- Three Features of Prevenient Grace
John Wesley and the Wesleyan tradition are known for a commitment to prevenient grace, even though Wesley preferred and used the term “preventing grace.” This concept wasn’t new with Wesley. No, in fact, the priority of divine grace was formally… Read more: Three Features of Prevenient Grace - United Methodist membership loss: is there light at the end of the tunnel?
The 3.8-million-member U.S. United Methodist Church has released its latest statistical summary for 2025, showing the denomination continued its multi-decade membership decline. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel, as most of those churches that wanted… Read more: United Methodist membership loss: is there light at the end of the tunnel? - John Wesley: Salvation Is a Process, Not a One-off Event
“How does resurrection relate to salvation?” The question was put to me after a recent Sunday morning service. Like all my sermons, the sermon that morning had one point: Our gospel is no gospel without the gospel of resurrection. The… Read more: John Wesley: Salvation Is a Process, Not a One-off Event - Learning to live with a Xennial kind of GMC
Apparently, I am a Xennial and that is an important reality for the situation that I find myself in during this moment. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and as such it was a very interesting time. I… Read more: Learning to live with a Xennial kind of GMC - Evangelicalism Reconsidered
American evangelicalism is a bit of a mess right now. The turmoil at Christianity Today (CT) is symptomatic of larger problems in the evangelical movement. If you’re not up to speed, I’d suggest starting with this piece by Ruth Graham… Read more: Evangelicalism Reconsidered - Is Romans 7 Really about the Christian Life? | Joseph R. Dodson
When Paul says, “I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do,” Christians have often assumed he is describing his own struggle with sin as a believer. But is that… Read more: Is Romans 7 Really about the Christian Life? | Joseph R. Dodson - ‘Preserving our historic autonomy’: Texas megachurch votes overwhelmingly to leave the UMC
A Texas megachurch currently in litigation with a regional body of The United Methodist Church over internal changes to its governing documents has voted overwhelmingly to leave the denomination. Highland Park United Methodist Church of Dallas held a vote Oct.… Read more: ‘Preserving our historic autonomy’: Texas megachurch votes overwhelmingly to leave the UMC - An Important Update on Our Church-Wide Vote
Over the past several weeks, our congregation has walked through an important and challenging season of prayer, discernment, and decision-making about the future of Highland Park United Methodist Church. We thank you for all the time, thought, and prayer you… Read more: An Important Update on Our Church-Wide Vote - Why Did George Washington Skip Communion? | Dr. Timothy Holder
What is the proper role of the church, and of the Christian faith, in relation to the modern nation-state? Jeffrey Rickman sits down with historian, author and ordained minister Dr. Timothy Holder to work through it: whether America was founded… Read more: Why Did George Washington Skip Communion? | Dr. Timothy Holder - The Articles of Faith | Considering Johannesburg Ep. 5
“That put the crack in the doctrinal foundation of the church that we lived into for the next 50 years.” That was Bishop Jeff Greenway on the last morning of the 2026 General Conference, talking about the United Methodist Church,… Read more: The Articles of Faith | Considering Johannesburg Ep. 5 - Lost the Lawsuit, Planted a Church: Joe DiPaolo’s Year
Rev. Joe DiPaolo was one of my regular voices on Considering Charlotte while he was still inside the United Methodist Church. A lot has happened since. He retired four years early to leave the UMC, served a Lancaster church through… Read more: Lost the Lawsuit, Planted a Church: Joe DiPaolo’s Year - The Power and Peril of George Whitefield’s Ministry
At the time of his death in 1770, George Whitefield was one of the most well-known people in the American colonies. Though virtually unknown outside of religious circles today, he has been regarded by many historians as perhaps the greatest… Read more: The Power and Peril of George Whitefield’s Ministry - “The Deepest Part of the Holy Scripture”: Wesley, Wesleyans, and 1 John
Whenever Wesley wrote about 1 John, he did so with remarkable enthusiasm. On 18 July 1765, he noted in his journal: “In the evening I began expounding the deepest part of the holy Scripture, namely, the first Epistle of St.… Read more: “The Deepest Part of the Holy Scripture”: Wesley, Wesleyans, and 1 John - Artificial Intelligence and the Things That Matter Most
“Do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation.” These words come at the opening of C. S. Lewis’s essay, “On Living in an Atomic Age,” written in 1948 as the world struggled to come to terms… Read more: Artificial Intelligence and the Things That Matter Most - John Wesley: Salvation Is a Process, Not a One-off Event
“How does resurrection relate to salvation?” The question was put to me after a recent Sunday morning service. Like all my sermons, the sermon that morning had one point: Our gospel is no gospel without the gospel of resurrection. The… Read more: John Wesley: Salvation Is a Process, Not a One-off Event - The Racial Theology Resolution | Considering Johannesburg Ep. 4
On the Thursday morning of the General Conference in Johannesburg, Chappell Temple, chair of the Social Witness committee, explained why his committee wouldn’t recommend Resolution 1466. They had rewritten it, and they liked the rewrite. But “we substituted something for… Read more: The Racial Theology Resolution | Considering Johannesburg Ep. 4 - The great defection, why Gen Z women are leaving the Church behind
For nearly a century, the sociological bedrock of Western religious life was an unshakeable gender gap: women were consistently more pious, more active in the pews, and far more likely to pass faith down to the next generation than men.… Read more: The great defection, why Gen Z women are leaving the Church behind - Friends We Can’t Do Without
Recently, I was texting with four friends I have known since the mid-1970’s when I became the youth director in their church. Separated by miles we often text back and forth with running commentary during games involving our favorite teams.… Read more: Friends We Can’t Do Without - The Art of Holiness: New Podcast Conversation
Hey all! Tesia here. Recently I was invited on the Art of Holiness Podcast with Bishop Carolyn Moore and Katherine Riley. They’re doing a series on famous liturgical prayers. We chatted about The Lord’s Prayer, the new Draft Liturgies of… Read more: The Art of Holiness: New Podcast Conversation - On the Spectacle of Public Killing
In the late fourth century, there was a man named Alypius. He was a student and friend of Augustine of Hippo. Alypius’s parents were leading citizens of the North African city of Thagaste. Augustine writes about him in book VI… Read more: On the Spectacle of Public Killing - Global Methodist Church cuts ties with seminary over ‘doctrinal commitments’
The Global Methodist Church has cut ties with an Ohio-based seminary, with the theologically conservative denomination citing multiple differences, including “doctrinal commitments.” GMC announced last week that it was ending its relationship with United Theological Seminary (UTS), a Dayton-based institution… Read more: Global Methodist Church cuts ties with seminary over ‘doctrinal commitments’ - Has Noah’s Ark Really Been Found? An Old Testament Scholar Explains
Has Noah’s Ark finally been discovered? Recent headlines suggest that new archaeological evidence from the Durupınar formation in Turkey may reveal the location of the biblical Ark. Ground-penetrating radar, geological surveys, and reports of ancient organic material have fueled speculation… Read more: Has Noah’s Ark Really Been Found? An Old Testament Scholar Explains - Could We Be One Again?
Paragraph 3311 of the FMC Book of Discipline deals with Christian marriage and states, “Therefore, we counsel our members to seek the fullest measure of healing and reconciliation possible in every situation.”1 This is a beautiful call as a part… Read more: Could We Be One Again? - The Articles of Faith of the Global Methodist Church: How We Got Here and Why It Matters
Dr. Matt O’Reilly and Dr. David Watson share about the new Articles of Faith of the Global Methodist Church. In this conversation we dive into why this new doctrinal statement was needed, the history that led to its creation, the… Read more: The Articles of Faith of the Global Methodist Church: How We Got Here and Why It Matters - The Ever-Slaughtered Lamb: Christ’s Perpetual Sacrifice in the Eucharist
The idea of Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper is deeply significant for the Wesleyan theological worldview. Everything that we as Methodists believe about Communion emerges from that idea—the real presence of Christ at the table. The bread and wine… Read more: The Ever-Slaughtered Lamb: Christ’s Perpetual Sacrifice in the Eucharist