Rev. Dr. Kevin Watson is a fellow Methodist from Oklahoma. He has a heart for equipping the church, especially her clergy, for ministry. Out of this passion, he straddles both the academy and the church, serving both Asbury Theological Seminary and Asbury Church (a former UM local church) in Tulsa. 

Kevin recently published a book on Methodist history, and I thought it was time to pick his brain about some themes I have wondered about. In this conversation, we cover topics related to proper and faithful training of Methodist clergy, especially in light of the unfortunate developments over the last century or so in mainline Methodist seminaries. We talk about the authentic nature and hallmarks of the Methodist movement, the call of discipleship at the present moment, the failures of leadership in mainstream religious practice in the West, the nature of holiness, and several other connected issues drawn from history.

If you haven't already, you need to order his book: "Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline: A History of the Wesleyan Tradition in the United States." You can order it at Zondervan here - https://zondervanacademic.com/doctrine-spirit-and-discipline and plenty of other booksellers.

You can read some of Dr. Watson's other writings at his website: www.kevinmwatson.com.

The other books I referenced have links, too. 

1) The Class Meeting is found at https://my.seedbed.com/product/class-meeting-by-kevin-watson/

2) The Band Meeting is found at https://my.seedbed.com/product/the-band-meeting/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit plainspokenpod.substack.com