William J. Abraham: 'A Fresh Start for the People Called Methodist'

The United Methodist Church, America's second-largest Protestant denomination, seems likely to split this year — a decision to be voted on at the denomination's General Conference this spring. One prominent plan would divide the UMC into at least two denominations — one adhering to historic Christian teaching, the other taking a "progressive" doctrinal stance.

In this address, Professor William J. "Billy" Abraham, a proponent of "traditional" Methodist theology, says United Methodists face "a stark and inescapable choice" about the future of the Methodist movement.

Dr. Abraham teaches at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of the Theology, where he is the Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies. His most recent book is Methodism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2019).

This address was recorded at the November 2019 gathering of the Wesleyan Covenant Association in Tulsa, Okla. It has been abridged slightly for use on this podcast.

A magazine article adapted from Dr. Abraham's address is available here.

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