The Christian tradition has not been a hotbed of democratic ferment. For most of its existence, Christianity has found itself the subject of pagan or other non-Christian rulers or has served to legitimate Christian monarchies. Dissent from this often took a sectarian direction in forming counter-cultural communities apart from the larger society—and most of them […]

In the latter half of the third century CE, the early church had been free of persecution and had not only grown in numbers but had become largely accepted as part of Roman society. So, as Alan Kreider has said, renewed persecution from 303–312 “was traumatic for the believers and their leaders” (The Patient Ferment […]

Concern for idolatry permeates the Scriptures. If idolatry is understood as turning away from God and placing one’s trust in someone or something else, it appears as early as Gen 3. John Wesley addresses it in many sermons and essays, but perhaps nowhere more directly than his 1781 sermon “Spiritual Idolatry.” Taking as his text […]

One of the prominent movements influencing American politics today is Christian nationalism. This is not a new phenomenon. Christian nationalism in one form or another has existed throughout American history. Nor is it uniquely American, as versions of it can be found in other nations. But the contemporary American form has its own distinctive shape. […]

In the previous Consider Wesley, we saw that John Wesley’s answer to why the Methodists, despite the advantages given them by their doctrine and discipline, are in spiritual decline. It was, he said, their failure to practice self-denial. But this does not complete Wesley’s diagnosis of the problem. In “Causes of the Inefficiency of Christianity” […]

John Wesley had an optimism of grace. He witnessed in thousands of lives what the power of God could do. When he thought of all God had done in the awakening, it was easy for Wesley to envision the entire church, and then the world, renewed in holiness, as he did in his 1783 sermon […]

I preached recently and was given the Easter Emmaus text (Luke 24:13–35), a story I have never really found interesting. Having to say something on Sunday, though, I am grateful it came to me anew. As I should have expected, the very thing that had kept me from connecting before was now the thing that […]

Are you seeking a diploma, or are you seeking an education? So many of you tell me you’re here because graduating from here will get you a job and better pay than if you don’t have a degree. But I have to tell you: It’s not the piece of paper that gets you the good […]

Living in the age of TikTok, sound bytes, emojis, and GIFs one might think the practice of reading a book is antiquated and unnecessary. Yet, even in our digital age of sight and sound, the majority of information is primarily transmitted by the written word. Certainly, for Christians, as people of the book, Bible reading […]

The Book of Psalms is a collection of prayers written originally to shape God’s people in ancient Israel for identity, mission, community, and holiness. These prayers continue to serve as a guide for God’s people today as we journey through the life of faith. In this essay, I’m going to share with you a key […]

The penultimate chapter of John’s Gospel is busy, with accounts of Jesus’s resurrection and his first appearances to his disciples on Easter and on the first Sunday after Easter. In this chapter, we read about Mary Magdalene visiting the tomb and about Peter and the beloved disciple racing there only to walk away in stunned […]

Theological education isn’t what I thought it would be. I rightly expected it to be challenging, in terms of heavy workloads and difficult concepts. Although I knew that I’d have to learn massive amounts of new information, I didn’t anticipate the existential crises I’d experience. Sure, I’d just moved to the Los Angeles area from […]

Years ago, in the New Testament postgraduate seminar at the University of Aberdeen, we took a break from our usual diet of engaging each other’s papers and guest presentations in order to read through Romans together. The late I. Howard Marshall, a British Methodist, led the seminar. His procedure was to call on one of […]

Drilling for oil in deep-sea conditions introduces some challenges, and not only because it’s a long way down from the ocean surface to the ocean floor. There’s also the problem of how to account for ocean waves strong enough to fracture and break the platform supports, allowing the platform to float away from the drilling […]

Edie, Fred P., and Mark A Lamport. Nurturing Faith: A Practical Theology for Educating Christians. Eerdmans, 2021. ISBN 978080287556-3. 512 pp. A recurring question occurs anytime an introductory textbook appears within the varying (but interdependent) fields of Christian Education, spiritual formation, discipleship, or educational ministry. How will the new text reflect the “tradition” while offering […]

When one thinks about Scripture, particularly reading this sacred text, many think about what a passage or the whole canon says. One might also question how Scripture’s content informs how to read it. In Five Models of Scripture (Eerdmans, 2021), Mark Reasoner, a Protestant-trained-turned-Catholic theologian based in Minnesota, captures the importance of intentionally wrestling with […]

St. Augustine, writing in what is arguably the most influential handbook for preachers in the Christian tradition (De Doctrina Christiana) begins by citing the experience and words of St. Paul to emphasize the importance of learning from the example and wisdom of others: “What do we have, after all, that we have not received? But […]

The task of faithfully pastoring a church so that its life together would embody Christ’s life and ministry has never been easy. It is even harder today in a deadly pandemic where some church people refuse to wear masks because it violates their “rights” while other church people are prepared to defend (even violently) their […]

This is part 2 of a three-part essay in which I’ve been invited to revisit the analysis that Brian Walsh and I made in our book Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be: Biblical Faith in a Postmodern Age (InterVarsity Press, 1995). Although the book was written nearly thirty years ago, I have been […]

We live in a time of toxic polarization. It’s not just that people hold different opinions. It’s that we hold our opinions vehemently—often with disdain or anger towards those who disagree with us. This is true also for Christians, whether on the right or on the left. It has become vividly clear that we who […]

Several years ago, I was traveling on a plane when we ran into a biblical-sized storm system. It seemed to cover the entire Southeast. Our plane went up, then down, was diverted, landed at a small airport, refueled, and then went back up again. Like pilgrims from Canterbury, the passengers on the plane were inspired […]

In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul used the analogy of the human body to describe the interdependence of the church of Jesus Christ. Paul’s motivation was so that the Corinthian church understood that certain spiritual gifts should not be seen as more valuable than others. The Corinthian church also represented a wealthier […]

What happens when women lead? What really happens — relationally, psychologically, personally, spiritually? What barriers do women leaders face, and what strategies will equip them to lead past those barriers so they can lead effectively? What does healthy female leadership look like, and how does that contrast with what healthy male leadership looks like? These […]

The term “church history” immediately conjures up a collage of images: Gothic script and stone cathedrals; flowing vestments, gleaming chalices, bones, and books. The thing is, most conventional accounts of church history masquerade as comprehensive while they are in fact regional. Popular understandings repeatedly perpetuate the false myth that church history is a European affair, […]

One of the truly poignant dimensions of the global pandemic has been its effect on how we accompany, mourn, and remember the dead. Often we cannot be present with those who are dying, especially if they are in a hospital or other care facility. Services are, in most cases, strictly limited to small gatherings. At […]

The impact of Larry W. Hurtado’s work on the study of the New Testament and early Christian origins has been broad and deep, leaving a lasting impression on biblical scholarship. As indicated by the title of a 2015 festschrift published in his honor (Mark, Manuscripts, and Monotheism [T&T Clark, 2015]), Hurtado had three primary areas […]

This year Randy Maddox retires from teaching Wesleyan and Methodist Studies at Duke Divinity School, where he has been on the faculty since 2005. In March, Maddox received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wesleyan Theological Society, recognition that seemed both appropriate and long overdue. As general editor of the Wesley Works Editorial Project […]

Several years ago, I introduced a Festschrift in honor of Richard B. Hays, George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament and Dean of Duke Divinity School, with these words: Perhaps no modern biblical scholar has argued more eloquently or more compellingly than Richard Hays that those who would read Holy Scripture rightly must be prepared […]

More Than a Professor Few generations produce thinkers of such importance that their work has an influence well beyond their immediate context. The history of Christian thought is littered with countless scholars whose legacy goes to the grave with them. But every so often God raises up an individual and sets them apart for a […]

Eli Stanley Jones was born in Clarksville, Maryland, on January 3, 1884, at the height of the American Holiness Movement. Even though as a Christian Jones was shaped by this movement, his years as a Methodist missionary in India radicalized him in ways that are instructive today. Jones’ Life and Faith Jones grew up in […]

I am often asked to recommend a book on some aspect of Wesleyan Studies. I love books and enjoy questions that press for clarity. A query about the best book on a particular subject is a great way to bring precision. For this essay, I was given some helpful guidelines. I am going to share […]

The place to acquire a reputable knowledge and collection of works in Christian Ethics should not begin with Christian Ethics. Background work should be done first. As a relatively recent academic discipline, Christian Ethics brings together two venerable traditions of thought, moral philosophy and theology. Prudential readers and researchers of Christian Ethics would benefit from […]

St. Vladimir’s Popular Patristics Series Building a historical theology library must begin with primary sources. I know that many of you are looking to this series for recommendations of recent scholarship to keep your library and your knowledge up to date, but in historical theology, if you have to choose between buying a primary source […]

Systematic theology is a vast field with a wide range of sub-disciples and a seemingly endless number of scholarly approaches. It is nearly impossible to keep up with the number of publications annually, so a list of recommended books in systematic theology, including this one, will always reflect the recommender’s limitations as much as the […]

I had one opportunity to spend time one-on-one with the late James D. G. (“Jimmy”) Dunn. In that delightful time, we bonded over our love for the letters from Hebrews to Jude, and he shared that, for him, that love was born out of the fact that his year at Oxford studied neither Paul nor […]

Our living planet is in peril, pressed on all sides by unprecedented dangers. Human action and inaction, to no small degree, are at the root of it. So, to start with this most urgent matter before us, ecotheology is a liberative theology: it seeks to overcome oppression and evil in the name of God. Unlike […]

The world watched last September as millions mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth. Subsequently, many watched with great interest as Charles was enthroned as king in May. The pageantry and celebration had not been seen in a generation. As King Charles assumed the throne, he was given the regalia of royalty: a crown, an orb, […]

I preached recently and was given the Easter Emmaus text (Luke 24:13–35), a story I have never really found interesting. Having to say something on Sunday, though, I am grateful it came to me anew. As I should have expected, the very thing that had kept me from connecting before was now the thing that […]

Are you seeking a diploma, or are you seeking an education? So many of you tell me you’re here because graduating from here will get you a job and better pay than if you don’t have a degree. But I have to tell you: It’s not the piece of paper that gets you the good […]

This is part 2 of a three-part essay in which I’ve been invited to revisit the analysis that Brian Walsh and I made in our book Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be: Biblical Faith in a Postmodern Age (InterVarsity Press, 1995). Although the book was written nearly thirty years ago, I have been […]

The Book of Psalms is a collection of prayers written originally to shape God’s people in ancient Israel for identity, mission, community, and holiness. These prayers continue to serve as a guide for God’s people today as we journey through the life of faith. In this essay, I’m going to share with you a key […]

We live in a time of toxic polarization. It’s not just that people hold different opinions. It’s that we hold our opinions vehemently—often with disdain or anger towards those who disagree with us. This is true also for Christians, whether on the right or on the left. It has become vividly clear that we who […]