On the thirtieth anniversary of the publication of the Church of the Nazarene's seminal systematic theology, Grace, Faith, and Holiness, H. Ray Dunning returns to criticize, improve, and expand on his own words. These 30th Anniversary Annotations demonstrate that Dunning is a lifelong learner who allows himself to be shaped by the Christian thought of those who came after him. He synthesizes old ideas with new in these few short chapters that will delight and edify theologians and scholars in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Book jacket.

Sanctification is not merely a “practical” and isolated doctrine but should permeate the whole horizon of theology: dogmatics, ethics, practics, as well as the sciences and the arts. The essays are collected under the twin convictions that theology can be sanctified and sanctifying. The whole of theology is inflected by holiness, and so theology should aim to share in God’s sanctifying work. Sanctifying Theology contributes new possibilities in Wesleyan-holiness theology and explores their contribution to various Christian doctrines and contemporary issues. Written in honor of the work of Thomas Arthur Noble, the essays in this book are attentive to the streams of theology that have most influenced him: the fathers, the Wesleys, and the Torrances. Both constructive and exploratory, the topic of the essays cover, among other things, (1) consideration of how Wesleyan-holiness theologies contribute to ecumenical theological discussions, (2) readings of Wesleyan-holiness theology through the lens of the church fathers and the Torrances, and (3) explorations of how these conversations and sources might shape contemporary practical and ethical concerns. The essays work both for the Wesleyan tradition and from the Wesleyan tradition for the church catholic, showing how recent trajectories in Wesleyan-holiness theology might contribute to broader discussions.

John Wesley strived for a theology--a theology both written and lived--that delicately balanced sanctification and justification. He hoped to uphold both "faith alone" and "holy living." Sadly, says theologian H. Ray Dunning, many of Wesley's followers have not maintained that balance. Some have tended toward legalism, some toward a preoccupation with personal holiness, and others toward social activism with little theological grounding. Dunning believes Wesleyanism possesses the resources to help all Christians "reflect the divine image," and to do so holistically, in all aspects of life. His book incisively examines issues of ethical methodology and then shows how an ethic based on the "Imago Dei" shapes our relation to God, to one another and to the earth. This introduction to and overview of ethics will enlighten and benefit Christians in all traditions, not despite but especially because it is written in the true Wesleyan tradition--passionate, profoundly faithful and plainspoken.

The author gathers the theological wisdom of past and present writers from the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, places it within the larger stream of classical Christian teaching, and presents a meaningful, cohesive, and contemporary systematic formulation.

This introduction to Christian theology explores the whole Christian tradition in a simple and straightforward way. Leading Wesleyan theologian Don Thorsen surveys the theological views represented within historic Christianity and discusses the variety of positions held without favoring one over another. The book includes helpful end-of-chapter questions for further reflection and discussion, a convenient glossary of theological terms, and sidebars. The second edition is marked by a thorough updating of the text and the addition of two new chapters on apologetics and the future of the unevangelized.

Francis Shaeffer had been serving as a pastor for over a decade when he began to wonder if Christianity really made a difference in people’s lives. True Spirituality, a twentieth-century spiritual classic, outlines the result of his effort to “start at the beginning” and re-examine his faith. The book is a treasure trove of wisdom for Christians trying to discover what true spirituality looks like in everyday life. Includes a foreword by Chuck Colson and an introduction by Dr. Jerram Barrs, director of the Schaeffer Institute.