When the Methodist Church was instituted in the U.S., it wasn’t an institution. It was a church on the move, says the Rev. Dr. Theon Johnson III, today’s guest on “Un-Tied Methodism.” Join Dr. Ashley Boggan D., general secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History, and Johnson, pastor at Downs Memorial UMC in Oakland, Calif., for a thoughtful and lively conversation about The UMC’s history of faith in action and how we reclaim our role as a church on the move.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/ArchivesandHistory.

Interested in a deep dive into the earliest stories of Methodism? Sign up for a free, online, four-module history course titled “Radicle Methodism: Back to our Roots” at ResourceUMC.org/ArchivesandHistory/Radicle-Methodism.

Just in time for Lent, Dr. Ashley Boggan D. is joined by the Rev. Dr. Steven Manskar to discuss his new book, “Lent & Easter with John & Charles Wesley.” Incorporating John Wesley’s sermons and Charles Wesley’s hymns, Manskar explains how, through the daily devotional guide, readers will prepare to reaffirm the baptismal covenant on Easter Sunday, all while better understanding the doctrinal standards of Wesley’s Methodism.

Learn more and/or purchase “Lent & Easter with John & Charles Wesley” at this link.

Learn more United Methodist history by visiting umhistoryhub.teachable.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/archivesandhistory.

The United Methodist Church has a legacy of social witness. Join Dr. Ashley Boggan D. with guests the Rev. Dr. Darryl Stephens and John Hill, interim chief executive of the The UMC’s General Board of Church and Society, to discuss the history of the Social Principles and the new Revised Social Principles coming before General Conference 2020 to be held in April 2024.

Learn more or purchase the Revised Social Principles at this link. 

The Rev. Dr. Darryl Stephens is a noted author and speaker. To pre-order Stephens’ upcoming book, Reckoning Methodism: Mission and Division in the Public Church (Eugene, OR: Cascade, out in March 2024, go to this link.

Learn more United Methodist history by visiting umhistoryhub.teachable.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/archivesandhistory.

Dr. Ashley Boggan D., general secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History, welcomes her guest, the Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote, renowned Wesley scholar, to discuss his new book, “Multiplying Love: A Vision of United Methodist Life Together.” During the conversation, Chilcote asserts that in a world that is radically divided, we don’t need a bold witness, but, rather, a gracious witness that is centered on holiness connected to love and not law.

Learn more or purchase “Multipyling Love: A Vision of United Methodist Life Together” at Cokesbury.com.

Learn more United Methodist history by visiting umhistoryhub.teachable.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/archivesandhistory.

The historic Christmas Conference in 1784 is the official beginning of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America, but the seeds of Methodism were first planted in America almost two decades earlier in New York City. Dr. Ashley Boggan D. welcomes United Methodist pastor Stefanie Bennett, who shares the history that dates back to 1766 and resulted in the establishment of John Street UMC, the oldest Methodist U.S. congregation.

Learn more United Methodist history by visiting umhistoryhub.teachable.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/archivesandhistory.

Bishop David Wilson, the first Native American person elected to serve as as United Methodist bishop, joins Dr. Ashley Boggan D. to discuss the history of Methodism and indigenous nations, including the role the denomination played with mission schools and decolonizing Native Peoples.

To learn more about the books mentioned in today’s episode, visit these links:

“Massacre at Sand Creek” by Gary L. Roberts

Learn more United Methodist history by visiting umhistoryhub.teachable.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/archivesandhistory.

In his newly-released graphic novel titled “Incompatible,” the Rev. Charlie Baber explores the history of events that led to The UMC’s current divide on the subject of LGBTQ+ inclusion. Dr. Ashley Boggan D. and Baber, a United Methodist pastor and creator of the Wesley Bros. animated characters, discuss the church’s current struggle and how the full inclusion of LBGTQ+ Christians is a faithful witness to the work of the Holy Spirit.

To learn more about today’s guest, go to CharlieBaber.com.

Learn more United Methodist history by visiting umhistoryhub.teachable.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/archivesandhistory.

The Rev. Beth Richardson, an early leader in what would become the Reconciling Ministries Network, tells her story of the beginning years of creating a space where LGBTQ+ United Methodists could feel safe and loved, be affirmed and find advocacy.

Today’s episode was livestreamed as part of the 2023 United Methodist Podcast-a-thon produced by United Methodist Communications.

To learn more about today’s guest, visit BethARichardson.com.

Learn more United Methodist history by visiting umhistoryhub.teachable.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/archivesandhistory.

In the new book, “Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm,” author and retired United Methodist pastor John Elford calls out the white American Methodist church for its involvement with White  Supremacy since the 18th century to the present. In this podcast episode, Dr. Ashley Boggan D. and Elford discuss the denomination’s troubled history and also share how United Methodists today can take a stand for racial justice in our churches and communities.

Learn more about or order a copy of “Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm,” at JohnElford.com.

Learn more United Methodist history by visiting umhistoryhub.teachable.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/archivesandhistory.

How have Methodists approached education in the past? John Wesley was a highly educated Oxford don whose mother embedded the importance of universal education in him from a young age. How did universal access to education become a driving part of the Methodist mission, particularly in America?

GUESTS:

Dr. Linda Ryan is a graduate of the Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History and author of John Wesley and the Education of Children: Gender, Class and Piety

Dr. Marco Robinson is an Assistant Professor of History at Prairie View A&M University and Assistant Director of the Ruth J Simmons Center for Race and Justice in Prairie View, Texas.

Dr Audrey McCluskey is professor emeritus of African American and African Diasporar Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. She is the author of many books including A Forgotten Sisterhood: Pioneering Black Women Educators and Activists in the Jim Crow South

HOST:

Dr. Ashley Boggan D., general secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church.