Videos from the series Methodism for Dummies

Further Resources:

Methodist History:

“Life of John Wesley in 5 Minutes”:

Life of John Wesley in 5 Minutes is a short, helpful animated video that tells the basic outline of Wesley’s life.

“John Wesley: Methodical Pietist”:

John Wesley: Methodical Pietist is a short biography of John Wesley from Christianity Today.

“Who We Are: History”

Who We Are: History, is a link to the UMC.org website, where there are many different articles about Methodist history.

Revival by Adam Hamilton

Revival, a short, very readable book by Adam Hamilton, which helpfully tells the story of the early Methodist movement.

Wesley and the People Called Methodists by Richard Heitzenrater

Wesley and the People Called Methodists – If you want to take a deeper dive into Methodist history, this is probably the best book for you. Heitzenrater is a great narrator of the history of Wesley and the Methodist movement, and he goes into great detail to help you see how it fits in to the larger story of church history.

Methodist Beliefs:

United Methodist Foundational Documents

United Methodist Foundational Documents – this is a link to a page where you can find the Articles of Religion, the Evangelical United Brethren Confession of Faith, the General Rules of the Methodist Church, and John Wesley’s Notes and Sermons. All of these serve as foundational texts explaining what we believe as United Methodists.

United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center by Bishop Scott C. Jones

United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center – is a book for anyone looking to have a more comprehensive read on what we believe as United Methodists, and how we think through those kinds of questions. It’s not a short read, but he really helpfully breaks down how we think through our theology.

As if the Heart Mattered: A Wesleyan Spirituality by Gregory Clapper

As if the Heart Mattered: A Wesleyan Spirituality – is a very short little book about Wesleyan spirituality, and how we live this out in practical ways in our faith life. I really liked it!

Responsible Grace by Randy Maddox

Responsible Grace – read this book if you’re looking for a big, meaty work of Wesleyan theology,. Maddox is one of the best Wesleyan scholars alive, and he illuminates the genius of Wesley’s way of thinking through the questions of salvation, grace, and sanctification. This is very much not an easy read, but I consider it the best book on understanding Wesleyan theology.