Love Bade Me Welcome: A British Methodist Perspective on the Church

by David Carter

This book - the first on its subject since 1964 - outlines the development of British Methodist ecclesiology from the time of the Wesleys to the present day. It begins with a brief analysis of the complex intervention between the shifting ecclesiological consciousness of the early Methodist societies. It then expounds the now largely forgotten tradition of 'classical' Wesleyan ecclesiological thought, and takes a brief look at non-Wesleyan Methodist traditions. It incorporates some material (principally from William Shrewsbury) that has never been discussed academically.
David Carter surveys the last century of Methodist ecclesiological development, setting it in an ecumenical context, and attempts to relate Methodist insights to the wider ecumenical debate in ecclesiology. The aim of his book is to whet the reader's appetite for the further and more profound investigation that the subject deserves. It will be mandatory reading for Methodists who wish to understand their distinctive ecclesial tradition, and will also be of interest to those other Christians in partnership of dialogue with Methodists, who wish to have a clearer understanding of Methodist ecclesiology for themselves.

Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two chapters are an excellent survey of Wesleyan ecclesiology that made me mourn the absence of sustained theological reflection among the leaders of the UMC. I highly recommend the first two chapters and will scan for pdf anyone interested.