EDITOR'S  NOTES

            The thirty-first annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society convened in November, 1995, on the campus of Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, Idaho. The program theme was "Sanctification and the New Creation," planned under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Collins. Most of the articles appearing in this issue are revised and edited versions of select papers presented on this occasion.

            The addressings of this significant theme range in setting from the ancient East (Michael Christensen) to the new South Africa (David Whitelaw). Theodore Runyon keynotes the theme, identifying it as a crucial Wesleyan distinctive. Other writers trace aspects of the theme (1) in the American Holiness Movement (Al Truesdale, Charles Jones, and Victor Reasoner), (2) in relation to other Christian traditions (John Culp and Steven O'Malley), and (3) in relation to the controversial issue of infant baptism (Stephen Blakemore).

            Donald Thorsen's Presidential Address is also featured, along with another announcement of the new Wesleyan Theological Society Endowment Fund. Several important books related to the Wesleyan theological tradition have been published recently. Six of these are reviewed in this issue.

            We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that "if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see everything has become new!" This is a promise, a possibility, the invitation of divine grace, the challenge of each believer and of the contemporary church as journeys of faith and efforts at mission proceed in the midst of our troubled world. May the contents of this issue bring insight and encouragement along the way.

Edited by Michael Mattei for the
Wesley Center for Applied Theology
at Northwest Nazarene University
© Copyright 2003 by the Wesley Center for Applied Theology

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