Full Tables, Closed Doors, Open Fields: The Changing Shape of Grace as American Methodists Move from Immigrant Society to Indigenous Church

by Steven David Bruns

Overview

John Wesley created an independent Methodist Church in 1784 in order to provide the sacraments to its members in America. The system created, however, did not seem to have the same understanding of the Lord's Supper that Wesley had, and it did not allow for the frequency to receive Communion that Wesley desired. Steven Bruns analyzes the writings of Wesley and those early Methodists involved in this process to discover what actually happened and why. In this book, Bruns looks at figures such as Francis Asbury, Freeborn Garrettson, Thomas Coke, William Waters, and many other leading figures of American Methodism to uncover their understanding of God's grace, the Lord's Supper, and the nature of the Church.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781532614750
Publisher:	Pickwick Publications
Publication date:	05/10/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Steven David Bruns is the Chair of the Ministry and Theology Department at Central Christian College of Kansas. He is an ordained Elder in the Free Methodist Church.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations ix

Introduction xi

Section 1 Background

Chapter 1 Survey of English Eucharistic Theology 3

Chapter 2 Survey of American Colonial Eucharistic Theology 13

Section 2 Wesley's Methodism

Chapter 3 Wesley's Eucharistic Theology through Aldersgate 23

Chapter 4 Wesley's Eucharistic Theology after Aldersgate 35

Chapter 5 Full Tables of Methodism 52

Section III American Methodism: Immigrant Society

Chapter 6 Eucharistic Tensions Prior to 1784 67

Chapter 7 American Methodist Leadership 78

Chapter 8 Sacramental Schism: Flauvanna 1779 90

Chapter 9 Healing the Schism 108

Section IV American Methodism: Indigenous Church

Chapter 10 1784 and the Indigenous Church 125

Chapter 11 1784 and the Sacraments 136

Chapter 12 On the Defensive 150

Chapter 13 Closed Doors 165

Chapter 14 Open Fields 176

Conclusion 191

Appendix A Eucharistic References in John Wesley's Works (Jackson) 197

Appendix B American Methodist Membership by Circuit 199

Appendix C Francis Asbury's Eucharistic Celebrations 1785-1800: As Recorded in His Journal 201

Bibliography 209

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Steven Bruns tells the story that explains why American Methodists did not follow John Wesley in observing the Lord's Supper as ‘the means of grace par excellence.’ This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about recovering the spiritual substance of the original Methodist movement in England, for genuine reform begins with understanding. Fortunately for us, this story is told clearly with just the right amount of pertinent detail.

—Timothy W. Whitaker, United Methodist Bishop, Retired



“Here is a book for the church-at-large that can also be read and appreciated by academics. Bruns reminds us that the basic elements for salvation are contained in the Eucharist (the serious call to repentance and faith within a community of believers). Furthermore, he captures the history, essence, and significance of the sacrament that motivated the creation of an indigenous church for America but was soon sorely neglected.”

—Robert G. Tuttle, Asbury Theological Seminary

Editorial Reviews

Steven Bruns tells the story that explains why American Methodists did not follow John Wesley in observing the Lord's Supper as ‘the means of grace par excellence.’ This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about recovering the spiritual substance of the original Methodist movement in England, for genuine reform begins with understanding. Fortunately for us, this story is told clearly with just the right amount of pertinent detail.

—Timothy W. Whitaker, United Methodist Bishop, Retired



“Here is a book for the church-at-large that can also be read and appreciated by academics. Bruns reminds us that the basic elements for salvation are contained in the Eucharist (the serious call to repentance and faith within a community of believers). Furthermore, he captures the history, essence, and significance of the sacrament that motivated the creation of an indigenous church for America but was soon sorely neglected.”

—Robert G. Tuttle, Asbury Theological Seminary

From the Publisher