In 1968, the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) churches merged to form The United Methodist Church. More than forty years later, many United Methodists know very little about the history, doctrine, and polity of the EUB. To be sure, there are vestiges of the EUB, most notably the Confession of Faith, in the United Methodist Book of Discipline, but there is much more to be profitably explored. For example, the EUB represents a strand of German Pietism that developed an emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church that, with the exception of Wesley, Fletcher and the early Methodists, was unparalleled in the history of Protestantism. This book makes accessible to clergy and laity alike the considerable riches of the EUB tradition with a view toward the renewal of United Methodism today.

Pain, Passion and Faith: Revisiting the Place of Charles Wesley in Early Methodism is a significant study of the 18th-century poet and preacher Charles Wesley. Wesley was an influential figure in 18th-century English culture and society; he was co-founder of the Methodist revival movement and one of the most prolific hymn-writers in the English language. His hymns depict the Christian life as characterized by a range of intense emotions, from ecstatic joy to profound suffering. With this book, author Joanna Cruickshank examines the theme of suffering in Charles WesleyOs hymns, to help us understand how early Methodist men and women made sense of the physical, emotional and spiritual pains they experienced. Cruickshank uncovers an area of significant disagreement within the Methodist leadership and illuminates Methodist culture more broadly, shedding light on early Methodist responses to contemporary social issues like charity, slavery, and capital punishment.

John Fletcher was an influential figure in the history of Methodism. This study, based on a reading of the primary sources in Fletcher and John Wesley, looks at Fletcher's pneumatological and dispensational themes and examines Fletcher's relationship with Wesley and other significant figures of early Methodism in England and America. The author, professor of systematic theology at Asbury Theological Seminary, argues that Fletcher and Wesley agreed on the meaning of sanctification in light of the language of the Pentecost. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Explores the unique contributions of the Evangelical United Brethren to the United Methodist Church.

A Will to Choose traces the history of African-American Methodism beginning with their emergence in the fledgling American Methodist movement in the 1760s. Responding to Methodism's anti-slavery stance, African-Americans joined the new movement in large numbers and by the end of the eighteenth century, had made up the largest minority in the Methodist church, filling positions of authority as class leaders, exhorters, and preachers. Through the first half of the nineteenth century, African Americans used the resources of the church in their struggle for liberation from slavery and racism in the secular culture.

Excerpt from Pietism and Methodism: Or the Significance of German Pietism in the Origin and Early Development of Methodism On the other hand, an extensive investigation Of only one Of these great movements is apt to produce an exaggerated idea of its importance. It would be easy to conceive an enthusiastic devotee Of Hasidism proclaiming that the most important movement in modern religious life was the great Jewish revival Of the eighteenth century in Poland. An overesti mation of the relative importance Of movements in the general history Of religion often leads to the erroneous assumption that such movements were quite unique and unlike anything which happened elsewhere. As a knowledge Of non-christian reli gions is conducive to a better understanding Of Christianity, so a knowledge of the various move ments within the Church itself affords the investi gator a more just appreciation Of each. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.