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….

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…

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]…

Persecution & Hospitality

“When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, ‘Lord, should we strike with the sword?’ Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him.’ — Luke 22:29-51, NRSV I have…

Breaking Points—A Brief History of Church Conflict

This article was adapted from a lecture prepared for a course at Wesley Seminary. Conflict has been an ever-present part of human life since the tragic fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. Conflict continued to a devastating level when Cain murdered Abel. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, we find countless examples of conflict. One of the…

A Church Caught in the Middle

1776 marked the year of American succession from the British Empire. 1814 marked the end of the American War of 1812. This thirty-eight year period of political tension was also a foundational era for the North America Methodist work. The American and British political tensions from 1776 – 1814 might have caused a significant impact on Methodist missions…

Parallel Frontiers: The Leadership of Thomas Coke

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.” I was particularly intrigued by the work of Thomas Coke, as I was researching and writing about his leadership.  The leadership of Thomas Coke is probably the least recognized of…

A Citizen of Two Kingdoms

The Radical Reformation was a formative era of church history, having implications for much of the modern world. Prior to the work of the Anabaptist reformers, much of the Western World was under an alliance of the Church and State. This manifested itself in different ways throughout the multiple centuries following the Edict of Milan of…

Contrary to Their Religious Persuasion

A few weeks ago, I was doing some research and became more aware of a unique part of American history. As a Pennsylvania native, I have always been intrigued by the microcosm of religious diversity that has been part of this state’s history. You might be aware that Pennsylvania was founded as a British province…

Priesthood of All Believers

Last month, Pope Francis visited a Waldensian church, where he asked forgiveness for the sins the Church had committed against the Waldensians. Most people have never heard of the Waldensians, nor their founder, Peter Waldo (French: Pierre Valdès, Latin: Petrus Valdes). While often regarded as a heretic by the Roman Catholics and a hero by…