John Wesley boasted that he was a “man of one book,” but he was also a thoughtful student throughout his life and an author of many books. As breath gives life, John Wesley inhaled and exhaled the words of Scripture, shaping his thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behavior. And like our eighteenth-century ancestor, the Bible is central to us for continued faith formation. In this invitation to Scripture, the general editor of the Wesley Study Bible and biblical scholar, Dr. Joel Green, summarizes Wesley’s understanding of key themes and topics of key books of the New Testament. Using brief excerpts from Wesley’s writings (in updated language), Dr. Green explains the importance of Wesley’s thinking as it directly applies to everyday life and faithful practice. Each chapter ends with questions suitable for private devotion or group settings, to help you apply your study to daily living. This book will be your trusted companion to the Wesley Study Bible as you love God with a warmed heart and serve God with active hands.

The theology of John Wesley has proven exceedingly influential in the religious and spiritual lives of Wesley's followers and his critics. However, Wesley did not leave behind a written doctrine on scripture. This collection presents an array of diverse approaches to understanding John Wesley's charge to read and interpret the Bible as scripture. Contributors move beyond the work of Wesley himself to discuss how Wesleyan communities have worked to address the difficult scriptural--and theological--conundrums of their time and place. With contributions from William J. Abraham, Justo L. González, Joel B. Green, Elaine A. Heath, Randy L. Maddox, Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, Jason E. Vickers, Laceye Warner, David F. Watson, Kenneth J. Collins, Robert W. Wall, Reginald Broadnax, Meesaeng Lee Choi, Hunn Choi, Douglas M. Koskela, D. Brent Laytham, Steven J. Koskie, and Michael Pasquarello III, Wesley, Wesleyans, and Reading Bible as Scripture ultimately attempts to underscore what it means to stand in the Wesleyan stream and bring about holiness through--and within--daily occurrences.

Despite wide acceptance of the "Wesleyan quadrilateral", significant disagreements have arisen in both academic and church circles about the degree to which Scripture stood in a place of theological primacy for Wesley, or should do so for modern Methodists, and about the proper and appropriate methods of interpreting Scripture. In this important work, Scott J. Jones offers a full-scale investigation of John Wesley's conception and use of Scripture. The results of this careful and thorough investigation are sometimes surprising. Jones argues that for Wesley, religious authority is constituted not by a "quadrilateral", but by a fivefold but unitary locus comprising Scripture, reason, Christian antiquity, the Church of England, and experience. He shows that in actual practice Wesley's reliance on the entire Christian tradition - in particular of the early church and of the Church of England - is far heavier than his stated conception of Scripture would seem to allow, and that Wesley stresses the interdependence of the five dimensions of religious authority for Christian faith and practice.

A rich articulation of John Wesley's theology that is appreciative of the old and mindful of the new, faithful to the past and attentive to the present. This work carefully displays John Wesley's eighteenth century theology in its own distinct historical and social location, but then transitions to the twenty-first century through the introduction of contemporary issues. So conceived, the book is both historical and constructive demonstrating that the theology of Wesley represents a vibrant tradition. Cognizant of Wesley's own preferred vocabulary, Collins introduces Wesley's theological method beginning with a discussion of the doctrine of God. "In this insightful exposition the leitmotif of holy love arises out of Wesley's reflection on the nature of the divine being as well as other major doctrines." (Douglas Meeks)

Meet the Faith of Wesley . . . Real and Relevant in Today's World.

While most Christians desire to know and understand God's Word, many have a limited understanding of the Bible. They may know bits and pieces--random Bible stories and verses--but not how the pieces fit together. This study fits these "bits and pieces" of Bible knowledge together in to the big picture, showing how each one relates to a common theme that runs throughout the Word. This journey "through the Bible" reveals the unfolding of God's plan in the insights and events found in each book of the Bible and provides a panoramic view for excellent understanding of the Bible as a whole. There is no substitute for studying the Bible, and Through the Bible is an invaluable tool for gaining a better understanding of God's Word. Author Patricia J. David encourages the reader to make a priority of knowing and understanding the Bible, and then helps the reader to accomplish this goal.

"The author points the way to bridging the gap between the historical context of the Bible and the present-day context of the reader by exploring worldviews, the value-shaping function of words, and the role of the reader. He introduces readers to the methods and tools needed to successfully understand and embody the message of Scripture"--