Being United Methodist In The Bible Belt

Written in a humorous, accessible style, this book is an easy-to-understand guide to the kinds of theological questions that many United Methodist youth and others are asking today. Being United Methodist in the Bible Belt will help any United Methodist youth, parent, or educator better understand their unique brand of Christianity in light of the understandings of those from the evangelical tradition. With helpful sidebars explaining United Methodist history and polity and questions after each chapter for reflection and action, this book is ideal for Christian education courses for youth and adults, new member classes in United Methodist churches, as well as personal reading.

"Popular author F. Belton Joyner has revised his best-selling resource for introducing The United Methodist Church. In a humorous yet respectful style, Joyner takes the reader through illuminating questions and answers on United Methodist terms and beliefs on God, Jesus, the Bible, the church, salvation, and more. This revised edition includes new sections on United Methodism as a global church, United Methodist ministries beyond the congregation, and United Methodist theology in conversation with other Christian traditions. It has also been updated to reflect recent changes to The Book of Discipline and the orders of ministry. The book's question-and-answer format easily lends itself to use in Sunday school classes and also works for individual study. From new recruits to lifelong United Methodists, readers will gain a lively sense of what is special and important about their denominational home."--Back cover.

Following Jesus is hard to do – but even harder if we take ourselves too seriously. The Unofficial United Methodist Handbook is the indispensable companion for anyone trying to live a committed Christian life, with a healthy dose of humor. Timeless biblical truths stand alongside everyday life situations that everyone meets, with step-by-step instructions that make the going easy: How to Stay Alert in Church How to Identify an Angel (with diagram) How to Survive for One Hour in an Un-Air-Conditioned Church How to Share Your Faith with Someone How to Identify and Avoid Evil How to Survive an Old Testament Plague How to Memorize a Bible Verse Common Christian Symbols and What They Mean What Is Unique about The United Methodist Church and Its History …plus dozens of other illustrations, maps, diagrams, and essential tips! This unique and incredibly handy resource is perfect for United Methodist youth, adults, students, families, and all those interested in learning about life in the church.

What exactly is a Methodist?

In an astonishing history, a work of strikingly original research and interpretation, Heyrman shows how the evangelical Protestants of the late-18th century affronted the Southern Baptist majority of the day, not only by their opposition to slaveholding, war, and class privilege, but also by their espousal of the rights of the poor and their encouragement of women's public involvement in the church.

Deepen your understanding of core Methodist beliefs.

Rev. Skipworth's courage, candor, and compassion jump from the pages of this compilation of his weekly newspaper columns, "Letters to the Editor," rebuttals from area ministers, and responses from readers written in the heart of Tennessee's Bible Belt. This book is a give and take between a progressive follower of Jesus and his often-irate readers/respondents, most of whom are biblical literalists and evangelical white Christians. With Skip, what you see or read is what you get. He not only tackles the hard issues, while wearing vulnerably, but also brilliantly translates and integrates his columns with the informed biblical and theological understanding of many of the most learned minds within progressive Christianity. While making their work understandable for his readers, friends and foes alike, he painstakingly applies their insights to the divisive theological and political issues liberal clergy and laity have tragically failed to address honestly with each other. Skip deserves our gratitude for this informed and courageous gift, and the whole church owes him our thoughtful and willing dialogue. Taken from the Foreword by Bishop Joseph Sprague.

When asked their religious identification, more people answer 'none' in the Pacific Northwest than in any other region of the United States. But this does not mean that the region's religious institutions are without power or that Northwesterners who do attend no place of worship are without spiritual commitments. With no dominant denomination, Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants, Catholics, Jews, adherents of Pacific Rim religious traditions, indigenous groups, spiritual environmentalists, and secularists must vie or sometimes must cooperate with each other to address the regions' pressing economic, environmental, and social issues. One cannot understand this complex region without understanding the fluid religious commitments of its inhabitants. And one cannot understand religion in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska without Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest.