One Community of Believers

The Brethren in Christ have most strongly sought after the goal of piety—making its pursuit one of the primary aspects of the Church’s identity. Carlton O. Wittlinger refers to piety as: “…a personal, heartfelt relationship with God through Jesus Christ… the experiential, subjective aspect of the Christian faith, an emphasis historically identified with the movement…

Family Tree Dynamics

An old family legend holds that my paternal grandfather’s family is related to Daniel Boone. The story is that my grandfather discovered this connection when he was a student at Penn State University. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away when I was a child, and no one knows if he had documentation to assert this claim….

He and She Who are Silent

“He who is silent, when he ought to have spoken and was able to, is taken to agree.” — Latin Proverb Silence is a powerful action. It is one of the most impactful actions one can take. One could argue that silence is a form of inaction, but the older I grow, the more I…

Brokenness & Worth

This article is adapted from an essay written for a course at Wesley Seminary. Becoming more self-aware is both a powerful experience and also a painful one. It is a process of seeing our brokenness and finding our worth. In my journey to better understand myself, I have had both great epiphanies and challenging moments of…

A Harmonious Future

In his 1821 autobiography, Thomas Jefferson reflected upon one of the crowning achievements of his career, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: “Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting the word ‘Jesus Christ,’ so that it should…

A New Brand

“The spirit of Jesus penetrates social boxes. Barricades of suspicion, mistrust, stigma, and hate crumble in his presence. He also invites us to see human beings behind the labels of stigma. His kingdom transcends all boundaries. He welcomes people from all boxes. God’s love overpowers the social customs which divide, separate, and isolate. All are…

Learn the Language

In Leonard Sweet’s book Aqua Church 2.0 he refers to a quote from French philosopher Voltaire in reference to a communication philosophy: “If you would speak to me, you must first learn my language.”[1] In this chapter, Sweet analyzes how the church must be willing to adapt to the changing technological world around it. How…

Martyrdom & Non-Resistance

This article is adapted from an essay written for a course at Wesley Seminary. The Passion of Saints Perpetua & Felicity (hereafter The Passion) is a melancholy story of Christan martyrdom, allegedly written by the main character, Vibia Perpetua.[1] Perpetua is referred to as “a woman nobly born, educated in the liberal arts, and respectably married.”[2]…

Parallel Frontiers: The Leadership of Francis Asbury

This post is an excerpt from my master’s thesis, “Parallel Frontiers: Looking to Early Methodist Circuits in America for Insights on Church Multiplication in a Post-Modern Culture.” Francis Asbury was an incredible leader, one who likely changed the shape of American religion more than any other leader. It has been said that Asbury may have traveled more…

In All Things, Love

Talking about unity is important because I believe it is essential for our nation’s current state. In order for unity to occur in the present, we all have to be willing to try to understand each other’s points of view. That has to start with us being open about how we feel about the issues we all face….

Redefining Religious Liberty

“Religious liberty” has become a popular phrase in the last several years. Its popularity has been largely due to political rhetoric coming from conservative evangelical leaders and politicians, specifically in response to the legalization of same-sex marriage. The phrase “religious liberty” has taken on a new meaning: having the religious conviction to be able to…

Confusing the Gospel with Party Platform

This post is adapted from a section in my thesis for Wesley Seminary, “Parallel Frontiers: Looking to Early Methodists in America for Insights on Church Multiplication in a Postmodern Culture.” During the early 19th century in the United States, political parties were born and died. It was during this era that the current concept of…