James Petticrew Archives | World Methodist Evangelism

Wesleyan Accent

Wesleyan Accent is World Methodist Evangelism’s online magazine of practical resources in the area of discipleship, evangelism, leadership and theology. Through articles, book reviews, and interviews, WME features leading and emerging voices of the Wesleyan Methodist world.

Steinbeck and the Prophet Jeremiah by Robert Carter

Robert Carter October 24, 2016

In this particular letter, Jeremiah becomes the linkage between God’s promises for yet-to-be newness and the embittered exiles who are certain that they are unfairly suffering for the sins of previous generations. A creative proverb was gaining popularity among these disenfranchised refugees—everybody was sharing it on their Facebook wall: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are

The Famine and the Lie by Michelle Bauer

Michelle Bauer October 22, 2016

Pay attention to the moments where you are quick to show faith and the places where fear tends to creep in. For a lot of us, faith and fear come in patterns. When fear shows up it is a sign that God has work to do in that place. Celebrate where you are being faithful but don’t hide or minimize

Gifts We Offer: A South Pacific View by Richard Waugh

Richard Waugh October 20, 2016

What will we be sharing from our Methodist/Wesleyan “waka” (canoe) in whatever region of the world we minister? What treasures and gifts will we share?

Eaters of the Soil: Holiness for Tongan Wesleyans by Maafu Palu

Wesleyan Accent October 19, 2016

Just as in pre-missionary Tonga, the moral sense of the people was identified with the moral sense of the chiefs, now in Christian Tonga, Jesus is the “chief of chiefs” – the ‘eiki ‘o e ngaahi ‘eiki.

The Fallacy of a White Liberation Theology by Kevin Murriel

kevin.murriel October 19, 2016

So strong is this ideology among many white church leaders, those in theological circles, and some in society, that it rings loudly of “White Liberation!” suggesting that acknowledging ones’ privilege has liberated the individual from the bondage of systems that work on their behalf. I am concerned with the white Christian who wants to do something prophetic like telling other

Finding Myself in the Poetry of Mary Oliver by Justin Gentry

Justin Gentry October 17, 2016

I think I am drawn so much to poetry these days because over and above anything else poets are themselves. They speak from a raw, sometimes scandalous place that many of us don’t have access to. As a pastor it can be very hard to be yourself, yet it is essential if you want to have anything of value to

The Noah in Your Circle by Michael Smith

Michael Smith October 13, 2016

Finding and listening to a “Noah” is a reminder that there is a part of our faith that needs to be challenged to understand the profound personal nature of life in the Spirit.

The Locker Room And The Vestry by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner October 12, 2016

One time as I came down from a platform during a church musical rehearsal, I passed several women and whispered, “I’ll be right back, I have got to go to the bathroom!” I rushed away and couldn’t hear the laughter that erupted behind me; the sound guy had not yet muted my lapel mic. My whisper had been heard throughout the sanctuary.

Faithfulness by Bryan Collier

Bryan Collier October 6, 2016

Most of us are familiar with John 15—it is particularly central to my life and to the life of the local church that I pastor, The Orchard UMC. It is from Jesus’ command there, “to go and bear fruit” that we take our name, vision and mission. Most of us are familiar with the flow: Jesus begins with an eight-verse

Where There Is New Room by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner October 5, 2016

Sometimes we need a space where there is new room for the Holy Spirit: space in our lives, in our schedule, in our church building, in our preaching, in our house. For me, luckily enough – except it never seems to do with luck where new room is involved – this has been at the New Room Conference. In an

The Character Of A Wesleyan by Carolyn Moore

Carolyn Moore October 3, 2016

Much is being made these days in my (admittedly very narrow) slice of the world about what it means to be Wesleyan. “Wesleyan” in this case doesn’t refer to a particular denomination but to a broader theological stream birthed through an eighteenth-century movement and largely defined by the commentaries and sermons of John Wesley. Wesley himself once wrote a tract

Keep On Playing Your Harp by Kelcy Steele

Kelcy Steele September 29, 2016

When the Spirit of the Lord is upon your life you can play your harp because you have been anointed to handle hell, haters, and hypocrites.

Francis Asbury: Mission Beyond Conflict by Aaron Perry

Aaron Perry September 28, 2016

Regardless of your politics, but dependent on the plans of God, there will be a November 9, 2016. Do you know the day? It’s the day after the United States of America will choose between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Between now and then, there will be a lot of debate, discussion, and Tweeting. But that day will come and,

When Holy Love Is Like a Laser by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner September 26, 2016

If you or I think of a laser, we probably have a mental image of what we might colloquially call a concentrated beam of light, whether it’s used recreationally like in laser tag or a laser light show, or practically like in an eye surgery or in cutting material. You might even picture the powerful ray from the Death Star in Star

When Calvinism Becomes Dangerous by Carolyn Moore

Carolyn Moore September 21, 2016

I have great respect for many colleagues in ministry who espouse a reformed or Calvinist view of the world. That said, it should be no surprise to those who read and listen to me regularly that I am enthusiastically and unapologetically Arminian. I am far too deeply committed to the notion of God’s pure love exercised in his gift of human free

The Unreached Object by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner September 19, 2016

Protestantism has hit a snag. Catholics have their challenges, but it’s a very different set. The Orthodox church in its various forms has its disputes but remains largely unchanged. North American Protestants have hit hard times, like an ecclesial version of the 2008 economic meltdown. We’ve printed Bible verses on magnets, screen printed t-shirts, run food pantries and epic VBS

A Peace at Odds by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy September 17, 2016

Peace or division? Which is your mission, Jesus? Which is your kingdom about?

When Your Faith Creates Problems by Andy Stoddard

Andy Stoddard September 15, 2016

In 1 John 3: 11-24, we see two truths that are really, really hard to hold together. We will not always be liked. But we must always love. Listen to what we are told today: For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was

Money, Money, Money by James Petticrew

James Petticrew September 14, 2016

The danger of our silence is that if we ignore the subject of money, both the mission of the Kingdom of God and the spirituality of God’s people will ultimately be impoverished.

The Gospel in Jamaica: Where Are the Men? by Kimberly Reisman

Kim Reisman September 14, 2016

If we really believe that in Christ there is no male or female, it should trouble us deeply that so many men are missing from our midst.

“Stay In Love With God”: Accuracy And Adequacy by Ken Loyer

Ken Loyer January 6, 2014

I have heard numerous people in various ecclesial and academic contexts use this reformulation as if it were the direct equivalent of the original. What I have not heard, however, is much in the way of critical reflection upon such usage. “Stay in love with God” is perhaps easier to say (and memorize) and sounds more modern than the rather

Growing Deeply by Bill McAlilly

bill.mcalilly January 4, 2014

For six years I lived among live oak trees on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In fact, weekly, I drove down Highway 90 between Bay St. Louis and Ocean Springs, Mississippi – the “beach road” as we natives call it, where there were hundreds if not thousands of live oak trees that are massive in

Wesleyans Sing In The New Year by Ellsworth Kalas

Ellsworth Kalas January 1, 2014

We Methodists don’t “believe” in backsliding, as some have accused us, but we’re honest enough to confess a fact when it stares us in the face, and we’re sensitive enough to our spiritual condition that we can tell the difference.

Grow In The New Year: Sitting On The Bottom Rung On The Ladder Of Sanctity by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam December 30, 2013

We Christians are to “sit down on the bottom rung of the ladder of sanctity and yell for Jesus Christ.” When we do, he will come. He will come to nurture and change us.

Godbearers: Let It Be by Kim Reisman

Kim Reisman December 28, 2013

Here is a reality check as we move forward from the Christmas event: Mary may have been the first Godbearer. She may have been the ultimate Godbearer. But if you are in relationship with Jesus Christ, then you are a Godbearer too. Everyone who follows in the Jesus way is called to be a Godbearer. That is a huge part

Repeat The Sounding Joy: Carols Of Hope by Tammie Grimm

Tammie Grimm December 25, 2013

The twelve days of Christmas are upon us at last! Advent, the church’s liturgical season of waiting and anticipation is over and the liturgical police can no longer write citations for early Christmas carols singing. For the past three and a half weeks, Christians following the liturgical calendar, have been singing hymns about waiting, expecting, anticipating the coming of Christ.

In The Flesh by Kim Reisman

Kim Reisman December 18, 2013

An intriguing commonality between those who follow the Jesus way and non believers is a general distaste for evangelism. Certainly this dislike doesn’t apply to everyone, believer or not; nor does it stem from an accurate understanding of what evangelism is all about. But the dislike is there…The negative image of the televangelist looms large in all our consciences.

Singing All The Wesleyan Way by Ellsworth Kalas

Ellsworth Kalas December 16, 2013

The first verse of “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” is an invitation to join the angels who announced Christ’s birth. In fact, Wesley wants all nations to rise and “join the triumph of the skies” in the tumultuous news, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” Notice the exclamation point. Wesley was inclined that way. It’s hard to end all your sentences

Emerge From The Waters Of Your Baptism: Investing In Confirmation by Philip Tallon

Philip Tallon December 11, 2013

There aren’t many times in the life of the church where people sit down and say, “Please teach me doctrine.” As a theology nerd, I wish it would happen more. But it just doesn’t happen that much.

“Lo! He Comes With Clouds, Descending” An Appeal For Advent by Matt Sigler

Matthew Sigler December 9, 2013

Advent is primarily about looking through the baby in the manger to see Christ the King coming on the clouds in glory. The problem for Methodists is that, for decades, we did not have a single hymn in the Methodist hymnal that explicitly referenced the Lord’s physical return.

Jesus’ Family Tree by Tom Fuerst

Tom Fuerst December 7, 2013

When I was in 8th grade, my family lived for a bit in some low income apartments. The apartment complex was formed in a square with a decent sized courtyard in the middle. In the courtyard was where all the dramatic action was – this is where kids got in fistfights with each other, where drug deals happened after dark,

Advent With Charles Wesley: Singing All The Way by Ellsworth Kalas

Ellsworth Kalas December 4, 2013

Wesleyan Accent is excited to welcome Ellsworth Kalas who will be contributing regular reflections on Wesleyan hymns. His first highlights Charles Wesley’s wonderful Advent hymn, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.”

Be Of Sin The Double Cure by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam December 2, 2013

Familiarity sometimes breeds dullness. It’s true in the whole of life; it is especially true in the way we hear things and reflect on what we hear. The hymns we sing are a great example of this. If we have sung them often, we are so familiar with the tunes that we sing the words by rote. Not only do

John Wesley: Theological Mentor by Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson November 27, 2013

How should we “read” John Wesley? And why is he important for people today? These are important questions for Methodists, most of whom consider themselves to be Wesleyans in some sense. Focusing on the actual theology of John Wesley has not always been emphasized in American Methodism. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Wesley was treated in “hagiographic”

Deliverance Through Thanksgiving by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam November 23, 2013

One of our big failures as Christians is our continual refusal to discipline ourselves in living with the word of God. We need to study the Bible. It is the shaping source of our Christian faith and way. In it we find the revelation of God which God provided through God’s Son, Jesus. It is food for our souls, direction

Christianity With A Wesleyan Accent: Wesleyan Doctrine by Kevin Watson

Kevin Watson November 20, 2013

Though Wesleyans are most committed to offering Christ, not to being distinct from other Christian traditions, there are differences in Christian traditions because various parts of the body of Christ articulate their faith with differing emphases or nuances. And although Wesley was primary focused on offering Christ, he was not indifferent to Christian beliefs or practice. The next three posts,

Fragmented By Age: Liturgy & Families by Matt Sigler

Matthew Sigler November 18, 2013

Several weeks ago, as I was running errands, I heard my two-year old son exclaim from the backseat of our car, “Oh my God!” When I paused for a second to consider how to explain the third commandment to a toddler, he continued, “Heavenly Father, You have blessed our congregation with the joy and care of children…” This is the

Attitudes In Need Of Adjustment by Sarah Davis

sarah.davis November 16, 2013

Today, in Houston, Texas, friends and family of Bishop Sarah Frances Davis are gathered in sorrow, thanksgiving and joy. They are gathered in sorrow, because they are mourning the loss of a sister in Christ. They are gathered in thanksgiving, to celebrate a life well-lived, and they are gathered in joy, confidently proclaiming the truth that Jesus Christ has overcome

Show And Tell by Jessica LaGrone

Jessica LaGrone November 13, 2013

This summer I spent a week in Santa Fe, New Mexico at a writer’s conference. I’ve attended a few of these over the years and I’ve learned something. A single, very important fact: Writers are weird people. That’s just the truth. I can say that because I’m a full time pastor and a full time mom and only have time

Evangelism: ESJ’s Roundtable Conversations by Jack Jackson

Jack Jackson November 11, 2013

Evangelism is a natural and necessary element of multifaith conversations from Wesleyan perspectives. True conversation by Wesleyans means true announcement of the good news of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and coming reign. Yet a real conversation also means Christians are open to hearing what other faiths consider good news in their traditions. Multifaith conversations for Wesleyans always include evangelism (which

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