Timothy Tennent

Are there really any atheists?

Professor Richard Dawkins has been called the world’s most notorious atheist. Indeed, his atheism is so militant that he is widely regarded as the poster-child for the modern so-called “new Atheist” movement. His wildly popular books, The God Delusion, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, among others, are regularly cited in atheist articles, books and […]

4 Things United Methodists can learn from the Episcopal Church

Asbury Theological Seminary had the recent honor of hosting Archbishop Robert Duncan of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA). He preached in historic Estes Chapel from the book of Esther and reminded us all that Haaman’s gallows are being built for all those who stand for righteousness, but we have been called to persevere […]

Reflections on the Embassy Attacks

In recent days we have seen multiple attacks on American embassies or consulates in the Middle East, including those in Lybia, Egypt, and Yemen. Dating back to the Iranian revolution in the 1970’s we have become accustomed to seeing this kind of violence expressed against America. In watching the news of these recent attacks, and […]

What is the Book of Discipline?

One of the beautiful and cherished features of the Methodist tradition is the way in which the pastors are brought into a shared covenant with one another. The whole appointment system under an episcopal form of government (bishops and district superintendents) is made possible because of a shared covenant. We pledge to stand together. We […]

Missional Leaders for the Church

Demographics don’t lie, you just have to be willing to listen to them. For example, if China has 90 million believers, but the vast majority of those believers are under 30 years old and the United States has 90 million evangelicals and the majority of those are over 50, then there is a demographic story […]

Growing Fruit on Someone Else’s Tree

I just returned from the Lausanne Consultation on Global Theological Education held in Boston. The dream, which began over a year ago, was to bring together seminary presidents from all over the world to discuss the implications of the emergence of a vibrant global church for theological education. This was the first big event for […]

My Charge to the 2012 Graduates of Asbury Theological Seminary

We live in a world which if it were reduced to a jar with a label on it, that label would probably include the word impossible. We live at a time when almost everything around us is framed by impossibilities… ● Peace among Israelis and Palestinians…impossible ● An America where the threat of terrorism is […]

Robust Christianity in a Post-Christendom World

One of the great challenges facing this generation of Christians is the successful navigation to a more robust Christianity, finally set free from the domesticating influence of Christendom. Under the sway of “cultural Christianity” difficult theological questions rarely arise, and catechesis declines because people, broadly speaking, see themselves as being “good Christian folk.” To be […]

The Black Man in Our Sacred Dreams

It has become almost a stock image, especially in missionary circles: During a fitful night trying to sleep, an African man has a dream of a white man coming to him telling him that a message of salvation or healing is on the way. The missionary then arrives, the gospel is preached, people gladly receive […]

Re-Imagining the Gospel

Many of us will remember the 1993 Re-Imagining conference held in Minneapolis which drew so much national attention. The central purpose of the conference, as I recall, was to help the wider church more fully support the role of women in leadership in the church. This was, and continues to be, an important conversation in […]