Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 446-467).

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / The problem of the dissertation is to ascertain the social ideas of Methodist ministers serving in the Birmingham Area of The Methodist Church from 1939 to 1960; to discover the origin of these ideas and their development historically; to make an analysis of these ideas in the context in which they develop; and to discover what hypotheses are most adequate to account for the development of these ideas. Methodologically the study depends primarily upon the historical method, which is supplemented by the use of interview, observation, and a questionnaire entitled "Beliefs of Methodists." It was found that the social ideas of Methodist ministers were expressed primarily in the areas of temperance, the relationship of church to state, world order and related topics, and race relations. In the presentation of all social ideas except race the ministers demonstrated a marked uniformity of opinion. There is considerable tension among the ideas of ministers as they relate to race relations [TRUNCATED].

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The primary purpose of this study is to investigate and systematically explicate the doctrine of God found in the writings of John Wesley.  This thesis consists of seven chapters:  the incomprehensible God, the revelation of God, the Trinity, the attributes of God, creation, the providence of God, and conclusion. Wesley was biblical and practical in explaining God.  He also defended a holistic view of God:  that the omnipotent and omniscient God is at the same time personal, just, and holy.  However, in the historical background of the eighteenth century when the traditional doctrine of God was challenged, Wesley emphasised that God is a personal, holy, triune God. Wesley’s doctrine of God is the doctrine of “the old religion”, which wants to return to the root of the original Christianity of the Bible and “the primitive Church”.  Thus, the root of this doctrine is in the Bible and “the primitive Church”.  In this sense, this doctrine is orthodox and ecumenical. A characteristic feature of this doctrine is its emphasise on the harmony of God’s attributes and on the balanced activity of the three Persons of the triune God in the process of salvation.  Thus, for example, while he stressed the moral attributes of God, he did not limit any natural attribute of God.  Further, seeing salvation as a whole work of the triune God, Wesley did not fall into an unbalanced view of salvation that lays emphasis on one Person of the triune God in the process of salvation. Wesley characteristically understood God as personal.  For him, the personal God means that he is relational and social interacting with intelligent beings.  Thus he rejects God’s pantheistic and panentheistic relation to the world.  This personal God enjoys having fellowship with human beings and working together with them.  This determines how salvation is worked out and how the kingdom of grace on earth is established.  In a word, the personal God desires synergism in salvation and his kingdom of grace. The dynamic of Wesley’s doctrine of God was in his spirituality and his vision for establishing ‘the kingdom of holiness and happiness on earth’.  In sharing this spirituality and vision, his doctrine of God can be a new challenge today and can radically transform the world.

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This thesis argues that a thorough understanding of Methodism must attend to the lived experience of Methodist people, expressed within Methodist church communities. I use narrative research methods to show the nature of local Methodist identity. This research was conducted using group interviews with participants from three Methodist churches in West Yorkshire. In analysis of these interviews, a 'narrative of place' is revealed: this is how participants talk about the experience of their church's 'space' and make sense of their belonging. It communicates a shared sense of identity in each context. Through the narrative of place, I identify the shared experience of 'lived Methodism' that reflects my participants' belonging within a Methodist church and within that tradition. In 1932, three independent Methodist church groups, each with their own practical and theological emphases, united to form The Methodist Church of Great Britain. The contemporary Methodist Church claims and cherishes its place as a 'wide' church, accepts a diversity of practice. Therefore, attempting to define Methodist identity can be problematic. This thesis argues that Methodist identity is not merely given to the church by the Methodist Connexion, or as a function of meeting in a Methodist building, instead it is appropriated and lived locally. A series of two group interviews in three Methodist communities generates the data recorded in the form of transcripts. Using a narrative research methodology to interrogate this data, I expose the narrative of place and its three core emphases, these show how lived Methodism is revealed in my work. Initially, place and community demonstrates how community is formed locally. Using Pierre Bourdieu's theory of habitus, I argue that the language of place and community functions in setting the boundaries of that particular group in both conscious and unconscious ways. The community thus governs its practice and ecclesial identity. Secondly, place and memory is outlined. In the three church narratives, memory is used to claim validity for the current expression of the community, and to articulate the values the community wishes to highlight. These two areas highlight how the local churches own and understand their identity, leading finally to an analysis of place and tradition. This demonstrates an understanding of what it means to be a Methodist church. There exists a local tradition focussed on 'being the church here and now', which is fed by a received tradition mediated by those who are part of a broader Methodist narrative. The interface of these two modes of tradition creates a contextual Methodist tradition in each setting. I argue that it is here that a rich understanding of Methodism exists. Methodism is not a gift offered to a community, but a lived reality, claimed and valued by those who tell its story. The local narrative of place allows the lived experience of Methodism, in local church communities, to be heard and understood.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University. / STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The central aims of this study are to analyze the sociological significance of Methodism as an initiator of social thought and action in the area of world peace, and to find what effect the position held by Methodism has had on the changing attitude toward war in the twentieth century. PROCEDURE The method of the dissertation is empirical, with an appeal to rational coherence as the means of interrelating the data. The criteria of social thought and action developed in Chapter One serve as the tool for making a qualitative analysis of the social programs of the churches. Chapter Two briefly traces the historical setting. In Chapter Three attention is given to the role taken by The Methodist Church, while Chapter Four deals with the part that Methodism has played in relation to national and international ecclesiastical organizations involved in the struggle for world peace. Summary The criteria cover six areas: (1) Range of Emotional Tone; (2) Range of Content; (3) Range of Responsibility; (4) Range of Community; (5) Range of Relevance; and (6) Range of Involvement. Each area is developed along a continuum in order to determine the degree of accuracy. In the early 1900's there was a great interest in isolationism and peace sentiment. Both these movements went into hibernation during World War I, only to return in the 1920's. The peace sentiment of the 1920's brought with it a concern with international affairs, which enabled the churches to maintain a universal theme in World War II and to preserve the harmony of the pacifist/non-pacifist camps. Following World War II the American people displayed a new concern for world affairs. The churches served as one of the causes for this change. This interest in world affairs was the by-product of the sect type tendencies found within some of the agencies of the major denominations and of the denominations' attempt to support a universalist religion. The uncompromising appeal to ethical ideals is apparent in such agencies of The Methodist Church as the Commission on World Peace, the Woman's Society of Christian Service and the Methodist Federation for Social Action. The attempt to educate Methodists concerning international affairs is evident in the work of the two Methodist Crusades for World Order and of the Board of Education. This desire to be informed and involved in the decision-making policies is seen in the work of the Department of International Goodwill and Justice of the Federal Council of Churches in America. The World Council of Churches has also sought peace through its attempt to mold world opinion and to express the consensus of its constituents. Conclusions 1. Methodism has been an initiator of social thought and action in world peace: by creating the first Board among the major denominations with the specific purpose of the achievement of world peace; by being the only major denomination to serve on the National Board of Civilian Service; by leading the Crusade for a New World Order to win acceptance for the United Nations; by educating for international understanding in the programs of the Church; and by providing leadership and at times direction to national and international organizations working for peace. 2. There has been a decided shift on the part of the churches in their degree of involvement in war. 3. The emphasis of a universalist religion was maintained throughout World War II and the post-war years. 4. The churches have become deeply involved in the responsibility to move from guiding principles to political propositions and to bring a Christian influence to bear on international events.