Articles Archives | World Methodist Evangelism

Do We Create Ourselves? What It Means To Be Human by Aaron Perry

Aaron Perry September 11, 2015

The global West’s current fundamental battle of narratives is whether or not there is a context to being human. The Christian (and Jewish) narrative, of course, affirms a theological context: human beings are made in God’s image. The conflicting contemporary narrative, growing with uncritical acceptance, is the denial of God’s image—or any image. Instead, this competing narrative argues that human

When Preachers Read by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner September 9, 2015

“Read everything.” Rev. Steve DeNeff, a pastor and well-known preacher and speaker in The Wesleyan Church, said this one day in my undergraduate homiletics class. He is an excellent communicator and taught a fascinating preaching class. At the end of the second semester, he presented students with a print of a pastor in a pulpit, surrounded by shadowy figures –

Connecting With God On The Journey by Michelle Bauer

Michelle Bauer September 5, 2015

In the Old Testament book of Exodus we read the account of the Israelites journey out of slavery, through the desert and into the Promised Land. This journey provides the ultimate illustration for our spiritual journey and Moses as their leader, demonstrates that the disciplines provide the access point to God’s Presence.

Are You John The Baptist? by Andy Stoddard

Andy Stoddard September 3, 2015

As we start our journey through Mark together, today we are going to look at Chapter 1:1-8: In the NRSV this section is entitled The Proclamation of John the Baptist: 1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead

The Greatest Spiritual Need by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner September 2, 2015

A college professor at my faith-based liberal arts university used to make a bold declaration. “The greatest spiritual need on this campus,” he would state, “is sleep.” Every semester he saw the same thing. A student would come to his office for a meeting feeling discouraged or depressed, defeated or frustrated, struggling. Whether it was addiction or relationship problems or

Remembering Katrina by Michael Smith

Michael Smith August 31, 2015

It was dark as I gathered around a battery-operated radio with a mother and her two children. We were silent as we strained to listen to the reports. We heard the word “levy,” but I didn’t fully understand what that meant at the time. Sections of the city were being listed, and I didn’t understand what that meant either until

Infant Baptism and Beyond: A Systematic Approach (Part II) by Ken Loyer

Ken Loyer August 31, 2015

Every year until the child participates in confirmation, in the days leading up to the child’s baptismal anniversary I send a letter marking the occasion. I also include an age-appropriate gift, like a children’s book. I have found that this is a good way to keep before the family and the child the meaning of baptism and to remind the

Night Moves by Mark Trotter

Mark Trotter August 30, 2015

When I came back to this story of Jacob wrestling the stranger at the River Jabbok, I saw something that I had never noticed before. That is, Jacob is like Prometheus, in the Greek myth. Prometheus stole the fire from heaven and brought it down to human beings so that we could be like gods.

Right Privilege by Tom Fuerst

Tom Fuerst August 27, 2015

But this isn’t just something Christ did that was different than how God had previously revealed himself. Rather, God, from the beginning, has been challenging our understandings of the way the world is.

happy

Happiness: Cause And Effect by Andy Stoddard

Andy Stoddard August 26, 2015

How do you live a happy life? For you, what would result in happiness? We may have a list. If I have this. Or if I have that. If I’m able to accomplish this. Or if this happens at work, or at home, or in my own life, then I’ll be happy. We’ve probably all got our list of what

A Deep Freeze by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner February 5, 2015

Warning: this post contains references to the animated feature film “Frozen.” Overexposure to this movie may result in children shrieking song lyrics in the car, a conviction that your front yard snowman can talk, and a commitment to trip over “Frozen” themed toys for at least the next three years. You may have seen me in the headlines recently:

Which Saint Are You? Quizzes On Holiness by Tammie Grimm

Tammie Grimm February 4, 2015

On any given day of the week, a scan of my Facebook newsfeed reveals secrets about my friends I might never have guessed on my own. It turns out that several friends closely identify with a variety of Disney Princesses, from the bookworm-ish Belle of “Beauty and the Beast,” to the kind and gentle maternal Snow White, to the adventurous

Justifying Grace by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy January 31, 2015

If we desire that Christ brings us the grace to renew us and breathe new life into us, that admits quite simply that there is something about and in us that is old and dead and in need of being renewed. So, somehow, someway we must come to terms with that in ourselves which isn’t as it ought to be,

“Selma” And The Embodiment Of Discipleship by Cole Bodkin

Cole Bodkin January 29, 2015

A week before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day my wife and I went to go see the film Selma. This inspirational movie focuses on the non-violent protests of Martin Luther King, Jr., the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), and others in the small town of Selma, Alabama. It particularly highlights the march from Selma to Montgomery, a momentous turning point

The Virtue Of Pastoral Leadership by Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson January 28, 2015

I returned recently from a trip to the beautiful hill country of north Alabama. While there I spent a day in conversation with Methodist clergy from there about leadership in the church. The questions we were grappling with are important for the future of any church in the Methodist family: What does Wesleyan pastoral leadership look like? Is there even

Setting The Tone by Carrie Carter

Carrie Carter January 27, 2015

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” – Philippians 4:8 ESV To “set the tone” means: to establish a particular mood or character for something. So what? For many years, well,

Hidden Heroes: The AWOL Hero by Talbot Davis

Talbot Davis January 24, 2015

And yet look at what Paul says in Philemon: “was useless; is useful.” And then he grows much more intimate by the time of Colossians 4 – faithful, dear brother, one of you. And I wonder: how do you go from that to that? From outside to inside? From failure to brother? From deserves death to becomes family? I think

How A Reluctant Mentor Learns To Be An Adequate Leader by Talbot Davis

Talbot Davis January 22, 2015

I have recently come to a realization that has helped me enormously in increasing my leadership ability when it comes to both the staff at Good Shepherd and younger clergy in the United Methodist Church…

The Methodist Band Meeting: Confession Is For Protestants Too by Kevin Watson

Kevin Watson January 21, 2015

Methodists gathered together because they were convinced that growth in holiness was most likely to happen in community.

How To See The Future by Mark Trotter

Mark Trotter January 17, 2015

We know that what we do here in Holy Communion is look forward to that day when life will finally be the way God wants it to be.

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