<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This article gives a critical account of the engagement with Scripture among a group of women and men from the Villa Road Methodist Church, Handsworth, Birmingham, UK. It presents research done in community during 2004/05 for the unpublished thesis, ‘Mary in the Kitchen, Martha in the Pew: Patterns of Holiness in a Methodist Church’ (MPhil., Birmingham, 2006), updated to include critical engagement with contemporary scholarship in Black British theology, womanist and feminist theology, holiness teaching and hermeneutics, and congregational studies. Working from ethnographic research, the article considers three clusters of emphasis, or creative tensions, in the use of Scripture: gender and God, thanksgiving/resistance in response to evil, and displacement/home-coming. The article argues that these themes specially concern the negotiation of identity and relationship between self, God, Scripture and context.</abstract>

‘Vex the devil’: Scripture, God-talk and holiness at Villa Road

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><italic>Lectio continua</italic> – preaching through a single biblical book – tends to be less prominent in British Methodism than following a lectionary or a thematic series. In a context of declining biblical literacy, however, <italic>lectio continua</italic> is a fruitful way of encouraging engagement with Scripture. Following a discussion of the challenges of biblical illiteracy, this article argues that <italic>lectio continua</italic> can promote biblical literacy through its focus on whole books of Scripture, its consideration of the context of biblical passages, and its invitation to close readings of biblical texts – all key skills for reading the Bible well. A case study demonstrates how such an approach could be applied to preaching through 1 John.</abstract>

<italic>Lectio continua</italic> and biblical literacy within the Methodist Church

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper aims to shed light on the ways in which politics can be a site of temptation for Christians. In the first part, it explores the circumstances in which John Milton wrote <italic>Paradise Regained</italic>, printed in 1671. The poem may be understood, in part, as Milton’s reflection on the failed politics of the Republic in which he had played a leading role as a civil servant and one of the Republic’s chief propagandists. The second part of the argument offers a reading of Milton’s poetic account of the story of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, which interprets Jesus’ temptations politically as a series of attempts by Satan to deflect Jesus’ messianic identity, revealed at his Baptism, from its true course.</abstract>

The temptations of politics: Jesus’ temptation and ours in John Milton’s <italic>Paradise Regained</italic>

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Holiness

 Holiness is an international journal of Wesleyan theology, published by Wesley House, Cambridge. The journal is dedicated to resourcing and extending the learning of the global Wesleyan/Methodist family, with a particular emphasis on decolonising theological scholarship. Holiness is an open access theological publication, providing an online platform for established and emerging scholars and practitioners in the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition from around the world. The journal publishes peer-reviewed articles in the fields of practical, contextual, biblical, and systematic theology.   Holiness: An International Journal of Wesleyan Theology is an open access platform that aims to resource the global Wesleyan/Methodist family for the transformation of church and world.  Holiness seeks to be    deliberately conversant with the Wesleyan/Methodist theological tradition  globally competent and decolonising in ethos  critically reflective on contemporary contexts  appropriately attentive to the praxis of holiness  creatively expressive of the tradition, while developing it through original research   The journal is read by practitioners and scholars around the world, and assumes a master’s level interest in theology. Readers are likely to be Methodist or Wesleyan in sympathy, but, of course, may also include those critical of the Wesleyan tradition.  The journal is ‘decolonising’ in ethos, in recognition that no particular ecclesial, theological or academic context is the judge and arbiter of all experience. Contributions from the global South as well as the global North are brought together in each issue of Holiness as one aspect of the journal’s commitment to this decolonising task.  Rooted in the Wesleyan tradition, Holiness is especially interested in the lived experience of Christian faith in different contexts around the world, and seeks to contribute to the development of a variety of contextually appropriate, theologically informed practices of holiness.  Articles published by Holiness present original research or offer exemplary reflection on issues in biblical, contextual, pastoral, practical and systematic theology. Some articles provide surveys of academic or practical fields of theological research, while others explore, extend and apply the Wesleyan tradition in particular contexts. Some articles bring insights and methods from other disciplines into conversation with Wesleyan theology and the practice of ministry in the global Methodist family, while others offer devotional exploration of Wesleyan themes. All articles are peer-reviewed and the journal as a whole seeks to contribute to the ongoing scholarly life of the Wesleyan/Methodist family.  Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 

Holiness

Volume 2 (2016): Issue 2 (June 2016)

‘Vex the devil’: Scripture, God-talk and holiness at Villa Road

Lectio continua and biblical literacy within the Methodist Church

The temptations of politics: Jesus’ temptation and ours in John Milton’s Paradise Regained

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