As the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC) prepares to mark the ... more As the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC) prepares to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025, its distinctive task is to invite the churches to commemorate ecumenically and to consider the search for visible unity under the theme “Living the apostolic faith together today.” Recognizing the diverse expectations of Christians for this anniversary, Faith and Order is planning a year of ecumenical events and opportunities, including a World Conference on Faith and Order with both in‐person and livestreamed participation. The 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will focus on the Nicaea commemoration, and Faith and Order will collaborate with other WCC units and the churches. Topics for discussion are grouped under three themes: faith, unity, and mission. Online activities will enhance the opportunities for Christians around the globe to encounter one another in a spirit of love and reconciliation.
Amy Frykholm has delivered a disturbing, coherent, and yet ultimately hopeful indictment of a sup... more Amy Frykholm has delivered a disturbing, coherent, and yet ultimately hopeful indictment of a supposedly biblical sexual ethic. She wisely declines to offer a fully articulated alternative, her own specific answers to the question, “What is it right to do?” Rather, she describes some guiding principles “toward a more complete and holy understanding of sexuality” (p. 172). She suggests that a good way forward is to listen to each other’s stories from the perspective of discernment instead of judgment, wonder instead of fear, and aliveness and attentiveness instead of adherence to a simplistic set of rules. She caps this description of an “alternative ethic” with a brief explication of pleasure that is as sensible as anything I have ever read on the subject. Christian pastors would do well to hear these painful stories and to question the theological bases of our teachings on sexual behavior. Even though we may never come to consensus in American society, as this vexed topic continues...
On a typical Sunday night in the 1940s at Lumsden North, a small outport clinging to a sandy shor... more On a typical Sunday night in the 1940s at Lumsden North, a small outport clinging to a sandy shore in eastern Newfoundland, Uncle Eli would stand in his pew in the wood-frame United Church, and give his after service testimony: “Wherever the twos or threes are gathered together, there am I in the midst and that’s a blessing.” He would continue, “We need no amount of high words to tell thee who we are and what we are, but we come to thee in all of our unworthiness.” This mixture of scripture citation, praise, and prayer of humble access was not unusual in form, but its content was particular to Eli himself, so particular that at least one of the young people who heard him repeat it Sunday after Sunday could recall it verbatim fifty years later. Eli’s participation in the after service connected him to nearly two centuries of Methodist religious history in Newfoundland, for although his congregation had become part of The United Church of Canada in 1925, most of its Methodist practice...
I would like, at this, the fortieth annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Church History, to ... more I would like, at this, the fortieth annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Church History, to explore with you some aspects of the history of our Society. Because I am a student of the history of evangelical Christianity, I will begin with a personal testimony. And because I have been nurtured in the bosom of liberal theology, I would like to focus our thoughts around a story by the prairie author Sandra Birdsell, for whom I frequently have the honour of being mistaken. First, then, the testimony. It happened in the cafeteria at the University of Ottawa a rather unlikely setting for anything momentous, but that is part of the genre, isn’t it? The Canadian Society of Church History was on lunch break, and a large number of us had gathered around one long table to engage in a number of conversations. There we were, women and men, at different stages of life and scholarship, historians, religionists, and theologians, all sharing mediocre food and great insights, crosspollinating our...
John Wesley in America: Restoring Primitive Christianity. By Geordan Hammond. Oxford: Oxford Univ... more John Wesley in America: Restoring Primitive Christianity. By Geordan Hammond. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. xvii + 237 pp. $85.00 (cloth).John Wesleys 1730s sojourn in Georgia ended badly: he fled the colony less than two years after arriving, his heart broken and a clutch of colonial magistrates pondering various charges against him. This story is typically narrated as Wesleys spiritual nadir, best known for prodding the young cleric into his "Aldersgate" experience of the assurance of his salvation, which in turn helped to enflame the successful evangelical mission that Wesley and his fellow Methodists would undertake in the decades to come. However, Geordan Hammond, Director of the Manchester Wesley Research Centre and Senior Lecturer in Wesley Studies at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, England, believes there is more to be gleaned from this chapter in Wesleys life. John Wesley in America, based on Hammonds doctoral dissertation, argues that Wesley us...
In 1971, Johannes van den Berg published his Dutch essay "John Wesley's Contacts with Th... more In 1971, Johannes van den Berg published his Dutch essay "John Wesley's Contacts with The Netherlands." This essay is an early member of a virtual explosion of scholarly research and writing on John Wesley in recent years. Van den Berg's essay represents a transition between the nineteenth century hagiography and today's more objective, contextualized analyses of Wesley. The purpose of this work, co-authored and translated by Stephen Gunter, is to make accessible to English readers this significant work on John Wesley's travels to Holland. Gunter's introductory essay demonstrates the significance of those visits by providing a historical and theological context. The context he describes has three aspects: The Synod of Dort, Wesley's Arminianism, and Calvinism. His account and analysis of the Synod explains its complicated issues without oversimplification, utilizing much Dutch scholarship. What Van den Berg reveals is that while Dort served as a historical context to Wesley's visit, a major issue involved was how piety was concentrated in the practical dimension of Christian living. This suggests that in addition to Calvinism, the Methodist understanding of Christian holiness was also a part of the discussion. While Wesley moved along the edges of the Dutch church and religious life, we can still discern traits of the later Dutch Awakening that left a powerful imprint on spiritual life in The Netherlands.
As the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC) prepares to mark the ... more As the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC) prepares to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025, its distinctive task is to invite the churches to commemorate ecumenically and to consider the search for visible unity under the theme “Living the apostolic faith together today.” Recognizing the diverse expectations of Christians for this anniversary, Faith and Order is planning a year of ecumenical events and opportunities, including a World Conference on Faith and Order with both in‐person and livestreamed participation. The 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will focus on the Nicaea commemoration, and Faith and Order will collaborate with other WCC units and the churches. Topics for discussion are grouped under three themes: faith, unity, and mission. Online activities will enhance the opportunities for Christians around the globe to encounter one another in a spirit of love and reconciliation.
Amy Frykholm has delivered a disturbing, coherent, and yet ultimately hopeful indictment of a sup... more Amy Frykholm has delivered a disturbing, coherent, and yet ultimately hopeful indictment of a supposedly biblical sexual ethic. She wisely declines to offer a fully articulated alternative, her own specific answers to the question, “What is it right to do?” Rather, she describes some guiding principles “toward a more complete and holy understanding of sexuality” (p. 172). She suggests that a good way forward is to listen to each other’s stories from the perspective of discernment instead of judgment, wonder instead of fear, and aliveness and attentiveness instead of adherence to a simplistic set of rules. She caps this description of an “alternative ethic” with a brief explication of pleasure that is as sensible as anything I have ever read on the subject. Christian pastors would do well to hear these painful stories and to question the theological bases of our teachings on sexual behavior. Even though we may never come to consensus in American society, as this vexed topic continues...
On a typical Sunday night in the 1940s at Lumsden North, a small outport clinging to a sandy shor... more On a typical Sunday night in the 1940s at Lumsden North, a small outport clinging to a sandy shore in eastern Newfoundland, Uncle Eli would stand in his pew in the wood-frame United Church, and give his after service testimony: “Wherever the twos or threes are gathered together, there am I in the midst and that’s a blessing.” He would continue, “We need no amount of high words to tell thee who we are and what we are, but we come to thee in all of our unworthiness.” This mixture of scripture citation, praise, and prayer of humble access was not unusual in form, but its content was particular to Eli himself, so particular that at least one of the young people who heard him repeat it Sunday after Sunday could recall it verbatim fifty years later. Eli’s participation in the after service connected him to nearly two centuries of Methodist religious history in Newfoundland, for although his congregation had become part of The United Church of Canada in 1925, most of its Methodist practice...
I would like, at this, the fortieth annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Church History, to ... more I would like, at this, the fortieth annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Church History, to explore with you some aspects of the history of our Society. Because I am a student of the history of evangelical Christianity, I will begin with a personal testimony. And because I have been nurtured in the bosom of liberal theology, I would like to focus our thoughts around a story by the prairie author Sandra Birdsell, for whom I frequently have the honour of being mistaken. First, then, the testimony. It happened in the cafeteria at the University of Ottawa a rather unlikely setting for anything momentous, but that is part of the genre, isn’t it? The Canadian Society of Church History was on lunch break, and a large number of us had gathered around one long table to engage in a number of conversations. There we were, women and men, at different stages of life and scholarship, historians, religionists, and theologians, all sharing mediocre food and great insights, crosspollinating our...
John Wesley in America: Restoring Primitive Christianity. By Geordan Hammond. Oxford: Oxford Univ... more John Wesley in America: Restoring Primitive Christianity. By Geordan Hammond. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. xvii + 237 pp. $85.00 (cloth).John Wesleys 1730s sojourn in Georgia ended badly: he fled the colony less than two years after arriving, his heart broken and a clutch of colonial magistrates pondering various charges against him. This story is typically narrated as Wesleys spiritual nadir, best known for prodding the young cleric into his "Aldersgate" experience of the assurance of his salvation, which in turn helped to enflame the successful evangelical mission that Wesley and his fellow Methodists would undertake in the decades to come. However, Geordan Hammond, Director of the Manchester Wesley Research Centre and Senior Lecturer in Wesley Studies at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, England, believes there is more to be gleaned from this chapter in Wesleys life. John Wesley in America, based on Hammonds doctoral dissertation, argues that Wesley us...
In 1971, Johannes van den Berg published his Dutch essay "John Wesley's Contacts with Th... more In 1971, Johannes van den Berg published his Dutch essay "John Wesley's Contacts with The Netherlands." This essay is an early member of a virtual explosion of scholarly research and writing on John Wesley in recent years. Van den Berg's essay represents a transition between the nineteenth century hagiography and today's more objective, contextualized analyses of Wesley. The purpose of this work, co-authored and translated by Stephen Gunter, is to make accessible to English readers this significant work on John Wesley's travels to Holland. Gunter's introductory essay demonstrates the significance of those visits by providing a historical and theological context. The context he describes has three aspects: The Synod of Dort, Wesley's Arminianism, and Calvinism. His account and analysis of the Synod explains its complicated issues without oversimplification, utilizing much Dutch scholarship. What Van den Berg reveals is that while Dort served as a historical context to Wesley's visit, a major issue involved was how piety was concentrated in the practical dimension of Christian living. This suggests that in addition to Calvinism, the Methodist understanding of Christian holiness was also a part of the discussion. While Wesley moved along the edges of the Dutch church and religious life, we can still discern traits of the later Dutch Awakening that left a powerful imprint on spiritual life in The Netherlands.
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