1st Edition
Methodist Worship Mediating the Wesleyan Liturgical Heritage
Introduction: Form and Freedom; Distinction and Inculturation Part I: Thomas Osmund Summers 1 The First American Methodist Liturgical Historian 2 Between the Extremes: Form and Freedom Part II: Nolan Bailey Harmon 3 The Unlikely Liturgist 4 The Other Side of the Pendulum Part III: James Floyd White 5 The Consummate Academic 6 Methodist Worship in a Pluralistic Age Conclusion: Evaluating Emerging Forms
Biography
Matthew Sigler is Assistant Professor of Wesleyan Studies and United Methodist Liaison at Seattle Pacific University, USA. He is particularly interested in how the faith practices of communities of the past can affect the church today and has published articles on these subjects in journals such as Worship and Liturgy.
"People are the primary liturgical document. So went the methodological argument of Methodist liturgical historian, James F. White. In this compelling work on Methodist worship, Matthew Sigler has proved the veracity of White’s claim by making White himself along with two other key shapers of Methodist worship, Thomas O. Summers and Bishop Nolan Harmon, the centerpiece for study. By looking at these three figures, Sigler has provided us with a defining work on the essence of Methodist worship."
- Lester Ruth, Duke Divinity School, USA
"The Methodist tradition is better known for its emphasis on personal piety and social action than for its corporate liturgy. Against this assumption Sigler convincingly argues for a sustained Methodist liturgical tradition, mediated in part by the three scholars on which his study is based. This book will remind Methodists and others of the need for a dynamic liturgical movement to underwrite the holiness which is at the heart of Wesleyan religion."
- Richard Clutterbuck, Wesley House, Cambridge, UK
"Overall, Methodist Worship is well written and accessible [...] a welcome addition to this growing series from Routledge [...] While liturgical scholars and church historians might be the primary readership for this book, there is much here that should stimulate pastors and others engaged in the leadership of worship within Methodism."
- Martin V. Clarke, Reading Religion
