Role of Richard Watson's theological Institutes in the Development of Methodism After John Wesley

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Pages:436
ISBN:0-7734-0072-9
978-0-7734-0072-6
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No study ever before has examined the political implications of Watson’s massive theological exposition. The official accounts of Methodist history mention the Theological Institutes but take their importance for granted. This work brings puts together the puzzle pieces of its major themes in a more contextualized historical interpretation.

Reviews

“This work should be of great interest to Methodist theologians today, as it sheds valuable light on topics ranging from the doctrine of the Trinity to the nature and critical importance of theological friendship… this volume should be of great interest to anyone who cares deeply about Methodist identity.”
-Dr. Jason E. Vickers,
United Theological Seminary


"The Institutes were influential in the formation of Methodist preachers in Great Britain and North America for much of the nineteenth century, and their genesis and context are investigated in this informative study. ... he supplies extensive discussions of Anti-Methodist polemics (Chapter 1), The controversy within Wesleyanism over Adam Clarke's views on Eternal Sonship of Christ (Chapter 2), and External Criticisms of Wesleyan polity (Chapter 3). These chapters offer much detail, and rescue some pugnacious authors from historical obscurity, as well as drawing attention to major figures like Clarke who are ripe for further investigation." -Martin Wellings, Wesley and Methodist Studies

Table of Contents

FOREWORD by Jason E. Vickers
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER
ONE: METHODISM UNDER FIRE

The Church in Danger
The True Church of England
The Patriotic Loyalty of British Methodists
Furniture-Maker to Methodist Preacher
Sojourn in the New Connexion
Impending Crisis
The Phenomenal Growth of Methodist Foreign Missions
TWO: THE ETERNAL SONSHIP CONTROVERSY
The Case for Episcopal Subordination
Rational Dissent Infiltrates Early Methodism
Adam Clarke Ignites a Firestorm
THREE: THE CONSOLIDATION OF CONFERENCE METHODISM
The Expulsion of Joseph Cooke
The Critique of Robert Southey
Providence and the Rise of Methodism
Mark Robinson’s Campaign for Church Methodism
Indissoluble Bonds of Doctrine, Conference and People
The Challenge of Nonconformity
The Threat of Tom Paine Methodism
FOUR: EVIDENCE FOR A DIVINE REVELATION
The Enduring legacy of Richard Hooker
The Transmission of the Rationalist Legacy
The ‘Plain Sense’ of Scripture
FIVE: SCRIPTURAL CHRISTIANITY RE-IMAGINED
The Defense of Divine Revelation
Hutchinsonianism and the Revival of High Church Piety
The Cruciality of A Posteriori Theology
Natural History of Watson’s Theological Institutes
The Assault on the ‘Three-Headed Cerberus’
The Defense of Athanasian Trinitarianism
The Marginalization of the Trinity
An Athanasian Trinitarian in the ‘Plain Sense’
The Eternal Son of God
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX


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