From The Dean
Reflections from Dr. Philip Wingeier-Rayo, dean of
Wesley Theological Seminary
Moving Forward In Faith
August 31, 2020 – As we begin a new academic year at Wesley Theological Seminary we are also mindful that our world is in disarray. The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 180,000 Americans and infected more than 6 million. The pandemic has also revealed the racial and social inequalities in America as disproportionate numbers […]
Read MoreHow the Protocol might impact theological education?
January 13, 2020 I would like to begin this reflection with a clarification that the “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation” is just a proposal that will need to be approved by the General Conference delegates, and thus, these ruminations are merely hypothetical. However, the Protocol comes with a great deal of weight given […]
Read MoreThe United Methodist Representational Problem, Part I
May 14, 2019 Given that Wesley Seminary is in the nation’s capital, democracy is important to who we are as a church and as an institution that serves our nation and world. The United States of America was established as a republic in response to the cry “No taxation without representation.” The Methodist Episcopal Church […]
Read MoreReflections on the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church
March 2, 2019 As a young missionary I was assigned to Cuba during a time when the Soviet Union was collapsing, which provoked an economic, political and spiritual crisis on the island. Cuba had been very dependent on the former Soviet Union and its systems reflected that dependence. The early 1990s brought shortages of food, […]
Read MoreTheological Education in a Pluralistic Context: Unity in Diversity
August 17, 2018 I am writing these words from the Oxford Institute for Methodist Studies, a gathering of 170 scholars from around the world who gather together once every five years to reflect on Wesleyan theology in light of the Bible and our current contexts. This year’s theme is “Thy Grace Restore, Church Revive,” […]
Read More