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What does "Israel" mean? Bible Scholars respond to the Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson debate
Is the meaning of “Israel” obvious? That question was hotly debated recently by Senator Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson. In this Theology...
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5 Keys to Fill the "Sanctification Gap" (#UMC, @IVPacademic, @OfficialSeedbed)
Is holiness a missing element in evangelical theology? That’s what Gordon T. Smith says in the opening chapter of his recent book, Called...

Matt O'Reilly
5 min read
New Post: Resurrection Makes Us Holy (@OfficialSeedbed)
During my recent trip to Wilmore, Kentucky, I had the opportunity to film another episode for Seedbed‘s growing Seven Minute Seminary...

Matt O'Reilly
1 min read


Preaching Holiness #UMC
I recently posted a few reflections on John Wesley’s instruction that Methodist preachers ought to preach the doctrine of holiness (or...

Matt O'Reilly
1 min read


John Wesley On What Every Methodist Preacher Should Preach #UMC
What did John Wesley expect his preachers to preach about? What should be the heart of their message? Near the end of his short book, A...

Matt O'Reilly
4 min read
Here’s My New 7 Minute Seminary: Is Sin Essential? #UMC @OfficialSeedbed
Is sin essential to human experience? What if it’s not? What if Jesus died so we could stop sinning? What if full human life is a fully...

Matt O'Reilly
1 min read


Four Thoughts on the Four Virtues
Upon the recommendation of a very good friend, I began reading through Joseph Pieper’s The Four Cardinal Virtues. Not surprisingly, the...

Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
New Podcast: Fully Focused on the Finish #ChristianPerfection #UMC
http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5338718/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Ffully-focused-on-the-fini...

Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
New Podcast: Christlike in Real Life @StMarkMobile #UMC
http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5320402/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Fchristlike-in-real-life-p...

Matt O'Reilly
1 min read


New Sermon Podcast: "See Holy, Be Holy" #umc #wesleyanaccent
I’m excited to announce that I’ve just begun a new appointment to St. Mark United Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama. It’s a great...

Matt O'Reilly
1 min read


What can St. Patrick teach us about Christian Perfection?
Whether using a shamrock to illustrate the Trinity or running the snakes out of Ireland, St. Patrick is known for many legendary and even...

Matt O'Reilly
4 min read


Flames of Holy Love: Or, Why I’m a Methodist (#AndCanItBe)
This is John Wesley. And this vision of Christianity is why I am, and will remain, a Methodist. “Love is the fulfilling of the law, the...

Matt O'Reilly
3 min read


Entire Sanctification in the Early Church (#AndCanItBe)
I’ve often heard that John Wesley’s emphasis on Entire Sanctification (or Christian Perfection) was not only the result of his reading of...

Matt O'Reilly
3 min read


Free Wesleyan-Holiness Resources! @OfficialSeedbed #andcanitbe
Seedbed has just announced a new partnership with First Fruits Publishing to release a number of classic Wesleyan-holiness works and...

Matt O'Reilly
1 min read


The Corrupted Gospel #andcanitbe
John Wesley’s conviction that the Methodist movement existed primarily to proclaim the doctrine of Christian perfection (or entire...

Matt O'Reilly
2 min read


Key United Methodist Beliefs by Abraham and Watson (#andcanitbe)
It has sometimes been suggested that “Methodist beliefs” is an oxymoron. Fortunately, an increasing number of voices are working to...

Matt O'Reilly
3 min read


360-Degree Holiness: @calvintsamuel Lectures @WesleyBiblical (#andcanitbe)
I finally got around to downloading and listening to the Chamberlain Holiness Lectures delivered last fall by Rev. Dr. Calvin T. Samuel...

Matt O'Reilly
3 min read


James Dunn on Biblical Holiness (#AndCanItBe)
I was struck by this quote from James D.G. Dunn on holiness in the Bible: I still want to maintain that wherever the concept of...

Matt O'Reilly
2 min read


Further Thoughts on Wesleyan Renewal: A Respone to @CraigAdams49 (#AndCanItBe)
I’m grateful to Craig Adams for his thoughtful interaction with my previous post on finding our Wesleyan voice. Craig made some good...

Matt O'Reilly
2 min read


Why I Love the United Methodist Church
Grace that transforms I recall reading John Wesley’s A Plain Account of Christian Perfection for the first time. I remember that I was...

Matt O'Reilly
2 min read


A Contemporary Account of Christian Perfection
The doctrine of Christian perfection needs to be recaptured and restated today. And a recent, if unexpected restatement of some core...

Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
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