The God of Free Grace
Is salvation available to all God’s children? For many people, that seems like a no-brainer. Of course it is! But it’s also a question that has been long debated in the history of the church. Many people both past and present have concluded that salvation is not, in fact, available to all people. They believe.. read more →
What is YOUR theology?
I have a confession to make. I don’t have a theology. And I don’t think you should, either. I was speaking to a pastor not long ago who was asked what he thought about a couple of theological topics. He responded by explaining his views with reference to Scripture along with a few Wesleyan accents.. read more →
This journey with Jesus
My hope had been to put something up about Lent prior to Ash Wednesday. Work pressures and parenting two newborn twins got in the way of that. So here we are, 10 days into Lent, and I am just now putting up that post. I trust that grace abounds in this, as in all things. Lent.. read more →
Formative, informative, and free!
For people interested in reading the best material in Wesleyan theology and Methodist history, there has been no better time to have an Internet connection. In recent years most of the academic journals devoted to these topics have undergone two stages of evolution: They have moved from being solely print journals to having both print.. read more →
The calm assurance of faith
My wife Emily and I are spending our final night at Methodist Germantown Hospital following the birth of our twins — Stuart and Anna Charlotte. Our little critters were born on Tuesday night around 10:15 pm. Experiencing the birth of one’s child is an awe-inspiring thing; I wrote on my Twitter account earlier today that.. read more →
Wesleyan Renewal through Theological Education
Mary Jacobs of the United Methodist Reporter has written a wonderful feature article on the John Wesley Fellows, a group ofdoctoral students funded by an organization called A Foundation for Theological Education (or AFTE). AFTE funds a number of fellows each year who are members of the United Methodist Church and committed to the renewal.. read more →
The Power of God for Salvation
Why do you take part in a religious community? Why are you a member of a church? There are any number of reasons people might give for these questions if they were being completely honest. One might be duty: you go to church because it is expected of you, and you want to do the.. read more →
Spiritual Gifts
I’m preaching on spiritual gifts tomorrow, which is one of my favorite topics in Scripture. I also think it is one of the most misunderstood topics in Scripture, which is one reason preaching on it generally is so important. For instance, people I’ve talked to throughout my ministry have often thought of spiritual gifts as.. read more →
Worth reading — from Teddy Ray
Teddy Ray is the executive pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Lexington, KY. He has a blog where he shares thoughts on the practice of ministry as well as theological reflections. One of the things I appreciate about Teddy is his deep Wesleyan sensibility, which often comes through in his writing. A few.. read more →
Baptism of the Lord
Today is Baptism of the Lord Sunday, the day when we remember Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River by John. The Scripture accounts of Jesus’ baptism can be found in Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; and John 1:29-34. It is thus one of the few events in Jesus’ life that is recorded in all.. read more →