Belief Matters


Book Description

Belief matters! This book is written for two purposes. The first is to reminds us that what we believe does matter. The second is to explain the doctrinal standards of The United Methodist Church--matters of our belief. Intended for use by both laypersons and clergy, this book describes and exposits the four official Doctrinal Standards of The United Methodist Church. The standards will be explored in the following order: Explanatory Notes, Sermons, Articles of Religion, Confession of Faith. The book also includes a study guide, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading.




United Methodist Doctrine


Book Description

Throughout this book, Scott J. Jones insists that for United Methodists the ultimate goal of doctrine is holiness. Importantly, he clarifies the nature and the specific claims of "official" United Methodist doctrine in a way that moves beyond the current tendency to assume the only alternatives are a rigid dogmatism or an unfettered theological pluralism. In classic Wesleyan form, Jones' driving concern is with recovering the vital role of forming believers in the "mind of Christ, " so that they might live more faithfully in their many settings in our world.




Standard Sermons


Book Description

The 18th-century evangelist and revival leader John Wesley changed the face of Christianity almost entirely through his sermons. He recommended the several dozen sermons he regarded as his most definitive, which are all included in these 52 standard sermons. Sermon 1. Salvation by Faith Sermon 2. The Almost Christian Sermon 3. Awake, Thou That Sleepest Sermon 4. Scriptural Christianity Sermon 5. Justification by Faith Sermon 6. The Righteousness of Faith Sermon 7. The Way to the Kingdom Sermon 8. The First Fruits of the Spirit Sermon 9. The Spirit of Bondage and of Adoption. Sermon 10. The Witness of the Spirit (Discourse 1) Sermon 11. The Witness of the Spirit (Discourse 2) Sermon 12. The Witness of our own Spirit Sermon 13. On Sin in Believers Sermon 14. The Repentance of Believers Sermon 15. The Great Assize Sermon 16. The Means of Grace Sermon 17. The Circumcision of the Heart Sermon 18. The Marks of the New Birth Sermon 19. The Great Privilege of those that are Born of God Sermon 20. The Lord our Righteousness Sermon 21. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 1) Sermon 22. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 2) Sermon 23. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 3) Sermon 24. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 4) Sermon 27. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 7) Sermon 28. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 8) Sermon 29. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 9) Sermon 30. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 10) Sermon 31. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 11) Sermon 32. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 12) Sermon 33. Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Discourse 13) Sermon 34. The Original, Nature, Property, and Use of the Law Sermon 35. The Law Established through Faith (Discourse 1) Sermon 36. The Law Established through Faith (Discourse 2) Sermon 37. The Nature of Enthusiasm Sermon 38. A Caution against Bigotry Sermon 39. Catholic Spirit Sermon 40. Christian Perfection Sermon 41. Wandering Thoughts Sermon 42. Satan’s Devices Sermon 43. The Scripture Way of Salvation Sermon 44. Original Sin Sermon 45. The New Birth Sermon 46. The Wilderness State Sermon 47. Heaviness through Manifold Temptations Sermon 48. Self-denial Sermon 49. The Cure of Evil-speaking Sermon 50. The Use of Money Sermon 51. The Good Steward Sermon 52. The Reformaton of Manners







Methodist Doctrine


Book Description

In this concise, accessible book, Dr. Ted Campbell provides a brief summary of the major doctrines shared in the Wesley family of denominations. Writing in concise and straightforward language, Campbell organizes the material into systematic categories: doctrine of revelation, doctrine of God, doctrine of Christ, doctrine of the Spirit, doctrine of humanity, doctrine of "the way of salvation" (conversion/justification/sanctification), doctrine of the church and means of grace, and doctrine of thing to come. He also supplies substantial buy simplified updated references in the margins of the book that allow for easy identification of his sources. John Wesley distinguished between essential doctrines on which agreement or consensus is critical and opinions about theology or church practices on which disagreement must be allowed. Though today few people join churches based on doctrinal commitments, once a person has joined a church it becomes important to know the teachings of that church's tradition. In Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials, Ted Campbell outlines historical doctrinal consensus in American Episcopal Methodist Churches in a comparative and ecumenical dialogue with the doctrinal inheritance of other major families of Christian tradition. In this way, the book shows both what Methodist churches historically teach in common with ecumenical Christianity and what is distinctive about the Methodist tradition in its various contemporary forms. For more information, please see the author's website: http://tedcampbell.com/methodist-doctrine/




Doctrinal Standards in the Wesleyan Tradition


Book Description

The history of Wesleyan family of churches doctrines What are our core beliefs? Doctrinal Standards in the Wesleyan Tradition, Revised Edition, narrates the history of the formation of Wesleyan doctrines, describing how they were transplanted from the British Isles to North American, how they became constitutionally protected in Wesleyan-rooted churches. The first edition of this book affected the outcome of the 1988 General Conference of The United Methodist Church as the delegates decided many then-disputed doctrinal issues. This revised edition addresses the continuing hunger for more precise and useful information on the doctrinal traditions of mainline Protestantism. Hence the arguments have been updated with more than 400 changes. Included are doctrinal statements for the Evangelical United Bethren, Free Methodist, Methodist Protestant, Wesleyan, Nazarene, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal, and African Methodist Episcopal Churches; as well as an outline syllabus of a Course on the Articles of Religion.







Polity, Practice, and the Mission of The United Methodist Church


Book Description

"Commissioned by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry for use in United Methodist doctrine/polity/history courses." This in-depth analysis of the connection between United Methodist polity and theology addresses ways in which historical developments have shaped--and continue to shape--the organization of the church.This revised edition incorporates the actions of The United Methodist General Conference, 2004. The book discusses continuing reforms of the church's plan for baptism and church membership, as well as the emergence of deacon's orders and other changes to ordained ministry procedures. The text is now cross-referenced to the Book of Discipline, 2004, including the revised order of disciplinary chapters and paragraph numbering. Denominational statistics are updated, along with references to recent works on The United Methodist Church and American religious life.







The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America


Book Description

A careful student of church liturgies, John Wesley created this book for use in the Methodist churches of North America in order that the young movement would have access to reliable liturgy. This book is, in its own sense, a masterpiece of solid doctrine, Wesleyan inspiration, and liturgical practice. "The Sunday Service of Methodists in North America" has been available as a reprint of the original book for many years. However, this edition does what others have not done until now: Rather than photocopying the pages of the original book, we have painstakingly typed each word and character to match the original text, and formatted the book for contemporary usage (included an updated and easily readable font), while maintaining Wesley's own language, spelling, and grammar.