John Wesley’s Thoughts Upon Methodism (Part III)

The second key that Wesley exhorts the Methodists to hold fast to is the spirit with which they first set out. Of the three keys, this one is the hardest to pin down. From his essay, “Thoughts Upon Methodism,” the spirit that Wesley refers to seems to consist primarily of two things: a zeal for growing in their own faith, and a passionate drive to do whatever they could to bring Christ to others. The essence, or driving force of this zeal was “holiness of heart and life.”

Holiness and sanctification for Wesley were synonymous terms. I will refer you back to yesterday’s post for my comments on how Methodists today tend to view sanctification.

How zealous do you think Methodists today are for growing in their own faith, and for bringing others to faith? Or, to be more blunt, how passionate are you about growing in your own faith, or bringing others to faith? One of the key doctrinal emphases that Wesley lifted up yesterday was repentance. I think this is a particularly important emphasis for contemporary Methodists. We seem to prioritize many things above our relationship with God and helping others to grow in their relationships with the Lord. The first step to regaining the zeal that the early Methodists had would seem to be repenting of the many things that we serve over Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The second step would be reclaiming the focus on discipline that helped the early Methodist focus their energy and sustain their passionate commitment. One of the things that sets John Wesley apart, in my mind, is that he was not just committed, but he was realistic enough to recognize that without some sort of accountability structure, the initial excitement or zeal was destined to wane for most people. In the next post, I will say more about the third key to preserving the form and power of Methodism, discipline.

In the mean time, how do you think Methodists are doing today in preserving the original Methodist spirit?

John Wesley’s Thoughts Upon Methodism (Part II)

In yesterday’s post I introduced the following quote from John Wesley:

I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.

Wesley argues that Methodism will become nothing more than a dead sect unless it holds fast to the “doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” In order to explore this in a bit more depth we need to ask first, what was the doctrine with which the early Methodists first set out? Lucky for us, Wesley answer this very question in “Thoughts Upon Methodism”:

That the Bible is the whole and sole rule both of Christian faith and practice. Hence they learned: (1). That religion is an inward principle; that it is no other than the mind that was in Christ; or in other words, the renewal of the soul after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness. (2). That this can never be wrought in us but by the power of the Holy Ghost. (3). That we receive this and every other blessing merely for the sake of Christ; and, (4), that whosoever hath the mind that was in Christ, the same is our brother, sister, and mother.

A few paragraphs later he summarizes his “constant doctrine” as “salvation by faith, preceded by repentance, and followed by holiness.”

John Wesley’s Thoughts Upon Methodism

John Wesley

Originally uploaded by deeplycommitted

In 1786, the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, looked back on the revival begun during his lifetime. He seemed to think that it was well enough established that it would not immediately vanish after his death. However, he was not content with the survival of a lifeless sect that hung around, but failed to renew souls in the image of their creator. He wrote in “Thoughts Upon Methodism” :

I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.

This passage is one that haunts me. It is as if Wesley continues to challenge all who call themselves Methodists to continue to have the zeal to “spread Scriptural holiness” that the early Methodists had. I can’t read this quote without asking myself the obvious question: Is the United Methodist Church in America a dead sect, does it have the form or religion without the power? Or have we held fast to the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which we first set out?

I plan on looking at the three keys that Wesley lifts up in this passage in the days to come (doctrine, spirit, and discipline). Until then, I would be very interested in your reaction to the implicit question Wesley asks us today, Are we a dead sect, or do we have he form and power of godliness?

Saving Money in New York City

(Disclaimer: I am not a travel agent, or qualified to give advice like this at all… so read this, and follow in my footsteps at your own risk!)

My wife and I are going on vacation to New York City soon. I have been trying to wrap up all the details of the trip over the past few weeks. The last main piece that I needed to figure out was hotels. You may realize this, but hotels are expensive in the Big Apple! I looked at expedia and priceline, and hotels that didn’t have reviews about people getting bug bites while staying there were just more than I was willing to pay.

I found a solution that I was very happy with, one that allowed me to save a substantial amount of money and get a nicer hotel than I otherwise would have. Here’s the scoop…

A Helpful take on Evolution vs. Intelligent Design

One of the debates that has been the most frustrating to me personally has been the debate about Evolution and Intelligent Design. It is not because I am an expert and know what I am talking about and I am frustrated that other people are so wrong in where they are coming from. In fact, I am anything but an expert. The personal frustration has been that I have seen this debate become a major stumbling block to people having faith in God. From the perspective of someone who is not an expert on this debate, it seems like the more the ID folks try to make sure God doesn’t get defined out of science, the more many scientists become determined to do just that.

I am saddened and concerned by the degree of hostility that seems to exist among people on different sides of this issue.

J. Scott Turner has written a very interesting article in the June 12, 2007 issue of Christian Century that helped me clarify some of what was bouncing around in my head.

Sunday’s Sermon, Humbling

This past Sunday I preached on Luke 7:36-50 which recounts the episode where Jesus is having a meal with Simon the Pharisee and a sinful woman begins to wet his feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. This was one of those sermons where I felt God working on me as I prepared ther sermon. I was deeply struck by the differnce between Simon and the woman. The woman’s humility, and really Simon’s lack of need. The woman seems to find forgiveness and salvation in the midst of her humility and deep awareness of need.

I fear that most American Christians are not aware of how in need they are. We tend to look much more like Simon the Pharisee (except we often don’t take obedience to the law nearly as seriously as Simon does) than we do the woman weeping at the Lord’s feet. I don’t know about you, but it is all too easy for me to forget that I am in need of grace. I sometimes forget that if not for grace I would not even be able to stand. Reading and praying over Luke 7:36-50 was a helpful and humbling reminder that I need to be saved, that I cannot save myself.

If you are interested, you can listen to this sermon by clicking here or by clicking on the deeply committed sermons link on the right.

Another Year Older

Today is my 26th birthday. 26 is an interesting birthday because it seems like a transition where you are just getting older each year, rather than gaining independence and responsibility. Even last year, I could easily rent a car and car insurance rates went down. But I am not aware of any advantage that you gain simply because you are 26 instead of 25. (If I am forgetting something, please let me know!)

But today I have mostly found myself thinking about how blessed I am to have so many people in my life who love me so well. I thank God for giving me the gift of life and for all the blessings of the past year. I hope and pray that I will be faithful to the grace given to me and that I will continue to grow in my love of both God and neighbor in the year to come. There is so much to be thankful for.

Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today

I mentioned receiving the proofs for Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today yesterday, but I neglected to say very much about it.

This book is intended primarily to be a resource for small group study. It can be used in a variety of ways, but the most obvious way is for it to be used as a 13 week study with each week’s lesson explaining one key part of the Wesleyan Way of Salvation. (The first lesson is an exception, it is an introduction to John and Charles Wesley. ) After the first lesson, each lesson is designed to have participants read one of John Wesley’s sermons and then the lesson helps unpack and explain the main ideas found in the sermon. Each lesson has a suggested plan for reading the sermon as well as the lesson, in order to make it more manageable.

Each lesson contains both the original sermon by John Wesley, as well as the study materials for unpacking Wesley’s sermon. The lessons address key theological concepts of the Way of Salvation such as: Original Sin, Prevenient Grace, Justification, The New Birth, The Means of Grace, Sanctification, Christian Perfection, The New Creation, and others.

We created this resource because we are convinced that the most promising path to renewal for Methodism is through a renewed understanding and a renewed commitment to our Wesleyan heritage. This resource seeks to help people understand that heritage so that Methodist churches can once again live into it.

Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition is scheduled to be published in September 2007 by Discipleship Resources. You can view a promotional brochure of the book here. Please be aware that this link is to a file that is almost 2MB, so if you have a slow connection, it may take a minute to download.

If you have any questions, you are welcomed to post them and I will do my best to respond.

Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition Proofs are Here!

I am working on a book with Douglas M. Strong, Sarah Babylon Dorrance, Robert P. McDonald-Walker, and Ingrid Y. Wang. The book is called Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition. It is scheduled for publication in September of this year. You can see the cover here.

The proofs just got here, which means we have one more intense round of editing and then we are done with our work. Being a part of this project has really been an amazing experience, and I believe we have created a resource that has great potential to introduce people to John Wesley’s sermons and to help them come to know more profoundly what the basics are of Methodists beliefs.

I am sure I will write more about this later, but for now it is just exciting to see concrete progress and another step toward this idea becoming a reality.

Barbara Brown Taylor on the Poured-Out Church

Barbara Brown Taylor has written an excellent article in the May 29, 2007 issue of Christian Century. Barbara Brown Taylor is discussing some of the correspondence she has received since writing her recent book Leaving Church. (If you are interested Adam Walker Cleaveland has recently written a review of Leaving Church on his blog pomomusings, you can read his review here.

In the article in Christian Century, Barbara Brown Taylor writes: What I cannot figure is how any church organized around the self-donation of Jesus can stay invested in self-preservation. What would it look like for a church to lay down its life for its friends?

She concludes the article: Leaving church, I believe, is what church is for - leaving on a regular basis, leaving to see what God is up to in the world and joining God there, delivering all the riches of the institution to those who need them most, in full trust that God will never leave the church without all that it needs to live.

Amen! If you are interested in reading the full article, you can read it here.

Thanks to Barbara Brown Taylor for giving some profound thoughts to chew on this morning! What are your thoughts about this article?