What a Time to Be a Wesleyan! by David L. McKenna

by David L. McKenna

Book by McKenna, David L.

Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

Dr. David Loren McKenna (b. 1929) is Founding Chair of the Northwest Graduate School of the Ministry, Redmond, Washington. He served for 50 years in Christian higher education, including 33 years as a college, university, and seminary president. His national reputation as an educator was acclaimed when he was finalist for Secretary of Education in the Reagan cabinet. He and his wife, Janet, have four children and twelve grandchildren.

Reviews

[George Kogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The culture of our day is subject to constant change, which enters our lives unexpectedly and at times inadvertently. The nature of change is such that it often raises new questions, probing the validity of our present answers and, in turn, stirring us to provide answers that are relevant and accommodating in relation to the impending change. McKenna writes a book with the purpose to resurrect the vitality of Wesleyans, suggesting ways in which the rich heritage of Wesleyan identity can play a prominent role in adaptation of our faith claims to the ever-changing cultural reality. McKenna’s argumentation is clear and incisive. Most importantly, it is written in a way respectful of other confessions of Christian faith, which yields a two-fold benefit: it allows representatives of other confessions to familiarize themselves with the Wesleyan theological voice and its viability for contemporary problem solving; it encourages diversity amidst unity, inviting each tradition to cooperate in order to enhance the aptitude of evangelicalism to provide a distinct vision of hope amidst a trembling culture of despair.

At the outset of his argument, McKenna proceeds to draw a parallel between the turbulence of social change in John Wesley’s England, marked by a sudden transition from agriculture to the dawn of industry, and our present day culture where success in life is measured by the usurpation of information. McKenna contends that any such abrupt change in social structures fosters a crumbling culture, leading to broken families, addictions with their immediate effects, segregated minorities, impecunious classes of society, questionable morality and bias exemplified in decision making within the structures of government and law. In sight of a disintegrating society, it was precisely the genius of John Wesley who, by offering an alternative perspective to nurture a culture of hope amidst a situation of despair, saved 18th-century England from utter collapse. Thus McKenna captures this understanding in what seems to be his thesis, “Under the mandate and motivation of the Holy Spirit, John Wesley saw in the chaos of his time the challenge of spiritual regeneration for individuals and moral transformation for society” (14). It is, therefore, the challenge of contemporary Wesleyans to find ways to articulate a vision of hope to counter spiritual and social immorality in our crumbling culture, for it is in the very nature of Wesleyans saved for a distinct purpose, which is to find courage in themselves to “serve in turbulent times” (11).
One of McKenna’s most poignant points in his analysis comes in the course of his efforts to discern the nature of Wesleyan responsibility in the wake of moral collapse in our culture. McKenna attests to Isaiah 6.5 as a fundamental text for an accurate depiction of our present spiritual reality. One of the essential contributions to our understanding of God, captured by the prophet in Isaiah 6, is that the moral character of God is “expressed in His ‘doing’ as well as His ‘being’” (46). No leaving creatures are able to look upon God, but must cover their faces, for, as suggested by McKenna, the imprint of God’s glory is left on everything that He touches. Thus, though God’s holiness gives us the awareness of our sin and its anguish, it also gives us the possibility to have the imprint of God’s character in our lives. Subsequently, every spokesman for God needs to accept responsibility for his or her sin to ensure continuation in a state of personal holiness, which is essential for becoming a fruitful missionary of the gospel. Isaiah’s statement, “I live among a people of unclean lips,” provides further direction for Wesleyan engagement with the corrupted heart of our culture. With our personal holiness intricately connected with our social holiness, McKenna accordingly suggests that as leaders, we need to assume responsibility for the sins of those people that follow us. The imperative component of our mission is to immerse those that follow us in the reality of “the violence of the Cross, ” necessary for complete removal of our guilt and atonement for our sin.

Another prominent point of emphasis in McKenna’s work has to do with his appeal to the Wesleyan heritage of continuous learning and effective adaptation to the quickly emerging cultural trends. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is gradual, which means that our knowledge and discernment are both progressive and developmental. Our grasp of truth, made possible by direct activity of the Holy Spirit, is contingent on our immediate need and our preparedness for a new level of understanding. Therefore, in the face of the unknown future and the skeptical views of opposition, we need to continue to wait in patience upon the Holy Spirit to lead us toward the new grounds of truth, while we faithfully make an effort to remain at the forefront of scholarship. However, as Wesleyans continue in the discipline of constant learning, it is also their task to embrace the reality of our culture, which is no longer guided by the moral fundamentals of Christian faith. The 21st century introduces what McKenna coins as “global parish” undergirded by racial, ethnic, economic, and religious diversity. Such diversity amounts to a variety of opinions, different values and attitudes, which may or may not be hostile to the claims of Christian faith. It is thus important to understand that North America has become as much of a mission field as any nation in the world, to which the concepts of contextualization and cross-cultural adaptation become urgently applicable. The primary task of Wesleyans remains to work toward spiritual regeneration and social redemption of our pluralistic society without compromising the genuine truth of the gospel and the faith it professes by making every church a “sending society” and equipping every believer as a “missionary.”

McKenna writes his book to engage a wide range of readers, ranging from the academic elite to a faithful, observant Christian, wanting to broaden his or her horizons of spiritual awareness. The use of language is not overly academic and McKenna, being a skilled preacher and a visionary, incorporates a variety of illustrations and anecdotes to help the reader visualize complex concepts through examples from his personal life and images offered by other authors. The structure of McKenna’s argument in the book is also very helpful as he begins by immersing us in the reality of our culture, drawing parallels with Wesley’s ministry to the collapsing society of England and moving gradually to suggestions of how Wesleyan movement can further advance its vitality in ministry in the urgency of our times. Though McKenna writes with Wesleyan-Holiness bend and his Wesleyan audience in mind, his argument is objective and all-inclusive. Readers from other confessions will find his work a helpful introduction to the world of John Wesley’s thought and the special calling of Wesleyans amidst the wider context of evangelicalism. In addition, the work has the potential for becoming an effective contributor to the ecumenical dialogue. McKenna is an active proponent of the importance of a Wesleyan voice, especially in conjunction with other evangelical voices, for only in unity can we face the moral breakdown of our society effectively, articulating the hopeful possibility of spiritual and social transformation. Overall, McKenna is highly effective in achieving his purpose, which makes his work a worthwhile reading.