Old or New School Methodism?: The Fragmentation of a Theological Tradition

On September 7, 1881, Matthew Simpson, Bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, in a London sermon asserted that, "As to the divisions in the Methodist family, there is little to mar the family likeness." Nearly a quarter-century earlier, Benjamin Titus (B.T.) Roberts, a minister in the same branch of Methodism as Simpson, had published an article titled in the Northern Independent in which he argued that Methodism had split into an "Old School" and "New School." He warned that if the new school were to "generally prevail," then "the glory will depart from Methodism." As a result, Roberts was charged with "unchristian and immoral conduct" and expelled from the Genesee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Old or New School Methodism? examines how less than three decades later Matthew Simpson could claim that the basic beliefs and practices that Roberts had seen as threatened were in fact a source of persisting unity across all branches of Methodism. Kevin M. Watson argues that B. T. Roberts's expulsion from the MEC and the subsequent formation of the Free Methodist Church represent a crucial moment of transition in American Methodism. This book challenges understandings of American Methodism that emphasize its breadth and openness to a variety of theological commitments and underemphasize the particular theological commitments that have made it distinctive and have been the cause of divisions over the past century and a half. Old or New School Methodism? fills a major gap in the study of American Methodism from the 1850s to 1950s through a detailed study of two of the key figures of the period and their influence on the denomination.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Holiness: An Essential in Early American Methodist Doctrine and Discipline Chapter 2: Becoming Bishop Simpson: The Early Life and Ministry of Matthew Simpson Chapter 3: An Unwilling Founder: The Early Life and Ministry of Benjamin Titus Roberts Chapter 4: Contesting Methodism: Simpson and Roberts on the Beginnings of Free Methodism Chapter 5: Embodying Methodist Theology: Diverging Conceptions of Holy Living in American Methodist Theology Conclusion Bibliography

About the Author :
Kevin M. Watson is Assistant Professor of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. His previous publications include Pursuing Social Holiness: The Band Meeting in Wesley's Thought and Popular Methodist Experience (Oxford, 2014).

Review :
"In comparing Mathew Simpson and B. T. Robert, Kevin Watson has not only provided a much-needed analysis of the fracturing of mid-nineteenth century Methodism but makes a strong case that these same dynamics remain at work today. He shows that what is ultimately at stake are theological issues that go to the heart of Wesleyan, even Christian, identity. Future work in American Methodist history must take this book into account."--Henry H. Knight III, Donald and Pearl Wright Professor of Wesleyan Studies and E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Saint Paul School of Theology "This timely book cogently challenges long-received assumptions about mainline Methodism in the United States. Watson shows not simply that the story is more complex than often thought, but that hugely important aspects and dynamics of early Methodism were drastically compromised in the conflicts of the 1850s that provoked the birth of the Free Methodist Church. If taken seriously, this book could help catalyze new life in the Methodist tradition today."--Howard A. Snyder, author of The Radical Wesley and Populist Saints: B. T. and Ellen Roberts and the First Free Methodists "Kevin Watson's brilliant, meticulously-researched new study challenges the longstanding myth that American Methodism in the late 19th century (and beyond) was largely unified and consistently stayed true to its early Wesleyan commitments. By carefully analyzing the careers of two seminal figures-Bishop Matthew Simpson and Free Methodist founder B.T. Roberts-Watson demonstrates conclusively that two contrasting Methodisms emerged in the Victorian era-each representing the convictions of those who thought they were being faithful to Wesley's original vision. Watson untangles the complicated roots of Methodist divisiveness, and shows us that debates regarding Methodism's trajectory are nothing new."--Douglas M. Strong, Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of the History of Christianity, Seattle Pacific University