Methodism: A Very Short Introduction

Abstract

This is very much more than an introduction to Methodism. Using considerable scholarship and a keen theological imagination, Abraham sets Methodism within a broader Christian framework. The result is an honest assessment of the development of Methodism; a penetrating assessment of contemporary Methodist churches; and suggestions for how a faithful Methodist tradition might live in apostolic faithfulness.Abraham pays honour to the context of the Wesleys without becoming a captive to an alleged Methodist heyday. An honest critique of what the early Methodists sought to achieve is coupled with a robust examination of the impact of Methodism. From this one is left in no doubt of the centrality of the dual principles of personal and social holiness articulated variously across time. Whether these principles have been applied successfully is a matter for some honest assessment. The conclusions are not always comforting, but it is hard to dispute them when faced with the reality of Methodism in Europe and North America. In this bracing assessment we find a refreshing reminder that British Methodism is not as central to global Methodism as is often assumed. A great deal of attention is given to the United Methodist Church, not simply because of its size, but also because of its attempts to articulate a global connexionalism. There is perhaps a slight omission of others by virtue of this attention, but not at the expense of the overall essential reading that this book must now become. Here we have a new key text examining of the core of Mr Wesley's hopes and fears for Methodism.