I am not sure how to gauge Early American race relations, so I am not sure if we can say that Methodism was more integrated than other institutions. Let's say this. In the early days, blacks and whites were together in worship in some places, especially some places that we have records for.
But that did not last long. Somehow or other, the initial enthusiasm that allowed folks to worship together gave way to segregation. The St. George Church in Philadelphia had been more or less integrated. But in 1787, pressure to segregate became more intense. Blacks, who had sat in the main gallery were not asked to sit in the balcony. The change in circumstance did not sit well and many black members walked out and began to worship separately.
Bishop Asbury appointed a separate place for them to worship, but the black Methodists were not keen to use the usual Methodist model of deeding the church property to the denomination; the only way they were going to have a church they could not be run out of was to have their own denomination, and so in 1796 an African Methodist Episcopal Church was formed, leading to a new denomination in 1816.
Richard Allen was the leader. He was a former slave who bought his freedom, and was converted under Methodist preaching, becoming a preacher himself, ordained by Bishop Asbury--preachign even at St. George's, the church he would need to leave later. Allen led many efforts to improver the lives of blacks, especially through the Free African Society, the first organization of its kind. He led the walkout from St. George's Church
I am not sure how Methodism has managed to handle its various splits. Where they seemed to start in some kind of rancor, generally good relations were preserved. But as time has passed, the Wesleyan Church, Free Methodist Church, AME Church, etc are pretty far away. not so much in theology, but in organizational ties. It's sad, because two pastoral colleagues I gain a lot from are AME pastors, esp Pastor E, who lets me "ear hustle" his sermons!
[historical information is from Norwood's Story of American Methodism]
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Blessed Are The Merciful
Ok, this week got crazy and i did not get to the Wednesday post on the Sermon on the Mount, nor to any thoughts on perfection from Methodist Divines.
Blessed are the Merciful
Wesley really drops a bomb on us here. He, in his sermons on the beatitudes, lays them out as a progression, a series of steps that as these blessings fall upon us, they lead directly to the next one.
So, those who are meek, that is, those who are fully resigned to God's will being done in their life, begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness, the fullness of God in their lives. And then, their hearts are filled with compassion and concern for those who do not have the love of God in their lives.
This is the truest mercy! As I have said before, if, as Christians, we will not share the love of God and the salvation from sin in Jesus Christ, we are cold, heartless, and ruthless.
Wesley goes on to note that this mercy has its root in the love described in 1 Corinthians 13, and that this love, too, is progressive, building in us a maturity that believes, and hopes when it seems to be beyond belief, and endures past hope..
Let me have this mercy! But I must be merciful and seek for all to find The Good News of Jesus Christ! Don't let me take these for mere words, some gift from the sky, but let the love of God dwell in my heart to the extent I won't keep quiet that I know my sins forgiven and you can, too!
Blessed are the Merciful
Wesley really drops a bomb on us here. He, in his sermons on the beatitudes, lays them out as a progression, a series of steps that as these blessings fall upon us, they lead directly to the next one.
So, those who are meek, that is, those who are fully resigned to God's will being done in their life, begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness, the fullness of God in their lives. And then, their hearts are filled with compassion and concern for those who do not have the love of God in their lives.
This is the truest mercy! As I have said before, if, as Christians, we will not share the love of God and the salvation from sin in Jesus Christ, we are cold, heartless, and ruthless.
Wesley goes on to note that this mercy has its root in the love described in 1 Corinthians 13, and that this love, too, is progressive, building in us a maturity that believes, and hopes when it seems to be beyond belief, and endures past hope..
Let me have this mercy! But I must be merciful and seek for all to find The Good News of Jesus Christ! Don't let me take these for mere words, some gift from the sky, but let the love of God dwell in my heart to the extent I won't keep quiet that I know my sins forgiven and you can, too!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Black Harry
Harry "Black Harry" Hosier was one of the most popular preachers--black or white-- in early Methodism. He was a faithful traveling companion to Bishops Coke and Asbury.
Bishop Coke said of Harry, " I have now had the pleasure of hearing Harry preach several times. I sometimes give notice that immediateley after preaching, that in a little time Harry will preach to the blacks; but the whites always stay to hear him... I really believe he is one of the best preachers in the world, there is such an amazing power attends his preaching, though he cannot read; and he is one of the humblest creatures I ever saw" (quoted in Norwood's The Story of American Methodism 168).
We don't know a lot about Harry Hosier. But we do know that from the beginning African Americans were part of the work and worship of Methodism in America. They met with varying degrees of acceptance, relating to the country's mood. In some places, they were able to worship with whites, but generally, segregation took root everywhere, and African American Methodists generally had to seek their own Methodist structure.
Some of those groups are well known-- The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), African Methodist Episcopal Church, Zion (AME Zion) and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME).
Bishop Coke said of Harry, " I have now had the pleasure of hearing Harry preach several times. I sometimes give notice that immediateley after preaching, that in a little time Harry will preach to the blacks; but the whites always stay to hear him... I really believe he is one of the best preachers in the world, there is such an amazing power attends his preaching, though he cannot read; and he is one of the humblest creatures I ever saw" (quoted in Norwood's The Story of American Methodism 168).
We don't know a lot about Harry Hosier. But we do know that from the beginning African Americans were part of the work and worship of Methodism in America. They met with varying degrees of acceptance, relating to the country's mood. In some places, they were able to worship with whites, but generally, segregation took root everywhere, and African American Methodists generally had to seek their own Methodist structure.
Some of those groups are well known-- The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), African Methodist Episcopal Church, Zion (AME Zion) and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME).
Friday, September 24, 2010
Top 10 Thoughts on Perfection
The following is from a Methodist pamphlet, published in 1769; reproduced in Wesley's Standard Sermons, Sermon 43:
1. There is such a thing as Christian perfection, for it is mentioned again and again in Scripture
2. It follows justification, for we go on to perfection (Hebrew 6:1)
3. It is not at or after death, for Paul speaks of living people as perfect (Philippians 3:15)
4. It is not absolute. Neither angels or men are absolutely perfect, absolute perfection belongs only to God
5. It does not make us infallible. No one is infallible as long as we are in the body
6. It is perfect love. 1 John 4:18. Its properties and fruit are rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in everything giving thanks-- 1 Thesalonians 5:16
7. It is improvable. The one perfected in love may grow in grace more quickly than before
8. It is capable of being lost
9. It is preceded and followed by a gradual work [note: this is to say we should be coming closer and closer to God's perfect love. And when we have it, we keep growing in that love]
10. In some it is an instantaneous work; in others it is hard to tell when it came about in them.
1. There is such a thing as Christian perfection, for it is mentioned again and again in Scripture
2. It follows justification, for we go on to perfection (Hebrew 6:1)
3. It is not at or after death, for Paul speaks of living people as perfect (Philippians 3:15)
4. It is not absolute. Neither angels or men are absolutely perfect, absolute perfection belongs only to God
5. It does not make us infallible. No one is infallible as long as we are in the body
6. It is perfect love. 1 John 4:18. Its properties and fruit are rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in everything giving thanks-- 1 Thesalonians 5:16
7. It is improvable. The one perfected in love may grow in grace more quickly than before
8. It is capable of being lost
9. It is preceded and followed by a gradual work [note: this is to say we should be coming closer and closer to God's perfect love. And when we have it, we keep growing in that love]
10. In some it is an instantaneous work; in others it is hard to tell when it came about in them.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Those Who Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.”
The following quotations are from John Wesley’s Sermon 22. And may I say again, these sermons are, along with his Notes on the New Testament, our doctrinal standards. How different our churches would be if we held ourselves to this doctrine!
“righteousness is the image of God, the mind that was in Christ... it [springs] from as well as [terminates] in the love of God as our Father and Redeemer.”
“Hunger and thirst are the strongest of our bodily appetites. In like manner this hunger of the soul, this thirst after the image of God, is the strongest of all our spiritual appetites.”
“From the time we begin to hunger and thirst, these appetites do not cease, but are more and more craving and incessant until we either eat and drink or die. And even so from the time that we begin to hunger and thirst for the whole mind that was in Christ, these spiritual appetites do not cease, but cry after their food with more and more importunity; nor can they possibly cease, until they are satisfied.”
Wesley notes that it is impossible to satuisfy those who hunger and thrist after righteousness with what the world calls religion. While the religion of the world is good and beneficial, meaning essentially that we do no harm, but do good, and go to church and worship God. Do these things, and you are “religious.”
But will this satisfy him who hungers and thirst after righteousness? No. Wesley goes on to note; “it is not food for his soul... True, he is careful to abstain from the appearance of evil; he is zealous of good works; he attends all the ordinances of God. But all this is not what he longs for. This is only the outside of that religion, which he insatiable hungers after.”
Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness seek the knowledge of God that is in Christ Jesus,
“The life that it is hid in Christ;”
Being “joined to the Lord in one Spirit;”
“Having fellowship with the Father and the Son;”
“Walking in the light as God is in the light;”
“being purified even as He is pure.”
Wesley gives us this great promise of God--let this stir your heart and Spirit:
Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness “shall be fiiled with the things they long for; even with righteousness and true holiness.”
And finally, Wesley desires, and I pray, “that this divine appetite may never cease!”
The following quotations are from John Wesley’s Sermon 22. And may I say again, these sermons are, along with his Notes on the New Testament, our doctrinal standards. How different our churches would be if we held ourselves to this doctrine!
“righteousness is the image of God, the mind that was in Christ... it [springs] from as well as [terminates] in the love of God as our Father and Redeemer.”
“Hunger and thirst are the strongest of our bodily appetites. In like manner this hunger of the soul, this thirst after the image of God, is the strongest of all our spiritual appetites.”
“From the time we begin to hunger and thirst, these appetites do not cease, but are more and more craving and incessant until we either eat and drink or die. And even so from the time that we begin to hunger and thirst for the whole mind that was in Christ, these spiritual appetites do not cease, but cry after their food with more and more importunity; nor can they possibly cease, until they are satisfied.”
Wesley notes that it is impossible to satuisfy those who hunger and thrist after righteousness with what the world calls religion. While the religion of the world is good and beneficial, meaning essentially that we do no harm, but do good, and go to church and worship God. Do these things, and you are “religious.”
But will this satisfy him who hungers and thirst after righteousness? No. Wesley goes on to note; “it is not food for his soul... True, he is careful to abstain from the appearance of evil; he is zealous of good works; he attends all the ordinances of God. But all this is not what he longs for. This is only the outside of that religion, which he insatiable hungers after.”
Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness seek the knowledge of God that is in Christ Jesus,
“The life that it is hid in Christ;”
Being “joined to the Lord in one Spirit;”
“Having fellowship with the Father and the Son;”
“Walking in the light as God is in the light;”
“being purified even as He is pure.”
Wesley gives us this great promise of God--let this stir your heart and Spirit:
Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness “shall be fiiled with the things they long for; even with righteousness and true holiness.”
And finally, Wesley desires, and I pray, “that this divine appetite may never cease!”
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Susannah Wesley, Mother of Methodism
John Wesley had interesting parents. They were products of the ferment of the 17th century. The English Civil War, between Parliament and the King, really bw Puritans and the Royals, was brutal and bloody. The King Charles II was beheaded. When the monarchy was restored, it was no longer hip to be a Puritan. Remember, John Milton, the greatest poet in the English language, was a Puritan, an influential member of the revolutionary government, and even he was in some deep trouble.
Wesley's grandfathers were important Puritan theologians, Dr. Wesley, and Dr. Annesley. But these Puritan Divines had children who went "the other way;" both John's father Samuel, and his mother Susannah Annesley, were convinced royalists. They were not Dissenters from the Church of England.
You can take the kids away from the Puritans, but you can take the Puritans out of the kids, or something like that. So while John and Charles Wesley (and notice the boys' names; the two least popular kings in English history, and Charles was so named to announce the Wesley's solidarity with the Royalist and Church causes.)
Samuel Wesley was the rector of Epworth. Susannah and he had 19 children, 9 of whom died in infancy. John was number 17, the baby so to speak.
Susannah is perhaps the model for Methodist womanhood. A great mother, but truly possessed of her own mind and with unbelievable intelligence.
She had a weekly conference with each of her children, to see how they were doing and to guide them in the ways of the Lord. With all the work of being the pastor's wife, having so many kids and running the household, she also found Sabbath in an important way. She would sit on a chair and pull her apron over her head. When the children saw her sit thus, they knew to be quiet and leave her alone. When she was rested, she would soon enough be back to her work as mother!
When each child reached 5 years of age, she would sit with him or her, begin to teach them the alphabet, open to Genesis 1 and teach the children to read.
When her husband was away from the parish, and some of the parishioners complained of the dry morsels the curate preached in Samuel's absence, Susannah began to hold services, reading sermons, and preaching (she called it "exhorting" so that no one would complain of a woman preaching). Pretty soon the parsonage was full, and the people spilled onto the grounds to hear her clear and insightful words on Bible-living.
The curate complained and Samuel wrote back asking her to stop, but she refused. She was not doing it during church hours, and she could not leave the people with no sound guidance. Clearly, John Wesley learned something from his mother's example: be bold to preach in season and out of season, but also make sure not to take away from the Church of England-- do it in the off hours to strengthen the people to take their faith more seriously
Another thing he learned in the early years of the Methodist revival came from Susannah and her time of preaching in the parsonage yard. There was a young lay preacher, whom Wesley wanted to stop from preaching because he was not ordained. Susannah wrote to John saying that the man had as much right to preach as anyone, and it would be best for John to let God move. Thus began the use of lay preachers flung throughout the Kingdom who travelled and spread the Gospel. You know some of their names-- Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury...
John and Charles were formed in a home that valued Puritan piety as well as the ancient doctrine of the Church. They were taught to have their own minds, but submit the will to God. If you are a Methodist, or from one of the Holiness denominations, Susannah is your mother in Israel.
Wesley's grandfathers were important Puritan theologians, Dr. Wesley, and Dr. Annesley. But these Puritan Divines had children who went "the other way;" both John's father Samuel, and his mother Susannah Annesley, were convinced royalists. They were not Dissenters from the Church of England.
You can take the kids away from the Puritans, but you can take the Puritans out of the kids, or something like that. So while John and Charles Wesley (and notice the boys' names; the two least popular kings in English history, and Charles was so named to announce the Wesley's solidarity with the Royalist and Church causes.)
Samuel Wesley was the rector of Epworth. Susannah and he had 19 children, 9 of whom died in infancy. John was number 17, the baby so to speak.
Susannah is perhaps the model for Methodist womanhood. A great mother, but truly possessed of her own mind and with unbelievable intelligence.
She had a weekly conference with each of her children, to see how they were doing and to guide them in the ways of the Lord. With all the work of being the pastor's wife, having so many kids and running the household, she also found Sabbath in an important way. She would sit on a chair and pull her apron over her head. When the children saw her sit thus, they knew to be quiet and leave her alone. When she was rested, she would soon enough be back to her work as mother!
When each child reached 5 years of age, she would sit with him or her, begin to teach them the alphabet, open to Genesis 1 and teach the children to read.
When her husband was away from the parish, and some of the parishioners complained of the dry morsels the curate preached in Samuel's absence, Susannah began to hold services, reading sermons, and preaching (she called it "exhorting" so that no one would complain of a woman preaching). Pretty soon the parsonage was full, and the people spilled onto the grounds to hear her clear and insightful words on Bible-living.
The curate complained and Samuel wrote back asking her to stop, but she refused. She was not doing it during church hours, and she could not leave the people with no sound guidance. Clearly, John Wesley learned something from his mother's example: be bold to preach in season and out of season, but also make sure not to take away from the Church of England-- do it in the off hours to strengthen the people to take their faith more seriously
Another thing he learned in the early years of the Methodist revival came from Susannah and her time of preaching in the parsonage yard. There was a young lay preacher, whom Wesley wanted to stop from preaching because he was not ordained. Susannah wrote to John saying that the man had as much right to preach as anyone, and it would be best for John to let God move. Thus began the use of lay preachers flung throughout the Kingdom who travelled and spread the Gospel. You know some of their names-- Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury...
John and Charles were formed in a home that valued Puritan piety as well as the ancient doctrine of the Church. They were taught to have their own minds, but submit the will to God. If you are a Methodist, or from one of the Holiness denominations, Susannah is your mother in Israel.
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