Faculty Has Book Written in His Honor

This photo depicts Dr. Laurence W. Wood (1966, BD), ATS faculty, being presented with a special gift by Provost Leslie Andrews at the plenary faculty meeting on Monday, November 28, 2011, for 35 years of service to Asbury Theological Seminary and was congratulated for the book written in his honor entitled, The Continuing Relevance of Wesleyan Theology, Essays in Honor of Laurence W. Wood (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2011).

The writings and theology of Dr. Laurence W. Wood were featured in this recent book entitled, The Continuing Relevance of Wesleyan Theology, Essays in Honor of Laurence W. Wood (Eugene, Oregon:Wipf & Stock 2011). The book was edited by an Asbury Theological Seminary alumnus, Dr. Nathan Crawford. Many of the chapters were contributed by Asbury Theological Seminary faculty and alumni, including the following:

(1) Dr. Christopher Bounds, “Augustine’s Interpretation of Romans 7:14-25, His Ordo Salutis and His Consistent Belief in a Christian Victory over Sin”;
(2) Dr. Steven O’Malley, “Exploring the Background for the Pentecost Connection in Early Methodism”;
(3) Dr. Barry Callen, “Heart of a Radical Reform: Christology and the Church of God Movement (Anderson)”;
(4) Dr. Bill Faupel, “John Fletcher’s Influence on the 19th Century American Holiness Movement’s Worldview”;
(5) Dr. William Abraham, “The End of Wesleyan Theology”;
(6) Dr. Nathan Crawford, “Sketching a Fundamental Wesleyan Theology: Pursuing a Hermeneutic of Love with Agustine’s De Doctrina Christian”;
(7) Dr. Kevin Kinghorn, “Pusing the Mystery Button: The Limits of Logic and Language”;
(8) Dr. Michael Peterson, “Evolution and the Deep Resonances between Science and Theology”;
(9) Dr. Bradford McCall, “Kenosis and Emergence: A Wesleyan Perspective”;
(10) Dr. Graham McFarlane, “Revisiting the Day of Atonement”;
(11) Rev. Aaron Perry, “Bind Us Together? A Sketch of Shame and Violence in the Day of Atonement and Communion”;
(12) Dr. Don Thorsen, “Prima Gratia, Prima Fide, and Prima Scriptura: Reforming Protestant Principles”;
(13) Dr. Joel B. Green, “Theological Interpretation and Wesley”;
(14) Dr. Michael Pasquarello, “Preaching and Practicing Wisdom”;
(15) Dr. Tony Richie, “From Suspicion to Synthesis: Toward a Shared Wesleyan and Pentecostal Theology of Spirituality.” Dr. Stanley Hauewas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics of Duke Divinity School, contributed the “Foreword.”

FLETCHER ESSAY

Dr. Laurence Wood contributed an essay to a recent book entitled, Religion, Gender, and Industry: Exploring Church and Methodism in a Local Setting, edited by Geordan Hammond and Peter Forsaith (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publication, 2011). Dr. Wood’s essay was entitled, “John Fletcher as the Theologian of Early American Methodism.” This essay was based on an earlier paper delivered at a conference on the life and theology of John and Mary Fletcher at the University of Wolverhampton, Telford, UK. The theme of Dr. Wood’s essay was to show that the Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church (containing the proceedings of the founding conference in 1784) cited Fletcher’s writings along with John Wesley’s as the bases of their distinctive beliefs. On the other hand, the Articles of Religion were adopted to show that Methodists believe what is common to all Protestants. Fletcher’s writings were reprinted over 174 times throughout the 19th century. Fletcher’s influence has been largely forgotten by contemporary Wesleyans, but he served as Wesley’s virtual equal as an doctrinal authority. Bishop Asbury placed Fletcher’s writing in the Conference Course of Study where they remained until they were removed at the end of the 19th century when theological liberalism began to sweep throughout Methodist seminaries. As the Methodist Magazine and Quarterly Review in 1832 noted, Methodism was guided “first and principally by the Bible, and next after it by the standard works of Methodism--those of Wesley and Fletcher in particular.”