Some have asked, through the years, as to why I’m a Wesleyan. I’m a Christian before (and after, and whilst) I’m a Wesleyan. But I choose to be Wesleyan for a few reasons. For those of you out there that are non-Wesleyans, this provides a view into my tribe, and why I care about it. For those of you out there that are Wesleyan — perhaps this gives you even more reason, resonates with you, or doesn’t make sense to you.
Here’s my take on why I’m a Wesleyan:
1) I was born Wesleyan… so, like being born American/Canadian/Uzbekistanian, or Black/White/Asian, or Middle-Class/Lower-Class/Upper-Class it is difficult, and at times impossible to change what we’re born into… and often times we don’t want to.
2) I considered the competition. Seriously. In particular while in grad school/seminary in Boston, I got an up-close look at dozens of other denominations (and religions) and took a long hard look at them. I still retain ties to other denominations and respect many other streams and tribes, but honestly most denominations are way worse than the Wesleyans at most things that matter (at least in my opinion.) I’ve joked that anytime I’ve been frustrated with being Wesleyan I just talk to any number of my brothers and sisters in other tribes (or even in independent mega-churches) and it enriches my commitment when I hear their stories of woe and warning. And besides, as I considered joining mega-church independent staffs in the past, and as I courted other denominational alliances I always found that point #3 was the trump card for me…
3) More importantly than all the above, I believe in spreading the hope and holiness of Jesus, and I think that compelling hope is unique and that Christlike holiness is to be lived out: Christ truly transforms all things; it changes everything; and He can do so for everyone. Steve Lennox once told my church in a consecration service: “Denominations are set apart by what questions they ask and how they answer them. Wesleyans ask three questions: Who can be saved? How saved can they be? and How can we know we are saved?” Wesleyans have the best shot at communicating some truly distinctive and transformative answers to these questions and are among the few that already believe these words to be fully true. We just have to get better at saying it, living it, and loving it along the way.
I certainly have had my doubts about my denomination along the way, I have a “lovers quarrel” with them and have even published some of my disagreements with my Dad and the denomination. But even in these I remain the “loyal opposition”–so much that I now work for the denominational headquarters, and submit to the Church’s authority in my life, willingly and with the joy that comes through mutual submission.
So, why are you Wesleyan, or whatever tribe you are a part of? I’ve gave you my take… what’s yours?
I should point out that “Master Wesley” in bobble-head form above came from a Nazarene friend of mine named Bryon McLaughlin, who is the editor of Grace and Peace magazine… which is a GREAT resource, which almost might convince me to be Nazarene, if not for the above reasons! 🙂
Your younger-looking Wesley bobblehead ain’t got nuthin on mine (which is from the ATS bookstore, btw)
You can get your Nazarene bobbleheads, including Master Wesley, here:
http://www.graceandpeacemagazine.org/bobblehead
and here I thought you were Wesleyan because you liked the logo (which, rumor has it, looks strangely similar to the ‘birthmark’ you have on your lower back)
Stevan, I’ve seen the “birthmark”… it’s actually a tat… Just a little stamp.
David,
I appreciated your comments over on Wesleyan Groundswell in response to my question and am grateful that you have decided to repost your comments here. I really thought that this question would generate far more discussion, as you would think that there would be some deeply personal/theological reasons for why one associates with a particular tribe.
While I’ve shared about my journey to the Wesleyan Church elsewhere, here is the short, bullet-point version:
• I wasn’t born Wesleyan. I grew up in a Methodist Church in rural, Pennsylvania.
• Early in my teen years we “shopped around” for a church. We “tried on” a number of denominations ranging from Charismatic to Baptist. Eventually, we settled upon the Wesleyan tribe. Looking back, one of the reasons why the Wesleyan tribe was such a good fit was that the Methodists and Wesleyans espoused a similar theology.
• I became a full-fledged covenant member as a teen, which let me know that the Wesleyan Church valued me although I was young.
• I attended a Wesleyan college (Houghton), yet was encouraged to think deeply about and explore other traditions. While I have benefited from said explorations, Wesleyan theology and the Wesleyan approach to doing theology makes the most sense.
• The methodical nature of Wesleyan-Methodist spirituality fits well with temperament and my obsessive compulsiveness.
• The Wesleyan Church’s ordination process did not require a lot of schooling. One did not have to attend seminary to be ordained. As a youngster headed off to college this had great appeal to me.
• The Wesleyan Church allows for (and assists with) development beyond the Bible college/undergraduate level. While education did not appeal to an eighteen year old student headed off to college, as someone with a B.A., two masters degrees, and a PhD in progress I have found that there is still a place for me in the Wesleyan Church.
• Wesleyan-Arminian soteriology seeks to faithfully embrace salvation as it is understood in the entirety of Scripture, rather than citing a handful of proof-texts. At the same time, Wesleyan-Arminian soteriology is oriented toward the practical. It not only makes sense scripturally, it makes sense at the nitty-gritty level of one’s daily existence.
• Finally, the Wesleyan Church recognizes that women have a place in ministry. Not only do Wesleyans talk about this and make doctrinal statements about it, we now have a woman who is serving at the highest level of leadership (General Superintendent).