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| Foreword | |
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| Responsible Proclamation, or Fundamentals for a Theology of the United Methodist Church | |
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| God's Self-Revelation as an Expression of God's Love | |
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| God's Revelation in Jesus Christ | |
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| God's Revelation in the Word | |
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| God's Revelation in God's Creation | |
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| The Knowledge of God in Different Religions | |
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| The Knowledge of God from the Standpoint of Thought | |
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| The Content of Truth and Its Meaning for the Natural Knowledge of God | |
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| The Triune God and the Missionary Dimension of Revelation | |
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| The Holy Scripture as the Foundation for Theology | |
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| The Origin of the Bible | |
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| The Formation of the Old Testament | |
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| The Development of the New Testament | |
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| The Significance of the Biblical Canon | |
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| Who Created the Canon of the Bible? | |
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| The Standards Concerning the Definition of the Canon | |
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| The Adherence to the Old Testament | |
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| The Meaning of the Bible in the History of the Church | |
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| To the Time of the Reformation | |
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| The Reformation Understanding of Scripture | |
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| The Development of the Post-Reformation Era | |
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| The Bible in the Hands of Wesley and the Early Methodists | |
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| The Challenge of the Historical-Critical Exegesis of the Bible | |
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| Models of the Contemporary Understanding of the Bible | |
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| The Bible--God's Word in Human Words | |
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| The Transparency of the Biblical Message | |
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| God's Voice in the Words of the Bible | |
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| The Human Side of the Biblical Message | |
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| Methodist Doctrine as a Theology for Praxis | |
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| Principles of the United Methodist Exposition of the Bible | |
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| The Steps to a Vital Development of Doctrine | |
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| The Landmark Documents | |
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| The Basic Contours of a United Methodist Theology | |
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| Universal Salvation, or God's Love for God's World | |
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| God's Loving Care in God's Creative Activity | |
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| God's Loving Care in the Creation of the World | |
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| God's Loving Care in the Creation of God's Image | |
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| The Human Being as Question | |
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| The Human Being as the Image of God | |
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| The Human Being as a Person | |
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| God's Loving Care in the Providential Oversight of Creation | |
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| God's Creative Power | |
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| God's Providence | |
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| God's Goodness and the Experience of Suffering | |
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| God's Loving Care in God's Reconciling Acts | |
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| Sin and Its Consequences | |
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| The Universality of Sin from the Beginning | |
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| Sin as a Deed | |
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| Sin and the Law | |
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| Sin and Suffering | |
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| Sin and Death | |
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| Sin and the Power of Evil | |
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| Sin and Grace | |
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| God's Covenant Faithfulness | |
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| God's Faithfulness to Creation and to Humanity | |
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| God's Faithfulness to Israel | |
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| The Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace | |
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| Covenant and Covenant Ratification in the United Methodist Tradition | |
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| The Reconciliation of the World in Christ | |
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| Living Out of God's Will | |
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| Dying for One's Enemies | |
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| Risen, That God's Peace Might Lead to Victory | |
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| The Messenger of Reconciliation | |
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| God's Loving Care in God's Renewing Actions | |
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| The Work of the Spirit in the World | |
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| The Renewal of Human Beings Through the Spirit of God | |
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| Excursus: Receiving and Being Baptized in the Spirit | |
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| The Fundamental Renewal Through God | |
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| The Renewal of the Relationship with God | |
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| The Renewal of the Manner and the Mode of Living | |
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| Renewal for True Fellowship | |
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| Renewal for Mission and the Competency for Witnessing | |
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| The Renewal of Insight and Reflection | |
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| Renewal for Hope | |
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| The Consummation of the World | |
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| Personal Hope | |
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| The Hope of the Congregation of Jesus Christ | |
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| The Hope for a New Heaven and a New Earth | |
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| Judgment and Consummation | |
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| Personal Faith, or the Personal Experience of Salvation | |
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| Liberation for Hearing and Conversion | |
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| The Abiding Love of God--Prevenient Grace | |
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| The Awareness of Human Distance from God--Awakening | |
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| Turning to God--Conversion | |
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| The Biblical Witness Concerning Conversion | |
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| Repentance as a Step on the Way to Salvation | |
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| The Concrete Form of Conversion Today | |
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| Coming Home to God--Faith | |
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| The Biblical Understanding of Faith | |
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| The Reformation Rediscovery of "By Faith Alone" | |
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| Faith in the Thought of John Wesley | |
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| Basic Guidelines for Proclaiming the Faith in Our Day | |
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| Freed for Response--An Attempt to Summarize | |
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| The Renewal to Life in God | |
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| The New Relationship to God--Justification | |
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| The Biblical Foundations | |
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| The Understanding of Justification Among the Protestant Reformers | |
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| Justification in the Thought of Wesley | |
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| The Message of Justification Today | |
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| The New Life from God--Regeneration | |
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| Regeneration in the New Testament | |
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| Wesley's Doctrine of Regeneration | |
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| Baptism, the New Birth, and Conversion | |
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| Adoption by God, Assurance of Faith, and Prayer | |
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| Identity and Change | |
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| Liberation for Love--Sanctification | |
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| Holiness and Sanctification in the Bible | |
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| Sanctification in Wesley | |
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| Sanctification in the Contemporary World | |
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| Excursus: The Perfection of Love--Christian Reflection | |
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| Christian Existence in its Wholeness, or the Reality of Love | |
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| God's Renewing Presence in the World | |
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| Love as the Operation and Sign of God's Presence | |
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| Love as the Fruit of the Spirit | |
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| Love as the Basic Norm for the Conduct of Life | |
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| The Community as the Creation of the Love of God | |
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| The Community as the Body of Christ | |
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| The Fellowship of Seekers and Believers | |
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| The Obligatory Life of a Christian | |
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| Baptism and Acceptance into Church Membership | |
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| The Congregation as a Fellowship of Life and Service | |
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| The Gathering of the Congregation: Worship | |
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| The Significance of the Means of Grace | |
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| The Congregation and Ministry Groups | |
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| Connexio: The United Methodist Church as a "Connectional" Church | |
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| The Church as the Mission of God | |
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| The Witness of Individual Christians | |
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| Faith and Lifestyle | |
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| The Personal Witness of Faith | |
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| The Call to the Ministry of Proclamation | |
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| The Congregation as the Social Form of the Gospel | |
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| The Congregation as the Realm of the Love of God | |
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| The Congregation as a Witness to God's Love | |
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| The Mission of the Church | |
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| Evangelization | |
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| The Outer Mission | |
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| The Church in the World | |
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| The World as the Place of God's Reign | |
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| The Diaconal Task of the Church | |
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| The Diaconal Existence of Christians | |
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| The Ministry to the Weak | |
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| Ministry in Society | |
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| The Ethical Task of the Church | |
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| The United Methodist Church as a "Free Church" | |
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| Church and State | |
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| A Church for the People | |
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| The Global Community and the Whole of Creation | |
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| Penultimate Actions and the Hope of Fulfillment | |
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| Provisional Acts of Significance | |
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| The Overcoming of Evil | |
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| The Consummation of Creation | |
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| In Lieu of a Summary | |
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| Appendix | |
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| Foundations for the Doctrine and the Theological Task of The United Methodist Church | |
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| Notes | |
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| Selected Literature for Further Reading | |
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| Index of Biblical Citations | |
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| Subject Index | |
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| Index of Names | |