Book Reviews
Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit: 52 Prayers for Today
By Paul W. Chilcote
(Upper Room Books, 2001)
Book Review by Willie J. Foreman, Associate General Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship
A contemporary rendering of Wesley's 52 standard sermons into prayers, this book is a valuable way to bring the sermons and hymns of the Wesley brothers alive for today. Chilcote's intent is to make them "spiritually uplifting" for the modern reader by providing a new way to encounter and understand Wesley's spiritual concepts of salvation by faith, justification by faith, and Christian perfection, among others.
Each sermon is updated and paraphrased in a brief form, and the content of the sermons is transformed into prayers with an opening Scripture and a hymn text by Charles Wesley. Included is an index of original titles under which Wesley's sermons were published and a Scripture index of sermon texts and hymns. The hymn index places selections in numerical sequence as they appear in the 1780 A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodist.
Chilcote, Professor of Historical Theology and Wesleyan Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Florida, has taught on three continents. An experienced pastor and missionary, he now leads workshops on Wesleyan studies, Christian spirituality, and discipleship. In this book we sense his passion for the Wesleys' works and his desire that we be transformed by them.
The prayers may be used for individual reflection or with a prayer partner or small group of people who covenant to pray the prayers and hold one another accountable. Meditating and reflecting on the theological gems found in the prayers and hymns and coming together to discuss them has the potential to be life-changing.
The prayers could be used in staff meetings, sermon starters, and texts for Sunday school classes.
Although the book appears oriented toward adults, it could be used by youth in a variety of ways: creating a montage illustrating a prayer; writing a skit/play; discussing the meaning of a prayer; writing songs/prayers in response to prayers and for devotions. Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit can ground youth and adults in becoming Christ-formed leaders in the Wesleyan tradition.
We acknowledge a need for spiritual leadership. Understanding the Wesleys' theology will help us become Christ-formed leaders rooted in the Wesleyan tradition as we struggle with challenges and obstacles to moving forward.
The Poor and the People Called Methodists
Richard P. Heitzenrater, Editor
(Abingdon, 2002); Order from Cokesbury.
Book Review by Dr. Laurel Burton, Senior Pastor, Gobin United Methodist Church, Green Castle, IN
As I left seminary many years ago, it seemed that the world of new graduates was divided into two camps. One clearly believed the task facing the church was one of orthodoxy (right thinking). The other passionately believed in orthopraxis (right action). Only a few articulated a theology that found the two inseparable. Now comes a book that grounds the "problem" and its "solution" in historical perspective and contemporary promise.
Heitzenrater probes the historical and theological dimensions of this issue, then builds a mighty bridge to our own day. Setting the stage by asking, "Who are the poor?" he shows that "Poverty was defined by the elite . . . but experienced by the people in terms of hunger, exposure, and powerlessness. . . ." His discussion of the Poor Laws provides the necessary context for understanding Wesley's approach to the poverty experienced by so many in the societies. Heitzenrater's conclusions alone are worth the price of the book (pages 35-38), as is the summary of Wesley's economic ethic by Randy Maddox, Professor of Wesleyan Theology:
"(1) Ultimately everything belongs to God; (2) resources are placed in our care to use as God sees fit; (3) God desires that we use these resources to meet our necessities (i.e., providing shelter and food for ourselves and dependents), and then to help others in need, (4) spending resources on luxuries for ourselves while others remain in need is robbing God!" (p. 62).
Maddox's reminder, "Wesley insists that our words of mercy are always dependent on God's gracious transforming work in our lives," shows how integrated works and grace were for Wesley (page 70).
Later, Joerg Rieger, Associate Professor of Systematic heology at SMU, correctly declares, "Any option for the poor must first of all be God's own option for the poor" (page 96). And, "The ultimate focus of Wesleyan spirituality is not primarily the praxis of the 'people called Methodists' but the discernment of, and response to the triune God's presence and praxis in the world" (p. 97).
Theologian José Míguez Bonino presses the unity of belief and praxis, opening Chapter 9 with these words: "When the fullness of time comes, anticipates Wesley, there is 'no oppression to make (even) the wise man mad; no extortion to grind the face of the poor.' Meanwhile, 'the poor have you always with you,' not as a mere fact to be passively accepted but as a permanent invitation to serve them, so that 'you would no more ask, 'What shall I do?'" (page 181). He declares, "Wesley is original and challenging in his courage to step beyond the boundaries of religion and take the risk to give to Christian mercy and justice a specific and operative project" (page 188). He concludes, "Wesley's example should be an inspiration for us insofar as his theology rests on an organic unity between the personal encounter with Christ in the power of the Spirit and the commitment to a life of active love and service" (page 192). Rich, textured, passionate, and enlightening, this is a "must read."