United Methodist Beliefs: A Brief Introduction

by William H. Willimon

This brief introduction spells out the major beliefs of the United Methodist Church in a clear, nontechnical style. William Willimon, the beloved United Methodist author, preacher, teacher, and bishop, discusses the great theological themes that United Methodists share in common with all Christians as well as the particular accents and emphases that characterize United Methodist understandings of Christian doctrines. In his engaging style, Willimon opens the door for further study, challenging the reader to move toward a continuing reflection on their faith. This guide will be of great value to those who are beginning their study of United Methodist beliefs as well as those who have long been in the church and want a helpful way to refresh their understandings of the distinctiveness of United Methodist doctrine.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Spirituality

152 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2007

About the author

The Reverend Dr. William H. Willimon is Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at the Divinity School, Duke University. He served eight years as Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist Church, where he led the 157,000 Methodists and 792 pastors in North Alabama. For twenty years prior to the episcopacy, he was Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the thing I liked about this book is that it is accessable to people. It clearly admits that reason and experiance were two of the main issues that John Wesley had with the Churhc of England. A lot of conservative Methodist like to down play that. Some of what he said was repetative, but again it was all easy to follow. A lot of times when people start writing about doctrine and theology they like to use big words and get all philosophical which makes them sound smart, but hard to follow. The fact he spent more time making sure we understood what he was saying rather than being impressed by what he said earned him the 2 stars.

What I didn't like is that the author is conservative. If I had known that from reading the guy's biography it wouldn't bother me, but I know this because of stuff he put in the book. With in the Methodist religion there are many different camps, conserviative, liberal and everything in between. The fact that this guy felt it was appropreate to interject his own bias into a book that is suppose to be an introduction to what I believe bothers me.

[Scott W. Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the beliefs of the UMC and of its founder John Wesley. I appreciated Willimon's perspective and his willingness to show both the good and bad. I read this as someone who grew up in the UMC and subsequently has been influenced by it, but is only giving serious thought to what that means as an adult believer. This was an excellent place to start.

[Slade Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful summaries and explanations of United Methodist beliefs. This book was well-written and made me proud to be a United Methodist.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this book at the library because it said there were Scripture references in it. I've had a hard time finding Methodist doctrine books with Scripture references in it, so I was really excited that I'd found one that could finally answer my questions. Too bad it turns out the only references were for fairly universally accepted Christian truths. I really wanted an explanation for the things that set the Methodist beliefs apart from other doctrines. The book said what the beliefs were but did not offer any scriptural backing for them. The search for a Methodist doctrine book with biblical backing continues.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't what I was really looking for but (is this Wesleyan thinking rubbing off on me?)it's perhaps what I needed. I was looking for more a comparison between Methodism and other protestant traditions and while there is some of that it's much more a view of Methodist thought and where and how it originated. There's (appropriately) a good bit about Methodism's founder John Wesley, it was his message and life that started this new denomination, even though this was never his intention. It was a very interesting read.

[Vera · Rating 4 out of 5]

An updated discussion of the beliefs of the United Methodist church. A lot of the ideas he mentioned I know (I am a lifelong Methodist), but they are explained in an easy to understand way. Interesting read.

[Brian Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for a quick overview of where Methodist belief and doctrine are at the start of a new millenium.