Papers for the Wesleyan Theological Society

By way of an update of my WTS post, below: My paper, as well as a number of other papers to be presented at the upcoming meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society can be found at the WTS website by clicking here.

A Sad Loss for the Church of the Nazarene

Nazarene Communications Network is reporting that on the evening of Sunday, February 1, 2009 General Superintendent Emeritus, the Rev'd. Dr. John A. Knight died in his sleep.

Dr. Knight served the Church of the Nazarene as a General Superintendent for 16 years, and up until his retirement in 2001, he had served in ministry for 50 years. In addition to having served the denomination in the episcopal role, Dr. Knight ministered as a pastor, a member of the teaching faculty of a number of our schools, president of two of our colleges, editor of the Herald of Holiness (now Holiness Today), and authored eight books.

Dr. Knight earned his undergraduate degree at Bethany-Peniel College (now Southern Nazarene University), his M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Oklahoma, his Bachelor of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School, and his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.

The death of John Knight is a great loss for the Church of the Nazarene. Nevertheless, we are confident of his triumphant in Christ!

May God's grace & strength be with the Knight family.

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The NCN article can be read, here.

Methodists & Anglicans

Among all of the news in the Anglican world (and there is a lot: from the AMiA Winter Conference; the TAC/RC developments; the meeting of the Anglican Primates in Alexandria, etc.), there comes some news that is a little closer to home for those of us who are a part of World Methodist Council denominations (including us Nazarenes! ).

The United Methodist News Service is reporting on the meeting of the new Anglican-Methodist International Commission on for Unity in Mission. - According to the Rev'd. W. Douglas Mills, an executive with the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the new group “will look for ways to cooperate in mission, in evangelism, in service.” But, it should be clear, although the United Methodist Church is heavily involved in these discussions, this is not merely a UMC-Anglican discussion. This is a WMC-Anglican discussion and deals with Methodism and Anglicanism internationally.

That very fact speaks to one of the complications between Methodists and Anglicans, internationally. Unlike the Anglican communion, the structure of Methodist denominations can vary from country to country. The Rev'd. George Freeman, General Secretary of the World Methodist Council, explains, “Within the Methodist-Wesleyan family, we have a variety of expressions of how we do church. We’re not uniform in our governance.” Nevertheless, the hope is that the commission can identify geographic areas “where there are regional understandings and covenants” between Methodists and Anglicans, and it can study those documents to see how they might be applied elsewhere.

The next meeting is scheduled for February 2010 in the United Kingdom, and the Right Rev'd. C. Franklin Brookhart, Episcopal bishop of Montana, expressed hope that the commission’s work “will result in at least a much closer sharing of mission around the world. Ideally, I would look for full communion between the two bodies” (almost certainly speaking more specifically about TEC & the UMC, which have been working toward full communion).

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The pictures & primary content of this post was taken from the above mentioned article by the United Methodist News Service. The article can be read in its entirety, here.

The New Wesley Study Bible

Bishop Will Willimon has a very nice post on his blog, A Peculiar Prophet, introducing the new Wesley Study Bible.

I have to admit, I am quite excited about this new study Bible. In fact, I pre-ordered one for my wife and for myself, shortly after I heard about it, and just received them, today!

One of the things that excites me is the scope of contributors. They are representative of the whole scope of the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition in the United States; from United Methodism, to the three historically African-American Methodist denominations, to several Wesleyan-Holiness denominations. - In other words, this is not a study Bible produced only by those denominations that make up the Christian Holiness Partnership (as was the case with two previous study Bibles*), nor is it produced exclusively by denominational members of the World Methodist Council. Rather, there are those who are members of both groups and those who are exclusively members of one or the other.

Further, this study Bible includes scholarly notes, as well as practical, pastoral notes.

The Bible is available from Cokesbury this month, and can be ordered by clicking here.

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* The two study Bibles referred to are:

The Wesley Bible, NKJV, 1990 &

The Reflecting God Study Bible, NIV, 2000.

The new study Bible will be in the NRSV.

An Open Invitation to the Meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society

To any and all who may be interested, the 44th annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society will take place on March 5-7 at Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana.

The Wesleyan Theological Society was organized in 1965. The Society's mission is to encourage the exchange of information and perspectives among Wesleyan-Holiness theologians, stimulate scholarship among younger theologians and pastors, convene an academically rich and inspiring annual meeting of members, and publish a scholarly journal. The Society is interdenominational in membership, made up of scholars from across the Wesleyan/Methodist spectrum.

This year's theme is "All the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge: The Centrality of Christ." Keynote lecturers include biblical scholar I. Howard Marshal and theologian Bruce McCormack.

Marshall is Emeritus Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Honorary Research Professor at the University of Aberdeen. He has written or edited dozens of books, including New Testament Theology: Many Witnesses, One Gospel. Marshall’s WTS address is titled, “Where Are We Now? New Testament Christology Today.”

McCormack is Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is an expert on Karl Barth’s theology and one of his recent books is Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives. McCormack’s conference address will answer the question in his lecture title, “Why Should Theology be Christo-centric?”

In addition, and quite significant from this blogger's point of view, I will be presenting a paper entitled "Authentic Christian Worship: Discovering Wesley's Criteria" during the first session on Friday morning (March 6).

More information about the Society can be found by clicking on the link on the sidebar, or by simply clicking, here. Specific information, including registration information can be found here. And the full schedule for this year's meeting can be found here.

A Caution Against Christian Prejudice

As, I believe, I have mentioned before, I have been singing through the Wesley hymns as part of my usage of Morning and Evening Prayer. Most recently I have been using Wesley Hymns (Compiled by Ken Bible. Lillenas [Nazarene] Pub. Co., 1982).

The hymnal included a section from John Wesley's A Plain Account of Genuine Christianity, which I found to be timely given a recent Wednesday evening discussion during which I talked with my congregation about lifting up and guarding the reputation of our sisters and brothers in Christ from other denominations. While we certainly have our disagreements, there are plenty of good Christians in other denominations. Just as we all know some "Nazarenes" by whom we would not want non-Nazarenes to judge us(!), so too, we ought to look at others the way we would hope to be looked at, with great Christian love and generosity.

Mr. Wesley cautions: "Be not prejudiced against [the Christian] for his name. Forgive his particularities of opinion and (what you think) superstitious modes of worship. These are circumstances but of small concern and do not enter into the essence of his character. Cover them with a veil of love." Amen.

New Blog Link

Those who may pay attention to the blog links on the sidebar will note that I have removed Fr. Peter Matthew's link. It is not because he and I had a falling out, or anything! It is simply that Peter hasn't blogged forever. If he starts up, I will quickly reinstate him on my sidebar. (Peter is the rector/pastor of St. Patrick's AMiA Church in Lexington, KY. My professor from Asbury, Lester Ruth, attends worship there.)



Since I removed Fr. Peter's blog, I decided to add a blog. This one is "Where Good Guys Wear Black." It is written by a local Anglican in the United Episcopal Church. While I've only made it to his church twice (they worship on Saturday afternoons, which is just not the best time for this pastor!), I received a warm welcome from him, from (then, Fr., now) Bishop Wesley Nolden (gotta' love the first name!), and Presiding Bishop Stephen Reber.



At the time I first met David+, he was simply Mr. David Straw (or perhaps he was, at that time Deacon; not sure). Since then, he has not only become Fr. David Straw, but "The Venerable David Straw, Archdeacon." - (For those who aren't familiar, becoming "Archdeacon" is not like being "downgraded" from elder/presbyter/priest to deacon. It means that he is on the bishop's administrative staff, and he gets to wear a purple cassock. - How cool is that!) - Anyway, congrats to David+ and +Wes.



For those not familiar with the United Episcopal Church, you will discover, by clicking on the sidebar, that it is one of the "continuing" Anglican churches. It is not a part of the newly forming Anglican Church in North America. You will find, by reading David's+ blog, they are "old school" (i.e., they use the 1928 BCP).

AMiA Winter Conference

For those interested in following the events currently taking place at the Winter Conference of the Anglican Mission in the Americas, I recommend reading my friend, Fr. James Gibson's, blog. He is there, "live." You can click on his blog link on the sidebar, or simply click, here.

You should know, this is not just AMiA folks. Several bishops from throughout the newly forming Anglican Church in North America are involved, including +Duncan and +Minns.

Big News for Anglicans & Roman Catholics

Anglican Mainstream is reporting that the Bishop of Rome (i.e., the Pope) is preparing to offer the Traditional Anglican Communion a personal prelature. (The full article can be read here.) What that apparently means is that the TAC would be a kind of semi-autonomous, global diocese without boundaries. It would retain its own clergy and laity and be headed by its own bishops, but it would be in full-communion with Rome.

The report indicates that this would be the most significant ecumenical event in Anglican-Roman Catholic relations since the English Reformation when King Henry VIII brought about the Church of England's split with Rome.

There are a couple of points that need to be clarified in this report in order to understand more fully what is going.

First, this is not a "done deal," as of yet. The main sticking point may be the issue of married bishops. That is to say, while Rome does not ordain married priests, they have accepted married priests who have joined the RCC. However, Rome has never accepted married bishops. On the other hand, the TAC has set no pre-conditions to their being accepted by Rome. They apparently have been willing for their clergy, not only to receive "conditional ordination," but outright re-ordination. They apparently have not set any preconditions concerning the acceptance of their married bishops. All they have wanted is the possibility of having and intact Anglican identity while being in communion with Rome (exactly, it seems, what this personal prelature would provide).

Second, the Traditional Anglican Communion is NOT the same thing as the Canterbury based Anglican Communion (i.e., the "official" Anglican Communion). Rather, they are a group of some 400,000+ traditional Anglicans that broke with Canterbury over issues such as women being ordained as priests and their further consecration as bishops and over issues of homosexual practice. They are, obviously, Anglo-Catholic in orientation. Their United States member is the Anglican Church in America.

This really is a huge event and could have repercussions throughout the Canterbury based Anglican Communion, including repercussions in the Church of England, the newly forming Anglican Church in North America and Anglo-Catholics around the world.

***A further article has been posted by Anglican Mainstream, here.

A Prayer for My Children

If children may the Scripture know,

Explain it, Lord, to mine;

And let them in the wisdom grow,

The tender fear Divine.

While in Thy Word Thy voice they hear

And use the grace bestowed,

Let it throughout their lives appear

That they are taught of God.

- Charles Wesley

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Hymn #84 in Wesley Hymns (Compiled by Ken Bible. Lillenas Publishing Co. Kansas City, MO. 1982.

A Prayer for President Obama

O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth; Most heartily we beseech thee, with thy favour to behold Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, and so replenish him with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that he may always incline to thy will, and walk in thy way; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Adapted from Morning Prayer in John Wesley's The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America.

The Abundance of God's Grace

O Jesus, full of truth and grace,

More full of grace than I of sin . . .

(Charles Wesley, " O Jesus, Full of Truth and Grace)

Thanks be to God!

The Church of the Nazarene Continues to Grow

During the Advent Season (yes, I know this is a bit late, but as I said, below, I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging! Anyway, during the Advent Season . . .) the Board of General Superintendents issued an episcopal Christmas letter. Among many things covered in that letter was the fact that during the year of 2008, the Church of the Nazarene surpassed the 1.8 million member mark! - Praise be to God!

The letter did not give the current total of Nazarenes in the United States, but the last I recall the U.S. membership was someplace between 600,000 and 700,000. The letter did indicate that the U.S. church took in nearly 39,000 members in 2008. That is second only to the African church, which received 62,000 members. The U.S. church has taken in over 30,000 new Nazarenes annually for a decade.

A New Year's Covenant Prayer

The following "Covenant Prayer" is listed as #484 in Sing to the Lord, the hymnal of the Church of the Nazarene. It is there abbreviated and adapted from the Rev'd. John Wesley's Covenant Service. A much more complete edition o the entire Covenant Service, including a more complete rendition of this prayer, can be found in the back of the book, Wesley Hymns, compiled by Ken Bible and also published by Lillenas Publishing (Nazarene Publishing House).



While I commend the entire Wesley Covenant Service to all, I offer, here, the shorter adapted version from the Nazarene hymnal and invite all who will to join in this prayer at the beginning of this New Year:

I am no longer my own, but Yours.

Put me to what You will,

Rank me with whom You will.

Put me to doing,

Put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by You or laid aside for You,

Exalted for You or brought low by You.

Let me have all things,

Let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

You are mine, and I am Yours.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

Let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

Merry Christmas!

May your Christmas Season be filled with the peace & joy of Jesus the Christ!

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(I apologize for the lack of posts necessitated by some personal issues. I expect to be back after the New Year . . . if not sooner. Please, check back.)