Wesleyan Accent Archive | World Methodist Evangelism

Why Animals Need Heaven: God’s Love And The Problem Of Animal Suffering by Matt Douglass

Matt Douglass April 22, 2015

It seems, then, that God would not want anything bad to happen in the world, and he certainly has the power to stop them from happening. Yet bad things—unimaginably horrific things—happen every day. Over many centuries, philosophers and theologians have attempted to solve this problem by explaining why God would choose to create a world like ours, where humans

Don’t Be Afraid by Andy Stoddard

Andy Stoddard April 20, 2015

Today is April 16. Every year I write something in memory of my Mama Sarah and in honor of my mom, Maxine Stoddard. On this day 37 years ago, my Mama Sarah was murdered by my biological father; at that point, many lives were forever changed. She was murdered on my mom’s birthday (April 16) and buried on mine (April 18). You can read

Ministering Angels In A Dark World by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam April 18, 2015

The promise is not that we would be safe but that we would be faithful. The angel of God does not always spare us from tragedy or troubles, but enables us to look at tragedy troubles through different eyes.

In Awe Of The Resurrection by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner April 16, 2015

I find myself walking in the semi-dark, friends clustered around me. Our hands are full, carrying materials to preserve a corpse. It was a long Sabbath. We were supposed to rest, so we did. But there’s no rest from thoughts of despair and grief. They follow you into every room you enter. Like we had followed Him. We saw the

A Call To Holy Compassion by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam April 15, 2015

We must be honest about our failures and sins. None of us lives up to the standards our faith demands. But this doesn’t mean we cease wrestling with and proclaiming the Word.

Ambassadors In A World Of Islands by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner April 13, 2015

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and

Chosen by Carrie Carter

Carrie Carter April 9, 2015

I confess that I don’t know that much about adoption. I used to tell my little brother that he was adopted—from the animal shelter. I have reaped the consequences of this in my own sons, as the generational dysfunction marches on. I remember lying in bed as an angsty teen, wondering what it would feel like to be chosen, wanted,

The Power Of A Resurrection Day “Selfie” by Kevin Murriel

kevin.murriel April 8, 2015

What makes us think we can make such an audacious request? The resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Believing in a miracle, a rationally unexplainable occurrence, takes exactly what Tillich describes–a faith that transcends our comprehension without excluding our consciousness. In other words, we should know what we are asking for but not expect the miracle to come in ways we can

A Pipeline Of Grace: Pros And Cons by Tammie Grimm

Tammie Grimm April 6, 2015

A proposed pipeline in my community has caused me to consider the nature of Christian faith and our lives as disciples. I’m not talking about the political, economic or environmental ramifications of pipelines, but the pros and cons of using the analogy of the Christian way of life, our discipleship, as a pipeline. On one hand, the idea of having

The Heart Has Eyes by Mark Trotter

Mark Trotter April 4, 2015

The mystery that surrounds us belongs to different modes of perception. That is why he said, “The heart has reasons the mind knows not of.” It is the heart that is able to see into that mystery. And it is why Paul said to the Ephesians, “I pray that God will enlighten the eyes of your heart, so you may

Introversion In The Kingdom Of God by Carolyn Moore

Carolyn Moore April 19, 2017

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. – Psalm 139:13-14 A couple of caution signs: Introversion and extroversion are too easily over-simplified. Lumping people exclusively into one or the other camp is to miss all the nuances

What I’ve Learned Working with Refugees and Immigrants: Interview with Josh White

Josh White April 17, 2017

A Note From The Editor: Recently Wesleyan Accent was able to chat with Youth Specialist Josh White about his role in caring for unaccompanied alien children who arrive in the United States. He also operates EQ Roasters, a small fair-trade coffee roasting enterprise aimed at encouraging economic stability in nations from which many unaccompanied minors come. An avid musician, his

How Artists Do Theology: The Resurrection by Philip Tallon

Philip Tallon April 13, 2017

Piero della Francesca gets thunderingly right what so many Christians get so stunning wrong. Raised on the first day of the week – a day any faithful Jew would understand as the first day of creation – God in Christ has begun the re-creation of this world. This work of making all things new is not complete, but it has

Anxiety In Worship by Elizabeth Moyer

Elizabeth Moyer April 12, 2017

Someone living with an anxiety disorder (or any medical condition) that makes being in loud, dark areas or separated from family unendurable does not feel welcomed. This is not a commentary on the theology or religiosity of the “turn up the volume and dim the lights, no children allowed” movement. The concern here is how the Body of Christ meets

The Celtic Cross by Tammie Grimm

Tammie Grimm April 11, 2017

With its distinctive orb that surrounds the intersecting arms that form the right angles of the Latin cross, most of us recognize the shape and design of the traditional Celtic cross. No matter our level of familiarity with the prayers, traditions and other customs of the medieval Celtic Christians, the iconic artwork of the cross is no ancient relic relegated

Jesus Weeps, Our Tears to See by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy April 6, 2017

These hymns, like the psalms, come from or speak to different experiences – some quite specific, others more general – and they express a wide variety of feelings toward God, ranging from thanksgiving and adoration to supplication to bitter grief. The hymn I came upon that had a reference to Jesus weeping was under the heading of “For a Child

Steps For Small Church Revitalization by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner April 5, 2017

Most churches aren’t big. Most churches say they want to grow. Many pastors hope to serve at big or growing churches. Most pastors won’t. It’s simply a matter of numbers in the United States: there aren’t that many megachurches. If you happen to be the pastor of one, you can sell a lot of books to pastors who want to

On the Road: Witness in Central Asia by Kim Reisman

Kim Reisman April 5, 2017

Seminar participants are so committed to faith and evangelism. If you want to be Christian here you have to be incredibly committed.

The Work Of Our Hands: Celtic Christianity & The Way Of Wesley by Tammie Grimm

Tammie Grimm April 3, 2017

I am “old school.” I freely admit it. When it comes to writing, whether it be drafting a letter or revising a doctoral thesis (and I have done both in the last year) I would rather sit down with paper and pencil than a laptop or tablet. Turns out, studies indicate, I am not alone; there is something about the mind-body

What If I Get Nothing Out of Lent? by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy March 30, 2017

And so, among other things I’m giving up for Lent, I’m trying to give up the search to find some other hidden meaning. Perhaps I won’t get anything out of it. We don’t enter into the Lenten season practicing disciplines in order to achieve a particular return. It’s not an investment. Fasting and praying are not disciplines that we engage

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