No Limit to God’s Saving Work in Christ

09 Monday Mar 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review, Ministry, Wesley

Over the past week I have been reading a couple of books by Lester Ruth; A Little Heaven Below: Worship at Early Methodist Quarterly Meetingsand Early Methodist Life and SpiritualityI would recommend both books to people who want to understand better early American Methodism, particularly what its worship was like.

In Early Methodist Life and Spirituality I came across the following quote: “Methodists found totally unacceptable any suggestion that there was some limit – particularly a God-determined limit – to the scope of God’s saving work in Christ.” (70)

Do we still find any suggestion that there are limits to the scope of God’s saving work in Christ totally unacceptable? It seems to me that people are much too quick to accept the limitations of life in this world as unavoidable and inevitable. I have noticed a tendency to quickly move to extremes when discussing the expectations of the Christian life that seem to work as a sort of defense mechanism…. “If all Christians did that, then I guess there just wouldn’t be any Christians anymore.” (Or something to that effect.)

This appears to be an expression of a lamentable failure of imagination. Part of what Lester Ruth seems to be suggesting is that early American Methodists refused to allow any restraints on God’s ability to save through Christ. If there were going to be limits, they would have to be elsewhere. This belief that God could fully save through Christ was expressed in two key ways: universal atonement (all can find salvation in Christ) and Christian perfection or entire sanctification (all can be made perfect in love).

In my experience (albeit limited), most Methodists find the idea of entire sanctification quaint, or even absurd. Yet, I long to see the ways in which God’s Spirit would move in Methodism again if we were to cease being so quick to rationalize our tendency to sin and instead stubbornly, adamantly, and unapologetically refuse to accept any limits to the scope of God’s saving work in Christ. The United Methodist Church is, after all, filled with ordained ministers who have answer in the affirmative the historic questions “Are you going on to perfection?” and “Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?” This is not a work that we perform to merit God’s grace. On the contrary, the best answer to both of these questions is, “Yes, by the grace of God.”

Book Recommendation for Methodist History Buffs

26 Thursday Feb 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review

≈ 1 Comment

I just finished reading Methodism and the Shaping of American Culture (edited by Nathan Hatch and John Wigger). This book is a compilation of ten essays written by various Methodist historians. Several of the essays were exceptional. Nathan Hatch writes an essay, “The Puzzle of American Methodism,” which points to the astonishing neglect of Methodism in American religious history. Hatch considers the reasons for this neglect and points to the important contribution that Methodism has to make to the understanding of religion in America.

David Hempton’s essay, “Methodist Growth in Transatlantic Perspective, ca.1770-1850,” provides a very helpful summary of much of the previous historiography of American Methodism. Hempton particularly interacts with E. P. Thompson’s work, offering an insightful critique. Hempton also looks at the European roots of American Methodism.

John H. Wigger’s essay , “Fighting Bees: Methodist Itinerants and the Dynamics of Methodist Growth, 1770-1820,” is an in-depth look at itinerancy in early American Methodism. If nothing else, one cannot help but notice the vast difference between the way itinerancy is understood today and the way it was understood then.

In “Consecrated Respectability: Phoebe Palmer and the Refinement of American Methodism,” Kathryn T. Long looks at the way in which Phoebe Palmer’s emphasis on holiness and entire sanctification sought to hold gentility and holiness in tension. Long compares Palmer’s understanding of sanctification to that of B. T. Roberts, for whom entire sanctification and wealth are clearly incompatible.

There are several other essay worth reading in this volume. Richard Carwardine’s essay “Methodists, Politics, and the Coming of the American Civil War,” helps one to better understand how Methodists engaged in politics in the period leading up to the Civil War. (I was particularly interested in his argument that the Methodist understanding of political engagement radically changed from Asbury’s lifetime to the mid-nineteenth century, to what he dubs a “Reformed public theology.”)

This collection of essays (as the title of the book suggests) helps the reader gain a better understanding of the way in which Methodism shaped American culture in its first one hundred years on American soil. For those who are interested in such an understanding, this is a worthwhile read.

The Wesley Study Bible: First Impressions

02 Monday Feb 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review, links, Wesley

≈ 8 Comments

In one of the best mail days I have ever had, I received my copy of the The Wesley Study Biblein the mail today. Here are my first impressions:

The Bible is wider than I thought it would be. I am sure the dimensions are easy to find online, but I never bothered to look at them. I would guess it is an inch or two wider than the other Study Bible I usually use. This is not a complaint, I really like the feel of it. It makes the Bible seem to be a little bit thinner.

The overall appearance of the Bible is great. The green and tan faux leather cover looks better in person than it does in the picture. The Bible also comes out of the box in good shape, but does not feel like it needs to be broken in. It is pretty “floppy” but the binding seems like it is solid, so it doesn’t feel like it is fragile or going to fall apart. It also lays flat beautifully from Exodus to the appendices. I can read both the Bible and the notes very comfortably. I also find the layout of the text and notes to both be attractive. The Wesleyan Core Terms and the Life Application Topics are set off in boxes that standout from the notes in a way that is distinct, but not obnoxious – and the Wesleyan Core Terms are easy to distinguish from the Life Application Topics. The only thing I don’t like about the appearance is that the end of the pages almost look like they were spray painted in a matte tan color that matches the tan cover. It is not a big deal, but it is the only part that looks a little bit cheap.

Since these are first impressions, my comments on the actual content of the notes and Wesleyan Core Terms and Life Application Topics will not be all that in-depth. (I will try to write a more substantive review once I have had a chance to familiarize myself with the contents of the notes and Wesleyan and Life Application terms.) My first impression is a good one, though. I looked up the Wesleyan Core Term “General Rules”, which is found in the notes under the Ten Commandments. I really liked the way the General Rules were explained – the three uses of the law are explained: convicting people of sin, bringing them to Christ, and guiding them in their Christian life. The summary of the General Rules is also very well done, mostly simply quoting directly from the General Rules. The third General Rule, in particular, is quoted and then explained – which I prefer to Reuben Job’s paraphrase “stay in love with God” in Three Simple Ruleswhich seems to alter the connotation and meaning of the third rule.

The Life Application Topics and Wesleyan Core Terms are both listed in the appendix in Biblical Order and alphabetical order. I found this to be helpful; however, I wonder why the terms are listed only based on the book that they are found in – chapter and verse is not given. The terms would be easier to find if they were listed based on chapter and verse, as well as page number. This is the only real criticism I had as a first impression. (However, it may also be a strength as it encourages people to actually thumb through the Bible, rather than just turning to the exact bit of information they want to pull out – like I was trying to do!)

My overall impression is a very positive one. I had pretty high expectations for this Bible, and they were met and even exceeded in some ways – mostly that the Bible is better looking and more comfortable to hold and use than I expected it to be. If you were thinking about buying this Bible but were not sure whether you should or not, I would say go for it.

You can buy the Wesley Study Bible from amazon.com herefor $32.97

or at Cokesbury here for special sale price of $24.95 plus s/h. (With s/h the price from amazon and cokesbury is nearly the same.)

Too Respectable for Holiness?

29 Thursday Jan 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review, links, Ministry, Wesley

≈ 2 Comments

The final chapter of Frank Baker’s From Wesley to Asbury: Studies in Early American Methodismpoints to several key emphases of early Methodism, pointing to ways in which the heritage of American Methodism can inform contemporary Methodism. (This book was first published in 1976. Still, I found much of what Dr. Baker had to say in this final chapter to continue to be relevant.) The particular characteristic that Baker discussed was piety. He argues that “the first characteristic of the brand of religion that John and Charles Wesley brought Georgia was piety” (184).

Baker cites the early American Methodist affirmation that ‘God’s design in raising up the preachers called ‘Methodists’ was ‘to reform the continent, and to spread scriptural holiness over these lands’ as evidence that in the late 1700s Methodists embraced holiness (or piety). However, when Baker looks a hundred years down the road, he finds that the emphasis has changed:

A century later the Methodists, both in Britain and America, became too respectable for holiness, especially when it was overemphasized and underillustrated by fanatics. It is good to know that after the passage of still another century Methodist theologians are once more exploring the important truths underlined in Wesley’s teaching on Christian perfection. So much for our thinking. But what about our Christian living? Do we not still place too much importance on respectability, rather than on warm piety? Let us remember that piety does not mean a particular set of supposedly religious actions, but lives completely integrated with God’s purposes, or (as Wesley once described it), ‘loving God with all our hearts, and serving him with all our strength.’ In that sense our Methodist forefathers – even John Wesley before his heart was strangely warmed – can furnish us with both a message and a challenge. (186)

I find this to be a jarring quote. One that asks deep questions to contemporary United Methodism – and all denominations that claim a share in the Wesleyan tradition. There seems to be a growing interest in “reclaiming Wesley” in United Methodism. I remember being surprised in my Methodist History and Doctrine class that people all over the theological spectrum in the class seemed to feel that Wesley was articulating something that they believed, but hadn’t been able to previously articulate. On the one hand, I rejoice at the renewed interest in Wesley. On the other hand, I am sometimes alarmed at how often I hear people on opposite sides of the same issue trying to claim the Wesleyan high ground.

Baker pierces this in a profound way. One of the things that people should be able to agree on about what Wesley believed, or what it means to be a standard bearer for the Wesleyan tradition, is the central importance of holiness of heart and life for the Christian life. I think most armchair Wesleyan theologians can articulate this. However, in brilliant Wesleyan fashion, Baker pushes us past what we think to what we live. The question, then, is not: Did the early Methodists believe in the importance of holiness? Rather, the question is: Are Methodists today becoming holy? Nevermind what we say – what about our lives. What are we becoming?

I believe it is the answer to this question that will determine the future of Methodism: Are our lives, both individually and corporately, being “completely integrated with God’s purposes”?

Initially, Baker’s words rang true for Methodism “out there,” for the Church that I love, but is sometimes desperately trying to finds its way again. But then it came home. What about me? I am working to become a Methodist/Wesleyan scholar. Because of the quality of the school I am attending and the wisdom and knowledge that is being imparted to me through the people I am working with, I am confident that I will be able to reasonably articulate, as Baker says, “some of the important truths underlined in Wesley’s teaching on Christian perfection.” But if that is where it ends I may be a scholar of the Wesleyan tradition, but I would not be Wesleyan. And more importantly, I would miss out on the fullness of the Christian life.

Wesley also reminds me that my growth in holiness comes by God’s grace. May God grant me, you, and all who seek to follow Christ, the ability to cooperate with God’s sanctifying grace. May we not merely be a people with a holy past, but may we become a holy people. May we respect the gospel and our Savior too much to refuse to be sanctified through and through. May it be so, for Jesus’ sake.

The Class Meeting and Itinerancy

26 Monday Jan 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review, links, Ministry, Wesley

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

class meeting, Methodism, Norwood, UMC, Wesley

In continuing to read Norwood’s The Story of American MethodismI came across some interesting analysis of the decline of the class meeting. Norwood connects the decline of the class meeting with the decline of the circuit riding preacher. Norwood writes:

The high point of the class meeting coincides with the heyday of the circuit rider. Its decline dates from his dismounting. As long as the traveling preacher was on the go around his circuit and from appointment to appointment, the place of the class meeting was secure. The class leader was needed to perform those pastoral functions which are part of a balanced ministry. But when the preacher settled down in a parsonage as a stationed pastor, the class leader… became, at least so it seemed, an unnecessary wheel. Inadvertently, because of the settling down of the traveling preacher, Methodism lost one of its strongest supports, the active ministerial participation of the lay people. (132)

This is not portrayed by Norwood as a positive development. Norwood concludes the chapter musing that “Ever since, Methodists have been trying to decide whether they would be a great church or a holy people.” When I first read this, I thought: Are the two mutually exclusive? I guess it depends on your definition of a “great church.”

The important point, it seems to me, is not that we should work to return to a truly itinerant ministry. Instead, it is that there is something vital missing when the active ministerial participation of the lay people (to use Norwood’s phrase) is missing. I see the class meeting as a key to renewing, strengthening, and empowering a lively lay ministry.

History of American Methodism Reading List

22 Thursday Jan 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review, links, Wesley

≈ 3 Comments

This semester I am looking forward to an independent study with Dr. Ted Campbell in the history of American Methodism. My first assignment is to come up with a proposed reading list for the semester. Here is what I have so far:

Methodism and the Shaping of American CultureNathan Hatch and John Wigger, eds.

Perspectives on American Methodism: Interpretive EssaysRichey, Rowe, and Schmidt, eds.

The Methodist Conference in America (Kingswood Series)Russell E. Richey

The Story of American Methodism: A History of the United Methodists and Their RelationsFrederick Norwood

Taking Heaven by Storm: Methodism and the Rise of Popular Christianity in AmericaJohn H. Wigger

Early Methodist Life and SpiritualityLester Ruth

A Little Heaven Below: Worship at Early Methodist Quarterly MeetingsLester Ruth

The Methodists and Revolutionary America, 1760-1800: The Shaping of an Evangelical CultureDee E. Andrews

Methodism: Empire of the SpiritDavid Hempton

The Methodist Experience in America: A SourcebookRichey, Rowe, and Schmidt

Other than the source book above, I will also be adding several primary source readings:

A Compendious History of American Methodism Abel Stevens

Doctrine and Discipline the one that is annotated by Asbury and Coke

Selections from The Journal and Letters of Francis Asbury

The Sunday Service

This should be a great class!

Seeking Feedback on Asbury Biography

13 Tuesday Jan 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review, links, Wesley

≈ 2 Comments

Last week, in studying for my upcoming field exam in 17th and 18th century Church History, I realized that Francis Asbury was probably the person who was a key figure in the 18th century who I had the least amount of information about. So, I did a few quick searches and came across America’s Bishop: The Life of Francis Asburyby Darius L. Salter. So, I did something completely out of character, I made an impulse purchase and bought the book.

The book arrived yesterday and it appears to be a serious and substantial biography of Asbury. The text is 362 pages followed by an additional nearly 20 page Bibliography and more than 50 pages of notes. However, there are a few things that make me wonder about this book. First, I could not find any academic reviews of it on the major search engines through Bridwell library. It seems to me that what appears to be the first in depth biography in decades would have been reviewed in a journal somewhere. In other words, why aren’t academics saying anything about it? (On the other hand there is an endorsement from Russel E. Richey on the back cover of the book, and I could have just missed the reviews.) Second, it is published by Francis Asbury Press. At first glance this seems very fitting for a biography of Francis Asbury. However, I would have guessed that Abingdon or someone of the like would have jumped at the chance to publish a major biography of Asbury. And finally, I would have guessed that a book like this would have been written by an expert in American Methodism, rather than someone with a PhD in psychology and religion.

None of these mean that the book isn’t going to be a terrific study of the life of a key figure for American Methodism, they just have made me wonder if I am missing something. So my question is, have you read this book or heard anything about it? Am I missing anything? And are there other biographies of Francis Asbury that you have read and would recommend?

Reading the Entire Bible in 2009

05 Monday Jan 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review, links

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Bible, One Year Bible

One of my goals for 2009 is to read through the Bible. In beginning a Ph.D. last semester, I did not consistently make time to “search the Scriptures.” This year, I intend to get back into the habit of spending time each day reading the Bible. I will read three chapters Monday through Saturday and five chapters on Sunday. According to my calculations, this would result in my finishing the Bible with a day or two to spare.

If you have gotten out of the habit of daily spending time reading the Bible, there is no time like the present! You can use my approach or check out these resources:

YouVersion is an online Bible resource that has added a plan for reading the Bible in One Year. You can view the readings for each day by clicking here.

There are also Bibles that are specifically organized into daily readings so that you don’t have to do any calculating or remember where you left off. You just have to turn to the right day and start reading. The One Year Bible Compact Edition NIV is a good example of this and at $10.39 from amazon.com, it is affordable too!

If you have already read all the way through the Bible, I would recommend purchasing a chronological Bible, which arranges the readings chronologically. (This is a bit controversial because it involves making decisions about when specific books were actually written, which scholars are not always in full agreement on.) The advantage of a chronological Bible is that it helps you to see how the Bible is one narrative of God’s work in the world. The One Year Chronological Bible [NIV]is a good example of a chronological Bible, that is again also reasonably priced at $13.59.

Are there strategies or approaches that you have used to help maintain the habit of daily Bible reading that I have not mentioned? Or is there a particular Bible for reading the Bible in a year that you have read and found particularly helpful?

Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition on YouTube

03 Saturday Jan 2009

Posted by Kevin M. Watson in Book Review, links, Wesley

≈ 4 Comments

I just stumbled onto this promotional video for Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today on YouTube. I had no idea it existed and am very interested to know how it is being used. In any case, here is the video:

By the way, if any of you were not aware that I co-authored this book and have come across it somewhere else, I would love to know how and where you came across it. I would also be very interested in hearing if anyone has used it as a small group study (which is what we had in mind when we wrote the book) and how it was received.