Most Wesleyan-Holiness churches started in the US, developing out of the Methodist roots of the nineteenth-century Holiness Movement. The American origins of the Holiness movement have been charted in some depth, but there is currently little detail on how it developed outside of the US. This book seeks to redress this imbalance by giving a history of North American Wesleyan-Holiness churches in Australia, from their establishment in the years following the Second World War, as well as of The Salvation Army, which has nineteenth-century British origins. It traces the way some of these churches moved from marginalised sects to established denominations, while others remained small and isolated. Looking at The Church of God (Anderson), The Church of God (Cleveland), The Church of the Nazarene, The Salvation Army, and The Wesleyan Methodist Church in Australia, the book argues two main points. Firstly, it shows that rather than being American imperialism at work, these religious expressions were a creative partnership between like-minded evangelical Christians from two modern nations sharing a general cultural similarity and set of religious convictions. Secondly, it demonstrates that it was those churches that showed the most willingness to be theologically flexible, even dialling down some of their Wesleyan distinctiveness, that had the most success. This is the first book to chart the fascinating development of Holiness churches in Australia. As such, it will be of keen interest to scholars of Wesleyans and Methodists, as well as religious history and the sociology of religion more generally.

Methodism has played a major role in all areas of public life in Australia but has been particularly significant for its influence on education, social welfare, missions to Aboriginal people and the Pacific Islands and the role of women. Drawing together a team of historical experts, Methodism in Australia presents a critical introduction to one of the most important religious movements in Australia's settlement history and beyond. Offering ground-breaking regional studies of the development of Methodism, this book considers a broad range of issues including Australian Methodist religious experience, worship and music, Methodist intellectuals, and missions to Australia and the Pacific.

The essays in this volume offer a range of perspectives on the theme of grace.Drawing on the best of contemporary biblical, historical and theological scholarship, the contributors consider the role played by the theme of grace in the Christian tradition, its importance and some implications for today. A number of essays pay special attention to the significance of the theme of grace within Methodism.As a whole, the volume testifies to the diverse ways in which divine grace enables and shapes patterns of graceful living in the world. Topics covered include: Pauline perspectives on grace, the theme of grace in Wesleyan hymnody, grace in the theology of Barth, Rahner and de Lubac, the relationship between Christian understandings of grace, universalism and other religious traditions, the implications of grace for understanding creation care, ministry practice, spirituality and work.Together, the essays honour the life and ministry of Emeritus Professor Norman Young, whose own theological work has been devoted to exploring the 'mystery which we discern as the way of grace' and who offers an account of his own theological journey within the volume's concluding personal reflections.

Polity of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia