Methodist Heritage: New York’s John Street By Edmund Robb III Good News, January-February 1977 What do a one-eyed army captain, an Irish immigrant, and a distraught woman have in common? They were all part of launching Methodism in New York City. Here’s how it all began. In the early 1760s
Will Regionalization be an Option for Africa? – By Jerry Kulah It has become abundantly clear in recent times that the issue of “regionalization” has taken center stage within The United Methodist Church body politic. This is evidenced by the fact that some influential structures within the general church, such as
Giving Thanks (Even Now) By Shannon Vowell This is the first Thanksgiving in my adult life when the scripture verse that most accurately describes our collective mood seems to be Matthew 10:34-36. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not
The Marks of a Methodist 4: Mission By Thomas Lambrecht We have been examining what it means to be a Methodist in honor of John Wesley’s tract, The Character of a Methodist, but following a modern version of those ideas in Bishop Gerald Kennedy’s 1960 book, The Marks of a
Methodist Heritage: World Methodist Council 1961 Address by Bishop Gerald Kennedy Tenth World Methodist Conference Oslo, Norway August 19, 1961 In the nineteenth century, the English theologian Frederick Dennison Maurice wrote: “I cannot but think that the reformation in our day, which I expect to be more deep and searching than
The Marks of a Methodist 3: Discipline By Thomas Lambrecht This series of articles has been looking at the marks of a Methodist, as expounded by Bishop Gerald Kennedy in 1960. How has the expression of Methodism changed or remained the same in the last 60 years? We have seen
Why “Mainstream UMC” Is Wrong About Exit Paths By Thomas Lambrecht In an article riddled with factual errors and distortions, Mainstream UMC (the “centrist” caucus in the UM Church) called for “an end to disaffiliations through paragraph 2553.” They maintain that enough local churches have disaffiliated, and it is time
Marks of a Methodist 2: Making a Difference Thomas Lambrecht Two-hundred-eighty years ago, John Wesley (Methodism’s founder) wrote The Character of a Methodist to describe what he considered the essential qualities of a Methodist. I bloggedabout it in June. Just 63 years ago, Methodist Bishop Gerald Kennedy did a