Mirror and Memory
Reflections on Early Methodism
Published August 1989
Discovery and reflection are the twin tasks of the historian. Discovery is the researcher's work, uncovering what has been lost or overlooked. Reflection is the work of the interpreter, drawing meaning from what has been found. Without discovery, reflection has no factual basis. Without reflection, discovery has no significance for the present.
In this collection of essays, Richard P. Heitzenrater synthesizes the results of his pioneering archival research on early Methodist history and offers careful reflections on what these findings mean for our understanding of the movement. His aim throughout is to provide a clear and undistorted view of the Methodist past, one that allows readers to appreciate the full richness and complexity of the tradition.
Heitzenrater reminds us that knowledge of our history is essential to an honest assessment of who we are today. Those who belong to a living and vital heritage are strengthened not only by remembering the vision that set them on their way but also by recognizing the possibilities that continue to advance their tradition. Mirror and Memory is both a model of rigorous historical scholarship and an invitation to faithful memories.
This volume is intended to set in historical context the official United Methodist theological statements in The United Methodist Book of Disciplines of 1972 and 1988, and to foster reflection on and discussion of the 1988 statement.
About the Author
Prof. Richard P. Heitzenrater
Richard P. Heitzenrater is best known for "breaking the code" of Wesley's personal diaries. He is General Editor of the Bicentennial Edition of The Works of John Wesley, which includes his work in the seven volumes of Journals and Diaries. During 2002-03, he was a Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology.
He has lectured at many distinguished institutions across North America, Great Britain, Sweden, Russia, Austria, Bulgaria, Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Brazil. He has published 16 books, including Wesley and the People Called Methodists, which has been translated into six languages. He has contributed 25 chapters to other books and published more than 20 major scholarly articles.
Heitzenrater chaired the writing committee of the Committee on Our Theological Task that wrote the present doctrinal statement in Part II of The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. He was recently senior co-editor of Church History, the journal of the American Society of Church History, and presently co-chairs the Wesley Studies Group of the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies. He has been a clergy member of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church for more than 45 years.