Book Review: The Next Methodism: Theological, Social, and Missional Foundations for Global Methodism
In 1991, Gloria Estefan released her song, “Coming out of the Dark,” which includes these lyrics:
Coming out of the dark
I finally see the light now
And it’s shining on me
Coming out of the dark
I know the love that saved me
You’re sharing with me
It was about the same time that I, as a confirmand, made my vows before the Lord at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church. Those who taught me knew the power of the Holy Spirit and the beauty of the gospel spoken with a Wesleyan accent. They taught me Methodist Christianity in all its fullness, and at the same time, they warned me that much of Methodism believed something different. Two Methodisms existed: one that reflected the historic faith and one that reflected the secular postmodern culture just emerging.
At that time, traditional Methodism had almost no cohesive voice to the broader evangelical community. For decades, Baptist and Reformed voices dominated the conversation, especially in the publishing world. Evangelical United Methodists had to outsource their theological education materials from places that did not fully reflect the values that Wesleyan Christians historically held. Yes, denominations in the Holiness tradition had, like Irish monks during the Middle Ages, carefully preserved many of the theological gems, but they did so reflecting more of their own Holiness emphasis, which though vital to Methodism, only represents a part of our tradition.
Instead, most evangelical Methodists drank deeply from Southern Baptist and premillennial dispensational wells. Indeed, when that same church confirmed me, they handed me a Ryrie Study Bible, Charles Ryrie being one of the foremost voices of the Dallas school of premillennial dispensational Christianity, focused on Rapture theology with a heavy emphasis on a literal interpretation of Revelation. But, at the time, no middle ground seemed to exist for evangelical United Methodists. They knew they could hardly work with the material provided by Cokesbury, which had almost fully surrendered to the liberal mainline ethos. Simultaneously, the majority of teachers and speakers in the conservative world came with that same Dallas mindset, except a handful. One of those handful had experienced a powerful conversion to Christ in the voices of ancient church Fathers, and he beckoned his fellow liberals back to the sources. Thomas C. Oden had found historically orthodox Christianity. Another was a scraggly, jovial Irish Methodist churchman, William “Billy” J. Abraham, who gave voice to Estefan’s lyric for Methodists in his acclaimed book, Waking from Doctrinal Amnesia.
Now, in the steps of Oden and the spirit of Abraham, comes a new book which has made this evangelical United Methodist belt out those words from Gloria Estefan once again. The Next Methodism: Theological, Social, and Missional Foundations for Global Methodism bursts on the scene shouting loudly that Methodism has recovered its distinct theological voice. This voice sounds different from the other evangelical sounds around it. It takes the steadfastness of ancient orthodoxy, the truth of the Protestant Reformation, the power of the Great Awakenings, the purity of the Holiness movement, and the life of Pentecostals, and it brings them together into a wonderful and unique witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This book, appropriately dedicated to Billy Abraham’s memory, joins together, for the first time in this age, Wesleyan scholars of all stripes to offer a gift to global Methodism. As the Global Methodist Church begins to take its first steps into the world, a world which desperately needs the sound of grace, truth, hope, and holy optimism that only Wesleyan-Arminian Christianity can provide, here we find the framework to offer that to all.
The book, edited by two church historians who know Wesley best, Ryan N. Danker and Kenneth J. Collins, includes thirty-seven essays from a diverse group of the brightest and best of global Methodist scholarship. Published by the new voice of traditional Wesleyan Christianity, Seedbed now provides Methodists with a real source for solid writing as we seek a new future for the movement. The editors divided the essays into groupings that reflect Methodism’s multidisciplinary character: Theology & Doctrine, Biblical Authority, Education, Public Witness and Evangelism, the Holy Spirit, Life in Community (Wesley’s true “Social Holiness”), and finally, our Global Movement. Authors of the essays include, among others, William Abraham in a posthumous piece on doctrine, Timothy Tennent, Bill Arnold, Jessica LaGrone, Scott Jones, David Watson, Maxie Dunnam and Jerry Kulah. The swath is a wide one, with men and women from Africa to Korea, from academia to the trenches of ministry, all with one goal: to give voice to the renewal of Methodism as it attempts to shake off the dust of liberal mainline American Christianity and again, by the power of the Holy Spirit, “to reform the nation, and in particular the Church, and to spread scriptural holiness over [now, the whole world].”
The book is extraordinarily comprehensive, but does seem to be missing two items that would help frame the narrative for some who may be newer to the conversation. First, a definition essay would be helpful, describing Methodism, Methodists, and the Methodist way. John Wesley’s tract, “The Character of a Methodist,” and sermon, “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” would be informative for this piece. Secondly, a preface-type essay that explains the specific occasion for the writing of this book would help. The book has grown out of some of the history explained here, but much would be added for the reader if it included a more complete explanation of what brought this particular book to the scene in this exact time. United Methodism’s current dysfunction paired with the burgeoning spiritual work happening in Wesleyan circles around the world have created a unique moment which should receive further treatment. Nevertheless, even with these few missing pieces, Danker and Collins have collected a remarkable group of writers and ideas into one volume.
The book begins with Billy Abraham’s essay entitled, “Doctrine or Death,” which like the “two ways” consistently presented to Israel through its history, gives a stark vision of how ignoring doctrine leads to death, while those movements which know and can clearly articulate their beliefs “bring us all to deeper love for God and neighbor” as we are “helped to cultivate a deep understanding of God that is mediated by the various genres of doctrine” (p. 11). The section on Methodism and the Bible has essays that carefully weave evangelistic witness with the power of biblical authority. The reader comes away with the idea that it is the Bible itself that drives our desire to share Christ with the world. The third section on Education carries forward the biblical focus into “what we teach and how we teach it,” showing that all learning depends on what we truly believe about the Bible. Essays on Methodism and the public witness follow with a vigorous defense of women’s ordination, a piece on the evils of racism, a word on what Methodists really believe about beauty and uniqueness of the human body, and a call to bring the Kingdom of Christ to the public square. Part five focuses on the real power of the Holy Spirit in healing, preaching, awakening, worship, and sacrament. Church life follows, and writers such as Bishops Mike Lowry and Timothy Whitaker offer visions of what church government focused on the power of the gospel can be, while Kevin Watson presents his expertise on the power of Wesleyan Class and Band Meetings. The book concludes, coming full circle, with a vision of global Methodism, containing essays on how Methodism has and will continue to change the world, from Korea (Young Jin Cho) to Africa (Jerry Kulah). Bishop Scott Jones ends with a call for all Methodists to return to the items that Wesley originally summoned American Methodism to guard: Doctrine, Spirit, Calling, and Discipline.
For too long, Methodism has failed in its ability to carry this mission that Wesley spoke about in 1790. In the twentieth century, United Methodism lost its fire, compromised its witness, and allowed others to define it as the church that stood for almost anything. This book represents a cohesive attempt to change that narrative. Writing in the Introduction, Collins has this to say:
“An important way that a theological tradition such as Methodism can remain both a faithful witness in terms of its past heritage as well as relevant to the challenges of today is the frank recognition that this tradition has been called forth by God to participate in the broad, rich, and generous life of the church. . . Simply put, the church is never only about us or the present moment,” but about the whole sweep of the purposes of God through all the world (p. x).
The authors in this book have successfully attempted to give traditionalist Methodists not simply a stuffy, academic theological text. The book represents an approachable, easy to read explanation of the heart of Methodism. As the subtitle aptly puts it, this book will provide a foundation for what real Methodism will become for the next century, as it seeks to unite Wesleyan Christians around the world in mission and ministry. As we attempt to recover the power of Methodism and introduce it to a new generation of disciples, this book will function as a handbook of sorts. For pastors who will plant new churches, this will help guide the different foci of ministry in any locale across the globe. For group study, this book will foster conversation about what discipleship can and should be in Methodism. For new members, the book orients the reader to a Christianity that is, in the words of the back cover, “unapologetically orthodox, authentically sacramental, vigorously engaged with the poor, and loving to all people.”
Christianity has now reached the far-flung corners of the world, as Jesus prophesied, “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8b). And while the witness might have ringed the globe, the gospel needs fresh expression to every generation. That was and is the power of Methodism. It is an expression of Christianity that offers the gospel with the distinctive emphases of hope, holiness, love, and grace that truly bring people together. Though it does look as if the beginning of the new Global Methodist Church will be small, it is hard to see it remaining so. When properly and faithfully taught, history shows that John Wesley’s “method” brings the power of the Holy Spirit in such a transformative way that Ezekiel’s dry bones really do live. This book truly does represent the reality that Methodism is “coming out of the dark,” and hopefully it will become a powerful tool in the hands of all who seek to carry on the work of the people called Methodist. May God give us the power and grace to do it well.
Matthew Sichel is a doctoral student at the London School of Theology in London, England, and is a certified candidate for Deacon’s orders in the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church.
For more information on The Next Methodism book, click here.