Wesely's Library

[rainbowprism]

Hey all, I'm not a Methodist but I do respect the work of John Wesely. I was told that there was 50 volume library that Wesely considered imperative to know and he made sure that all of his leaders, etc had thier own library of these works. Does anyone know where I could find out the names of these titles?

 

[Origen]

Hey all, I'm not a Methodist but I do respect the work of John Wesely. I was told that there was 50 volume library that Wesely considered imperative to know and he made sure that all of his leaders, etc had thier own library of these works. Does anyone know where I could find out the names of these titles?

The Wesley Center for Applied Theology at Northwest Nazarene University hosts an online edition of John Wesley's "Christian Library":

http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/christian_library/index.htm

Among his many writings, John Wesley edited and abridged a number of devotional classics and republished them in what he called A Christian Library. These "Extracts from and Abridgments of the Choicest Pieces of Practical Divinity Which Have Been Published in the English Tongue," as Wesley subtitled them, were first published in 50 volumes in 1750. The present digital collection was scanned from the 1821 edition of these classics, published in 30 volumes.

(This site was down earlier but it should be back online shortly.)

 

[rainbowprism]

That's great! Thank you so much!

(Yeah it was down, but I'm sure it will work later on today)

 

[nicks17]

Just go to wesley.nnu.edu, without the other stuff, and there is a link to the library. There are also links to sermons and letters of John Wesley, which is nice for someone who wants the complete works of John Wesley but can't afford them. Great link Origen, thanks.
God Bless,
Nick

 

[bigsierra]

I was surprised to see Stephen King in the list Ok, I was just kidding.

It looks like a good set. Volume 30 has some writings of Johnathan Edwards, who was part of the revival of that day. Very interesting.

 

[rainbowprism]

It's still not working!

 

[rainbowprism]

Wait, nevermind I got it! Very cool!

 

[Origen]

Here's a better link: http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/christian_library/index.htm

And I'll edit the links in posts above to point there as well.

 

[rainbowprism]

Ok, and another random question.... what exactly does the Methodist icon symbolize? Is that fire next to the cross?

 

[Origen]

Ok, and another random question.... what exactly does the Methodist icon symbolize? Is that fire next to the cross?

History and Significance

The history and significance of the Cross and Flame emblem are as rich and diverse as The United Methodist Church. The insignia’s birth quickly followed the union of two denominations in 1968: The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church.

Following more than two dozen conceptualizations, a traditional symbol—the cross—was linked with a single flame with dual tongues of fire. The resulting insignia is rich in meaning. It relates The United Methodist church to God through Christ (cross) and the Holy Spirit (flame). The flame is a reminder of Pentecost when witnesses were unified by the power of the Holy Spirit and saw "tongues, as of fire" (Acts 2:3).

The elements of the emblem also remind us of a transforming moment in the life of Methodism’s founder, John Wesley, when he sensed God’s presence and felt his heart "strangely warmed." The two tongues of a single flame may also be understood to represent the union of two denominations.

The insignia, one with lettering and one without, was formally adopted by the General Conference in 1968 and registered in 1971 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Since 1996, the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) of The United Methodist church has supervised the emblem’s use.

There's more background in this June 2004 article: "Creator of United Methodist Cross and Flame design dies"

 

[rainbowprism]

Very cool...thanks!