Making My Book Available for Discount

To celebrate a historic General Conference and uplifting Annual Conference, I’ve made my book available for a discount. Amazon and Wipf & Stock have it for $21. I’ll send you a copy for only $15 (with free shipping).

Just EMAIL ME or PRIVATE MESSAGE ME on Facebook with your address! I’ll send it with an invoice and you can pay me later.

If you really want to know why I was active in creating the “Stay UMC” movement, this book is about why.

Adam Ployd, professor and theologian at Wesley House in Cambridge, said, “This book is not so much a work of pure scholarship—though the author has clearly done his homework on the topic of Wesley and communion—as it is an exhortative reflection on the ways in which a robust Wesleyan vision of communion should shape the future of United Methodism. West sees a central problem at the heart of the crisis facing The United Methodist Church: it is being divided by political culture wars that threaten the integrity of the Body of Christ and the radical community it is called to be. The sacrament of Holy Communion, he believes, holds the theological and practical key to renewing the Body and cultivating community in a way that can allow the church to move forward in pious, charitable unity …

“Although West is writing for a popular audience— educated laity and clergy alike—this is an erudite book. West incorporates historical voices, from the earliest generations of Christians to the English Nonjurors and, of course, the Wesleys themselves, in order to educate his reader in some fairly nuanced theological ideas. He does so nimbly, demonstrating both his knowledge of the subject matter and his ability to communicate that knowledge with unusual clarity. Indeed, this is a book to be recommended to all United Methodists struggling with the current crisis who desire a rich, reliable theological resource for thinking about things in a way that transcends the surface-level issues.”

See the link Something Happens Here for more information.

The Word of God

I believe this wholeheartedly. The Bible calls Jesus Christ the Word of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

There is a custom of referring to the Bible as the Word, but that’s not because it is the “words of God,” chiseled in stone and handed to us. It’s because scripture reveals to us the true Word, which is Christ. We don’t read it “flat” as if it’s all the same. No, it all points to Christ and we interpret it through Christ, the “exact imprint of God’s very being.”

I have been deeply disappointed in how the Bible has been cherry-picked with little context for justification of political opinions and separatism. God gave it to us as a “means of grace.”

Thank you, C.S. Lewis, for reminding me this is not new. May we come back to Christ through our adventures in the Bible. May the Holy Spirit lead us in our theological task of interpreting it through tradition, reason, and experience.

"One Three Nine" by Aubrey Logan

To have a listen, click ONE THREE NINE.

I was excited that Psalm 139 came up in the lectionary. During the early days of the pandemic, I fell in love with the jazz of Aubrey Logan. She does trombone and vocals with a rhythmic fusion of jazz, pop, and rock, and sometimes her music has religious overtones (in addition to generally wholesome themes). I suspect she has a United Methodist background, because she has a number of times quoted things found in our hymnal. This selection is a good example.

I presented Aubrey Logan's "One Three Nine" in worship in June of 2024. I share it here in hopes that it helps you get in touch with the inescapable love of God through the words of Psalm 139.

Notice that she quotes "Oh, How I Love Jesus" at the beginning and the end. She didn't just do that because it's a pretty tune, she did it because it's a theological statement. She wraps the love of our Creator, who searches and knows us intricately, together with Christ in the last verse, in fact.

To have a listen, click ONE THREE NINE.

Why Nigerian United Methodists are Staying UMC

Here’s a statement from the Nigerian United Methodist Church on why they are STAYING UMC!

“Our church has obeyed the prayer of Jesus in John 17:6-19 to be one. We have chosen love over hatred, peace over rancor, and unity over division.”

See the full statement outlining their support for regionalization and moving forward in unity here:

https://peopleneedjesus.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/umc-nigeria-press-statement-may-2024.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2JqjB5PXw_g3YC9KVohGJWNK-gY2AsWHMMkUmzGpH67O9y7LhpX2IX0-o_aem_AarHL1TKDqzrcFPXLvPQSLazTqPHEQQ1WSxPkKAiDTwJ36mCVVoewO8TwlKn_7RO5n-VvEweJZuVyqa4Xg6F_G79

A Goodbye from Rev. Dr. Steve Harper

One of the endorsers of my new book, Steve Harper, wrote this heartfelt "goodbye" to the GMC a couple of years ago. Somehow I missed this until now.

I thought it might be beneficial to link to it here on my blog.

"My witness to those who will remain in the UMC is that you have not compromised or diminished your faith by commending acceptance, inclusion, and the common good. You have, in fact, decided to personify Micah’s exhortation to 'do justice' (Micah 6:8), and doing so in ways that a 'pure church' mentality does not do."

You can find the full blog post HERE.