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The Message of Romans You're NOT Likely to Hear
What motivated the apostle Paul? Paul's letter to the Romans is one of the most preached books of the Bible. And much (most?) of that preaching has focused in on one theme in particular. If you've heard a sermon from Romans lately, there's a good chance this topic was the topic . And if you've not already guessed, the particularly common focus of preaching and writing on Romans is nothing less than justification by faith . For the last 500 years, this has been taken to be
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Reframing Holiness: Human Flourishing, not Legalistic Rule-Keeping
One of the problems with the word holiness is the baggage. When people hear you talk about holiness, their minds tend to think of it...
Matt O'Reilly
6 min read
How Wesleyans Understand Salvation: A Conversation with Bill Ury (Wesley Wednesday)
A lot of people know Wesleyans (or Methodists) tend to talk about salvation in terms of prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace....
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Are you an "almost" Christian? John Wesley's crucial question
Are you an almost Christian? What exactly is an almost Christian? How is an almost Christian different from an altogether Christian?...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
John Wesley: Am I REALLY Saved?
How can I know that my faith is saving faith? Did you know that John Wesley (founder of Methodism) struggled with that very question...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Everyday Holiness with Bill Ury // 2024 Spiritual Renewal Conference (Nov 17-19)
I want to be sure that Theology Project readers know about this upcoming event at Christ Church Birmingham. Dr. Bill Ury will be the...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
The "other" reasons Methodism came apart and how we move forward
We've heard again and again that conflict over questions of sexuality was not the only reason for the ongoing schism of the United...
Matt O'Reilly
4 min read
Have we received a sanitized version of John Wesley?
In her chapter on "Reconstructing a Spirit-led Movement" in Reconstructing Methodism , Madeline Carrasco Henners argues that the version...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
New Book: Free to Be Holy (from Seedbed)
I'm excited to announce that my new book, Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification , released from Seedbed recently. This...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
35 Axioms of Wesleyan Theology
As a pastor, I frequently encounter questions about how to understand salvation and grace. The nature and scope of Christ's saving work...
Matt O'Reilly
4 min read
Traveling Bishops or Residential Bishops? The Global Methodist Church
I've been writing a lot of late on the conversation around bishops in the Global Methodist Church. The outcome of the vote on the...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Plain Spoken Interview: The Case for General Superintendents (TLC Plan) in the Global Methodist Church
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jeffrey Rickman of Plain Spoken to talk about the major plans for structuring the...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Five Points John Calvin Got Wrong about Romans 9
Romans 9 is often taken as obvious scriptural evidence for a Calvinist (or Reformed) understanding of election and salvation. Named for...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
From Grand Deposit to Poor Farce? Chris Lohrstorfer on Recovering Biblical Holiness
Dr. Chris Lohrstorfer is Associate Professor of Wesleyan Theology at Wesley Biblical Seminary and Senior Pastor at Hinds Independent...
Contributor
4 min read
Begin with God: Jason Vickers on Reconstructing Methodism
If we are going to think theologically about the church, we cannot begin with the church; we must begin with God. This is not something...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
NEW BOOK: Reconstructing Methodism: Crucial Issues Facing the Global Methodist Church
I'm very excited to announce that Reconstructing Methodism: Crucial Issues Facing the Global Methodist Church will be released the first...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
John Wesley on the "grand stumbling-block" to the Church's Global Mission
What barrier must be overcome for the mission of the Church to be effective?
Matt O'Reilly
4 min read
Announcement: Major New Book on American Methodism from Kevin Watson
Have you seen this major new book on American Methodism?
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Did John Calvin Teach Christian Perfection (or Entire Sanctification)?
The answer surprised me. Check out these quotes from Calvin on Christian perfection and entire sanctification.
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Is Separation Warranted? Wesley's Catholic Spirit and the Question of Sexuality
Does a "catholic spirit" always rule out separation?
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Finish the Sentence: Methodism Is...
The launch of the Global Methodist Church presents an opportunity to clarify our Methodist identity. What does it mean to be Methodist?
Matt O'Reilly
6 min read
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