Wesleyan Accent Archive | World Methodist Evangelism

Imagining Identity: When A Group Is Haunted By Suffering by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner June 18, 2015

The media photographer clicked at just the right moment. The woman’s face is crumpled, crying out, grieving. In fact, the use of the picture almost feels…voyeuristic. How long will morning news shows play subdued tones, proclaiming the latest tragedy, in this case, “Special Edition: Charleston” in a way that reminds us all that every news outlet is for-profit? The photo

What The Lord’s Prayer Teaches Me About Prayer by Jim Lo

Jim Lo June 17, 2015

The Lord’s prayer therefore begins
by putting, not us,
but God the Father
at the center of the picture.

The circumference can only be right
when the center is right.

A Fool And His Money by Mark Trotter

Mark Trotter June 13, 2015

Incidentally, the Greek word translated “required of you” can also be translated as “a payment due.” That is the real point of the parable. Not just your possessions, but your life belongs to God. That is the classical, Christian understanding of our lives. We are sojourners here, pilgrims, travelers. In the beautiful words of the Letter to the Hebrews, “Here

What The Church Can Do During Exile by Timothy Tennent

Timothy Tennent June 11, 2015

Jeremiah reminds us that we do not respond with hatred or anger to those who have plotted our demise. We pray for the peace and prosperity of the country. We pray for the well-being of a church which celebrates false prophets (Jeremiah 28). We realize – and this is the real lesson of Jeremiah – that judgement is actually a

What Pastors Can Learn From Zumba by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner June 10, 2015

Recently I took a college student with me to a Zumba class at the local Y. “What you see may not be pretty. What happens at Zumba stays at Zumba.” This warning is necessary for all who accompany me to a workout class, given my unique combination of Lucille Ball and Miranda Hart-like skills or, more specifically, lack thereof. Male pastors

What Do You Really Want? by Carrie Carter

Carrie Carter June 8, 2015

When I was four, I won a coloring contest. I don’t remember the picture or actually winning; however, I do recall flipping through the pages of a Hasbro toy catalog. You see, the prize was $100 in toys. That was a lot of toys in 1981, $282.89 worth in today’s market-according to the Inflation Calculator-when toys weren’t high-tech, expensive and causing

Keep On Moving: Perfect In Love by Andy Stoddard

Andy Stoddard June 4, 2015

One of the things that I know most about faith is that we are going somewhere. We are on the move. We have a direction and a purpose. Now that somewhere, in time, is heaven. One day, for those of us that believe, we will cross over into eternity and we will forever be with the Lord. That’s something to

Why You Should Stop Obsessing Over The End Of The World by Tom Fuerst

Tom Fuerst June 3, 2015

Creation, time, space, love, truth, goodness, and beauty are not afterthoughts in God’s plan to save the world. Each plays an intricate role in that plan. Each contributes something the overall whole of the gospel. Each reminds us of God’s good intentions for his world and the inhabitants thereof. And no matter your eschatology, you are called to live in

Race: The Newest Old Issue Confronting American Christian Life by Kevin Murriel

kevin.murriel June 1, 2015

What he and I understand is that we are the Church–one, holy, apostolic, and universal–and our witness demands that we live in these intentional, uncomfortable relationships and lead the difficult conversations about the race problem.

Why We Still Need Movements by Shaun Marshall

Shaun Marshall May 30, 2015

Sometimes, we disengage from challenging injustice because we have been conditioned to believe that our efforts will not matter; we don’t believe that we can make any real difference. God requires us, his people, to be the movement, humbly and faithfully carrying his mercy, his justice, and his transforming presence in our world.

Pastors, Moral Failings, And The Thing Nobody Wants To Talk About by Tom Fuerst

Tom Fuerst July 6, 2015

The apostles don’t see themselves as CEOs or slaves to the church. They see themselves as fulfilling a specific duty for the church: the ministry of the word of God and prayer. Everything else was dropped from their plate. And not only did the church not look down on them or call them lazy for a desire to emphasize these

Live Free by Michelle Bauer

Michelle Bauer July 4, 2015

Through Christ, we have been set free. Think about what it means not just to be free but also to live in freedom. It is possible to be free but to still live as if you aren’t…

Whose Voice Are You Listening To? by Otis McMillan

Otis McMillan July 2, 2015

As this man did, you will discover that God’s Word will be fulfilled. Regardless of what others may offer, stay in tune to the words of Jesus. There may be delays, some disappointments, but the promises of God will come to pass. The key is, whose voice are you listening to?

Called To Be A Nimble Follower by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner July 1, 2015

What does it take to be a nimble follower of Jesus Christ? Describing yourself as “nimble” (“quick,” “light,” “quick to comprehend”) may not be a trendy way to phrase a quality – I doubt I’ll see it on any t-shirts soon, unless it becomes a merchandised quote from a quirky show – but followers of Jesus Christ are called to be

The Full Measure Of The Blessing Of Christ by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam June 29, 2015

Christ comes to free us; he comes to fit us for Kingdom living, and he comes to fill us, to fill us with his Holy Spirit. And that’s our need, friends, the power of the Holy Spirit.

Transparency: True Clear by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner June 27, 2015

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by

Martyred Velociraptors And Vegetarian Vampires: The Christian Roots Of Redemption In Hollywood by Philip Tallon

Philip Tallon June 25, 2015

There’s an operative logic of redemption running so deep in Western storytelling that, given enough time, we should expect that all villains will eventually become heroes. Origen may have been wrong to state that even the devil will eventually be saved, but a certain kind of “narrative universalism” is true in Hollywood.

The Difficulty Of Simplicity by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy June 24, 2015

And so we come to see that living in simplicity goes hand in hand with a life in pursuit of holiness, or sanctifying grace. For if you do a word search of “simplicity” through Wesley’s works, you will quite often find that he speaks of it in relation to Mary’s action of sitting by Jesus feet, drawing deeply from the

Christian Love: I Forgive You by Cole Bodkin

Cole Bodkin June 22, 2015

Many emotions welled up within me as I heard the news of the recent tragedy break. But the one that unexpectedly stood out was awe. Awe? How can you feel a sense of awe after hearing the news of such a heinous and horrendous act of racial dehumanization? Because my brothers and sisters at Emmanuel AME loved their neighbor. Furthermore,

Honoring The Martyrs Of Emanuel AME by Kevin Murriel

kevin.murriel June 20, 2015

Racial reconciliation calls people to have “out of the ordinary” moments frequently. It challenges our social and spiritual status quo. One response to the tragedy at Mother Emanuel should be for churches to have more “out of the ordinary” moments with people of a different race around conversations that make us uncomfortable. It is the best way forward.

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