Brief Introductions to Anglican Theology: Theological Method: Theological Methodology and the Jesus Movement through the Work of F. D. Maurice and Vida Scudder

Abstract

The twenty-seventh Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, has called the church over which he presides to become a part of the Jesus Movement. This call raised eyebrows for some, who feared a turn toward a Protestant evangelical tradition reflected in the legacy of people like the eighteenth-century Anglican evangelist George Whitefield. Because the evangelical tradition emphasizes individual salvation, it easily lends itself to a lack of engagement in social justice issues. But this was not the intention of the Presiding Bishop, who urges the church toward the “beloved community.” This essay will examine The Episcopal Church's history of engagement with social justice in light of the theological methodology of F. D. Maurice and Vida Scudder, in an attempt to discern the theological failure that the historical lack of social justice leadership within The Episcopal Church reflects, and which necessitated the Presiding Bishop's call.