Published in Holiness
This article is the fuller version of the 2021 ‘Feanley Hartley Lecture’ that was given on 17 May. This paper is drawn from more current research and a reappraisal of my earliest post-doctoral scholarship, dating back twenty years, in order to assess the theological challenge of systemic racism and the socio-cultural, economic and political challen...
Published in Holiness
A comparative study of William Wadé Harris, 1865–1929, and Apolo Kivebulaya, 1865–1932. The Liberian Harris’s short evangelistic tour of the Ivory Coast and western Gold Coast, 1913–1915, laid the foundations of contemporary Methodism, Catholicism, and the independent Harrist Church in Côte d’Ivoire and Church of the Twelve Apostles and others in G...
Published in Holiness
This paper explores the interaction between the Methodist Church in Kenya (MCK) and the neo-Pentecostal churches in the Nyambene Synod, Kenya, together with the influence of this interaction on the religious landscape. It examines changes in denominational affiliations affecting the Methodist Church, where a substantial number of (particularly youn...
Published in Holiness
This distinctive theological perspective of Charles Wesley (compared with that of his brother, John) is found in his many collections of hymns. In these hymns, words such as ‘renewal‘, ‘restoration,’ and ‘recovery’ are pivotal in describing the effect that God’s work in Christ has on the life of humanity. This language is reinforced by the multiple...
Published in Holiness
This piece considers the Emmaus Road encounter with Jesus, the arrival at Emmaus and Jesus’ sudden, unexpected disappearance from their midst. I consider various mysteries surrounding the gospels’ presentation of Jesus and his words and actions. I also consider the implications of the recognition of Jesus in the breaking of bread and how Christians...
Published in Holiness
This study compares the findings of two population surveys of Methodist ministers (presbyters) serving in Great Britain in 1997 and 2008. The findings identified nine areas of change: the quality of Methodist worship is improving; Methodist worship is becoming less traditional and less distinctively Wesleyan; communion is becoming less prioritised;...
Published in Holiness
Drawing on the International Methodist – Catholic report on The Call to Holiness, this article identifies holiness as both a divine attribute and as a Christian imperative, inextricably linked with the unity of Christians and of humanity. For humanity to be in the image and likeness of this holy God implies a participation in God’s holiness. Becaus...
Published in Holiness
On 14 May 2021, the Cambridge New Testament Research Seminar was dedicated to a celebration of the life and work of Professor Morna Hooker on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday. What follows is the text of three contributions to that seminar, from James Carleton Paget, John Barclay, and Morna Hooker herself. Taken together, they provide an insi...
Published in Holiness
This article looks at the different ways in which dead human bodies are disposed of in modern society, particularly in Britain, and examines the social, theological, liturgical, and practical issues they raise for the Christian Church. It argues that the churches have failed to reflect theologically on cremation. In particular, it argues that ashes...
Published in Holiness
This article draws from the developments in pneumatology, especially in respect to how the Spirit calls God’s people into mission and missional endeavour, in order to offer a critical insight into how the Fresh Expressions movement continues to equip the church to live faithfully. To do this, the article utilises research from ecumenical partners i...
