magazine later in life, though he and Calvin had far more in common than we often acknowledge. His indebtedness to Arminius, moreover, was particularly related to notions of grace, free will,…
Our First Live Podcast: The Future of Methodism at #ST19
The recent Spirit and Truth Conference was a great experience! The worship was amazing and we heard from powerful speakers and preachers.
Methodism Means Connectionalism
I take it for granted that the UMC will begin a formal division after the 2020 General Conference. We no longer practice a common polity, and thus we cannot hold together as an institution. As the Academic Dean of a seminary, I have lots of conversations with pastors. Most understand the reality we now face…
Can We Create Revival?
A couple of weeks ago I went to hear Rolland Baker speak at a nearby church. Rolland and his wife, Heidi, are the founders of Iris Global, an organization that has planted over 2000 churches in Mozambique and expanded its operations to around 20 other nations. These are two amazing people. They and their ministry…
A Great New Book to Grow in Faith: The Band Meeting
Holiness is an attribute of God. It is not something we human beings have on our own, but something that must be imparted to us from God. Nevertheless, Christians have long believed that there are practices by which we open ourselves to the gift of holiness. When Wesley said that there is no holiness…
Back to the Basics: Love, Sin, Salvation, and the #NextMethodism
A few good posts have popped up about the “Next Methodism” and what that might look like. Kevin Watson, Scott Fritzsche, and Stephen Fife have taken up this topic, and I made my own contribution as well. Now I’d like to continue the conversation with a bit of reflection on what it might mean for…
Four Marks of the Next Methodism
Let’s face it: no one really knows what’s going to happen over the next few years within The United Methodist Church. Division? Restructuring? Fragmentation? Slow demise? Despite widespread conjecture and one or two wild conspiracy theories, your guess is as good as mine. The Wesleyan movement, however, is much larger than The United Methodist Church.…