Category Archives: Theology

GMC Catechism Class

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Richard Heyduck

Since our congregation has recently transitioned to the Global Methodist Church, I thought it would be a good idea to look at the basic doctrine of the denomination. The class uses the GMC Catechism which is based on the Nicene … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctrine, Global Methodist Church, Theology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Positive and Negative in United Methodism

Posted on September 9, 2022 by Richard Heyduck

Since reading Alasdair MacIntyre’s Whose Justice? Which Rationality? thirty-something years ago, I’ve found great value in the definition of a tradition that he he offers there (p. 12). A tradition is an argument extended through time in which certain fundamental … Continue reading →

Posted in Alasdair MacIntyre, Discipline, Diversity, Doctrine, Ecclesiology, Theology, Tradition, United Methodism | Leave a comment

The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Richard Heyduck

The United Methodist Church is, after years of inner dissension, at the beginning of formally breaking up. In some places (like my own Texas Annual Conference), the monetary cost of disaffiliation is low. At the other extreme conferences like Baltimore … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctrine, Ecclesiology, John Wesley, Theology, Uncategorized, United Methodism | Leave a comment

An Illustration of Why Latin Can Be Useful

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Richard Heyduck

Christian theology has often affirmed Si comprehendis, non est Deus. In English one might translate it as “If you understand it, it’s not God.” This statement gets at the basic idea of apophaticism: God is beyond us, not just quantitatively … Continue reading →

Posted in God, Language, Theology, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Review: 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Richard Heyduck

Gregg R. Allison’s 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith is a helpful survey of basic Christian theological teachings. Though Allison is a professor at a Southern Baptist seminary, he writes for a broad evangelical audience. The first thing I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Theology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The “Angry, Offended” God

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Richard Heyduck

I ran across this quotation on Twitter the other day: “God, apart from Christ, is an angry, offended Sovereign. Unless we behold God in and through Christ, the only Mediator–the terrors of His Majesty would overwhelm us. Because of our … Continue reading →

Posted in Atonement, God, Sin, Theology, United Methodism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Atheism in the Church

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

The Christian church in America has enough of a problem with practical atheism, the phenomenon of saying we believe in God while living as if there is no God. We also have a problem with clergy who have invested piles of … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Current events, Theology | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Wesley on Preaching Law & Gospel

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

One of the books I’m reading is Fool’s Talk by Os Guinness. It’s a good book for those involved in the work of apologetics. I want to be a little picky, however. He says at one point, ‘As John Wesley … Continue reading →

Posted in Evangelism, John Wesley, Preaching, Salvation, Theology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Communities with Multiple and Conflicting Conviction Sets

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

In a previous post I noted McClendon & Smith’s work on the nature of convictions. Convictions are the beliefs that are so important to us that they define our identity. If we give up or change these convictions, we become … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology, United Methodism | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Hayekian Account of Atonement

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

What an odd thing to imagine, a Hayekian account of the atonement! From what I’ve seen, Hayek was not a Christian and didn’t write theology. Why then would I imagine that any of his insights might be of use to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atonement, Jesus, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment