Arts and Humanities Commons^™

H.C. Morrison And The Holiness Union Of The South, Robert A. Danielson

The Asbury Journal

Holiness history in the southern United States tends to view the movement as a collection of local or regional churches or institutions without a unified organization. This view often overlooks the work of H.C. Morrison and an organization he founded called the Holiness Union of the South. It began in 1904 and lasted through 1915 and sought to unite the Holiness work in a fashion similar to the National Holiness Association in the northern United States. The Union focused on the areas of mission, education, and publishing- areas which smaller organizations were ill-equipped to operate. While the Union was initially …

If N. T. Wright Is Right, How Then Shall We Do Theology?, Howard A. Snyder

The Asbury Journal

In November of 2022, theologian N.T. Wright gave a series of lectures for the Centennial Celebration of Asbury Theological Seminary. In this response from Asbury Theological Seminary’s Howard Snyder, the implications of Wright’s lectures are explored and expanded. In particular, Snyder explores the meaning of Scriptural Theology as opposed to Systematic Theology. He explores how Systematic Theology came to be the dominant way of reading scripture, and then proposes ten principles for doing theology rooted in scripture instead of any human system.

John Wesley’S Motivation For His Mission To Georgia, Roger W. Fay

The Asbury Journal

The importance of justification by faith in the thinking of John Wesley (1703-1791) after his Aldersgate Street experience in May 1738 has long been doubted by some Wesley scholars. This article argues, however, that Wesley was motivated only by works-righteousness while he was a missionary to Georgia, and that salvation by faith did not characterise his thinking until he finished his mission there.

Seeing Lakota Christian Mission History Through The Eyes Of John Wesley’S Image Of God, Susangeline Y. Patrick

The Asbury Journal

This paper engages John Wesley’s understanding of the Imago Dei (the image of God) and examines the history of Christian mission among the Native American1 tribes, particularly Lakota2 on Rosebud Reservation and Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Wesley’s view of the image of God in creation, partial loss of the image of God, and restoration of the image of God in Jesus Christ provides a framework to describe both the successes and failures in Lakota mission history. Wesley’s understanding of the Imago Dei challenges current mission theology and praxis to see God’s creation and peoples as worthy of honor …

John Wesley, Irenaeus, And Christian Mission: Rethinking Western Christian Theology, Howard A. Snyder

The Asbury Journal

John Wesley (1703-1791) was a theologian and practitioner of mission. The theological sophistication of his missiology has never been fully appreciated for three reasons: 1) Wesley seldom used the language of “mission,” 2) he intentionally masked the depth of his learning in the interest of “plain, sound English,” and 3) interpreters assumed that as an evangelist, Wesley could not be taken seriously as theologian. Quite to the contrary, this article shows the depth and sophistication of Wesley’s doctrinal and missiological thinking. Reviewing Western Christian theology from the first century to our day, this article examines the close use of Irenaeus …

The Nature Of The Church's Mission In Light Of The Biblical Origin Of Social Holiness, Ban Seok Cho

The Asbury Journal

This paper intends to find missiological implications that the biblical origin of social holiness has for the church’s mission. In order to accomplish this purpose, this paper, first, identifies the biblical origin of social holiness in the Old Testament narrative and its development in the New Testament narrative. Then, the relationship between the image of God in Genesis 1 and the development of social holiness in the biblical narrative will be discussed. Lastly, in light of the biblical origin of social holiness, missiological implications for the church’s mission are suggested. The thesis of this paper is that social holiness- as …

The Kingdom Life And The Witness Of The Church, Art Mcphee

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Floating Christian Endeavor As A Model For Mission To Migrants, Robert Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

The Faith And Praxis Of Women In Missions In The Early Pentecostal And Holiness Movement, Jody Fleming

The Asbury Journal

Women in the early years of the Pentecostal and Holiness movement played a very important part in the advancement of local and world mission. This paper examines not only the contributions women made during this time period, but also the balance they had between their faith and the practice of that faith. This study includes a select group of women chosen for their comprehension of Christian faith and how it impacted their understanding for reaching out to the world around them. Some are better known than others, but each of their stories represents the impact of women on Christian missionary …

Ships Of The Fleet: An Essay On The Weltanschauung Of The Apostolate And The Mission Of The Spirit, Art Mcphee

The Asbury Journal

In honor of Bishop Sundo Kim

This paper was presented in Asbury Theological Seminary, on November 14, 2012, at Dr. Art McPhee’s installation in the Sundo Kim Chair for Evangelism and Practical Theology Expertise: Evangelization Studies. In this essay, he explores the role of the Holy Spirit in mission and evangelism as an often-overlooked subject in the Church today.

John Wesley’S Approach To Mission, R. Jeffrey Hiatt

The Asbury Journal

John Wesley’s theology is noted for its soteriological emphasis. Most of his life was spent in England ministering among marginalized people. Much of his practical ministry, publications, prison reform, healthcare interest, education, etc., occurred while trekking through the island. Yet, Wesley’s thoughts and writings reflect the broader world. Although he was not as swift at putting Methodist missionaries abroad as Thomas Coke would have liked, Wesley had a plan in place that took in reaching those populations that claimed other religions as their faith. Thus, he wanted “Moslems,” “Hindoos,” “Hottentots,” “Native Americans,” or more inclusive of every part of the …

Vulnerability And Empowerment In Crossing Frontiers: A Christian Theology Of Mission, Lalsangkima Pachuau

The Asbury Journal

This paper was presented in Asbury Theological Seminary, on May 9, 2013, at Dr. Lalsangkima Pachuau’s installation in the J.W. Beeson Chair of Christian Mission. In this essay, he explores the frontier crossing aspects of mission theology in the light of a Trinitarian view of the missio Dei. In particular, he examines the account of Peter and Cornelius crossing the Jewish- Gentile frontier in the book of Acts.

Life In The Spirit: An Overview Of Lesslie Newbigin’S Pneumatology Of Mission, Rob Hughes

The Asbury Journal

British missionary Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998) was a highly influential missionary theologian, a bishop in the Church of South India, and a leader in the twentieth century ecumenical movement. His writings regarding the missionary nature of the church, the engagement of the post-Christendom West as a mission field, and the theological understanding of mission from a Trinitarian perspective have been foundational for both the missional and emerging church movements. This article presents an overview of one aspect of Newbigin’s thought, which, though constituting a key element of his Trinitarian theology of mission, has often been overlooked—his grasp of the role of …

A Macarian-Wesleyan Theology Of Mission, Matt Friedman

The Asbury Journal

In this paper, Iwill begin by providing an outline of the development of the theology of union with God, or theoric. I will have a particular focus on fourth-century Syrian monk Macarius-Symeon, whose Fifty Spiritual Homilies had an influence on early Pietism and early Methodism From there, I will seek to demonstrate how John and Charles Wesley, as well as their colleagues such as John Fletcher in the first generation of Methodist leadership, sought to critically fold this understanding into their own teaching regarding justification, sanctification and the ultimate goal of those who walk in union with God in …

Inhabiting The Garden: Bible, Theology And Mission, Lawson G. Stone

The Asbury Journal

This essay explores the role of biblical exegesis in the task of Christian theology and in the contemporary global mission of the church from the perspective of an Old Testament scholar. It poses the question what a biblical exegesis would look like that was consistently Christian in its assumptions while, at the same time, honest and competent in dealing with the phenomena of the biblical text. Using the exegesis of the early centuries of the church as a case study, the essay develops insights into the role of serious biblical study in empowering the early church's vibrant expansion through the …

Living Water In Indian Cups: A Call For Cultural Relevance In Contemporary Indian Missions, Prabhusingh Vedhamanickam

The Asbury Journal

There has been a concentrated effort in contemporary India to stereotype Christianity as a western agent involved in destroying Indic religions, desecrating Indian cultures and destabilizing the nation. While there have been some attempts to contextualize the gospel in Indian missions, in the theological and missiological realms, there is an urgent need to incarnate the gospel in culturally relevant ways due to three critical factors: The cultural diversity of the nation, the rise of Hindu nationalism and the paradigmatic shift from Indian cross cultural missions to local, indigenous movements. While the multinational companies in India are tailoring their strategies according …

Leading A Polytheistic Faith To The Monotheistic God: A Study In Identifying Barriers To The Gospel In A Chinese Buddhist Community And Ways To Overcome Those Barriers, Agnes Wood

The Asbury Journal

This article is written for the purpose of exploring a way to lead a polytheistic faith, prevalent in the local Chinese Buddhist community (LCBC) in Brunei, to the reality of a monotheistic God as revealed in the Bible (1 Corinthians 8:6). It serves as a guide for the local Chinese church (CC) to lead the LCBC to see that God as a Creator is sufficient to be their God.

This article identifies the need of a missiological package in order to lead the LCBC to Christ. The CC needs to assist the LCBC to become receptive before the core of …

Spreading Scriptural Holiness: Theology And Practices Of Early Methodism For The Contemporary Church, Laceye Warner

The Asbury Journal

The early Methodist movement-above all else-was evangelistic. However, the contemporary language of mission and evangelism with which we are familiar was not in use during the 18th century. In the "Large" Minutes, John Wesley summarized his understanding of Methodism's purpose: "What may we reasonably believe to be God's design in raising up the Preachers called Methodists? A. To reform the nation and, in particular, the Church; to spread scriptural holiness over the land." The early Methodist movement offers resources to local congregations among Protestant denominations in the contemporary North American context preoccupied with a shallow connotation of evangelism as merely …

The Third Moment Of Muslim Witness: John Wesley Had It Right, Terry C. Muck

The Asbury Journal

The following is a lecture delivered on 8 October 2005 as part of the Theta Phi Lecture Series at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky. The author suggests that the mission task can be helpfully seen as comprising four moments: the moments of (1) difference, (2) identity, (3) relationship, and (4) witness. Although Christian witnesses have performed admirably well on moments one, two, and four, the reason the Muslim world remains Muslim can be traced to our failures in regard to the third, the Moment of Relationship. Using two sermons by John Wesley, Sermon 63, "The General Spread of the Gospel" …