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What the church has believed, taught and confessed

Every Sunday throughout much of the church, you will hear confessions from the Apostles’ Creed or Nicene Creed being confessed. This is one of the standard “orders” in a worship service, whether the church is liturgical or non-liturgical, traditional or contemporary. You will hear it in Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches. I have […]


Global Methodist Church and a CEU requirement

These are exciting and thrilling days for the new Global Methodist Church as a new body of Wesleyan believers are coming together to “worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.” Thousands of churches have joined the new denomination, and over time, it will become the largest Wesleyan movement in the world. The convening General Conference […]


Perfecting Holiness

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Cor. 7:1). I cannot fully express to you the joy that was ours when in the spring of 1985 – over 25 years ago – our first child was […]


Women as Pastors and Leaders in the Church

During our Centennial year, I am preaching on the great themes that have defined the ministry and theology of Asbury Theological Seminary. Here, we will examine our historic commitment to train women. Even though we began as an institution in 1923, our first regular graduating class that was not merely transfer students was in 1927. […]


My Charge to the 2023 Graduating Class of Asbury Theological Seminary

May 20, 2023 Every year I give a brief charge to our graduates as part of the graduation ceremony. Here is the charge I gave this year. 2 Cor. 4:8-10 says, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. […]


The Relationship of Psalms to Hymns and Choruses

Most Protestant worship services devote a section of the worship service to congregational singing. Typically, a congregation will sing hymns, choruses, or some combination of these. Yet, for the vast majority of Christians throughout history, the primary act of singing would have been the Psalms, even if other songs were also sung. One of the […]


Asbury Awakening Continues

The spiritual awakening that started at Asbury University on February 8 continues to the present and is having a significant impact on many people around the country and even in distant parts of the world. Thousands of people from all over the nation and the world have descended upon this little town of Wilmore, Kentucky. […]


Thoughts on the Asbury Awakening

Something special happened last Wednesday in the chapel of Asbury University chapel.  The Lord began to move in the lives of a group of students. These embers have now been fanned into flame and there is clearly a definite move of God in our midst.  We should not spend too much time looking for human […]


Happy New Year – Preparing for the Coming Revival

There is no more common and “sunshine” greeting at the New Year than to say to someone, “Happy New Year!”  But, this is clearly more aspirational than descriptive of how Americans actually feel about the upcoming year.  For example, a recent Pew Research Center Survey revealed a growing pessimism in the country about what most […]


What is the Difference between Evangelism and Missions?

All Christians should understand that the good news of the gospel that Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead and universally offers redemption and reconciliation to the entire created order is central to our identity as the people of the Risen Lord.  The challenge comes is knowing what this actually looks like in a local […]