Favorite aspect of Methodism?

That it is for whoever comes, any race. Any sinners. And not only the, said to be, predestined, am I right?

I am supposing the theology must contain good Pneumatology. I like the revival Holy Spirit outpouring. For all flesh.

I like stories of 'Methodist Revival/Movement'..
- During the early days...
---
'Circuit Riders' stories.
- Pioneering days..of the Gospel outreach (evangelization) in United States.
Maybe we need to be reminded..that part of history again.

The Wesleyan emphasis on grace and our understanding of the sacraments as means of grace. For me Methodism is all about grace.

Methodized said:

The Wesleyan emphasis on grace and our understanding of the sacraments as means of grace. For me Methodism is all about grace.

Click to expand...

I agree on this. I wish there was a Methodist parish that conducted its services as closely as possible to the model Wesley laid out in his Sunday Service Book of 1786 and his general instructions for the North American methodists. Like, with a minimum set of services being Holy Communion and Morning or Evening Prayer on Sunday, and the Litany and perhaps Morning or Evening Prayer on Wednesday and Friday. Furthermore, if the weekly service of the Eucharist was accompanied by preaching based on Wesleyan theology, with a focus on entire sanctification, which was his Occidentalization of the Eastern Christian idea of Theosis, which relates to uncreated grace, which it is clear Wesley encountered in the famed moment in the Moravian chapel in Aldersgate, at a nighttime service at 8:45 PM, when he wrote how his heart “was strangely warmed” while listening to a reading of Martin Luther’s preface to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans.

If such a Methodist parish existed or exists, anywhere near me, I would go.

GoldenKingGaze said:

That it is for whoever comes, any race. Any sinners. And not only the, said to be, predestined, am I right?

I am supposing the theology must contain good Pneumatology. I like the revival Holy Spirit outpouring. For all flesh.

Click to expand...

Pneumatology is the biggie for me too, as well as the robust soteriology where salvation is open to all, not just "all the elect".

Communion open to all.

Emphasis on personal holiness; the Methodist way of life is, among other things, a constant grace-aided pursuit of holiness. Weslayan theology has a mesmerising beauty in this aspect.

Wesley's Christology. He believed that Christ was/is God

Wesley, Sermons II 378

I love the theology of John Wesley, and his liturgical sensibilities. I also really love the 1965 Red Hymnal that came out before the merger with the Evangelical United Brethren and the companion Methodist Episcopal Book of Worship.

Also the parish where I was baptized had stunning stained glass windows. I often wish I had gone to Methodist seminary rather than the seminary I went to. Or for that matter, Nashotah House.

By the way, will the UMC ordain seminarians from Episcopal seminaries due to the doctrinal similarity? Like someone from Nashotah House? Just curious on that point.

The Liturgist said:

By the way, will the UMC ordain seminarians from Episcopal seminaries due to the doctrinal similarity? Like someone from Nashotah House? Just curious on that point.

Click to expand...

UMC is very picky on where the M.Div. comes from, at least for current students. Otherwise, you'd need to talk with your DS about beginning candidacy. If there are any potential reservations due to the long-predicted schism, you might want to wait until after that occurs to see which side you'd be on.
If you've already graduated from Nashotah House and are able to jump through the rest of the UMC hoops, it shouldn't be a problem. They will require that you take a seminary course in UMC History and Polity and one in UMC Doctrine. (At least that was their requirement for a friend of mine who graduated from Southern Baptist Theo. Seminary before jumping ship.) One of the seminaries listed in the link below would offer such courses, several of them even online.

GBHEM - List of Approved Seminaries

actionsub said:

UMC is very picky on where the M.Div. comes from, at least for current students. Otherwise, you'd need to talk with your DS about beginning candidacy. If there are any potential reservations due to the long-predicted schism, you might want to wait until after that occurs to see which side you'd be on.
If you've already graduated from Nashotah House and are able to jump through the rest of the UMC hoops, it shouldn't be a problem. They will require that you take a seminary course in UMC History and Polity and one in UMC Doctrine. (At least that was their requirement for a friend of mine who graduated from Southern Baptist Theo. Seminary before jumping ship.) One of the seminaries listed in the link below would offer such courses, several of them even online.

GBHEM - List of Approved Seminaries

Click to expand...

Apologies for the confusion; I got my MDiv from a UCC-affiliated seminary in the 90s and am quite happy with my current vocation as a conservative Congregationalist (I left the UCC and the ministry when my senior pastor retired in the late 2000s, but returned a few years ago).

The Liturgist said:

Apologies for the confusion; I got my MDiv from a UCC-affiliated seminary in the 90s and am quite happy with my current vocation as a conservative Congregationalist (I left the UCC and the ministry when my senior pastor retired in the late 2000s, but returned a few years ago).

Click to expand...

Which seminary? I went to Eden for two years.

actionsub said:

Which seminary? I went to Eden for two years.

Click to expand...

One that is famous for really not liking Harvard.

LOL

Come to think it, I like the term, "Methodism". It implies structure and perseverance, things sorely needed by many believers today.

I was christened in the UMC and raised Methodist, going through Methodist catechism and being confirmed at age 11. What I like best are Charles' hymns. He was a really wonderful composer. When I attended my first Catholic service, I had to check the hymnal. Happily our hymnals contain some of Wesley's hymns. "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" is especially common to sing during Easter. I would have been sad converting to Catholicism if I lost Charles' music. I also like the belief in the sacramental presence of Christ and the missionary zeal of early Methodists like Asbury & Coke and those ordinary ministers who carried the gospel all over the American frontier. Early Methodism had grit.