The Causes, Evils, and Cures of Heart and Church Divisions Study Edition

Book excerpt: Francis Asbury (1745-1816) was born in England and brought Methodism to North America during forty-five years of ministry. Methodists grew in number from six hundred when Asbury started to over two hundred thousand people in the movement by the time of his death. As he worked with total dedication to reform the nation and spread scriptural, personal, and social holiness throughout the land, he preached, petitioned to abolish slavery, and promoted Sunday schools to teach children reading and mathematics. As a key founder of the American Methodist movement, Asbury observed that it took only a few years for division to emerge among the most passionate and zealous followers of the Wesleyan way. So he repurposed and abridged two earlier works to create The Causes, Evils and Cures of Heart and Church Divisions. This book was recommended for study to early Methodists as a spiritual cure for the human tendency to love self and ideas more than we love others: our colleagues, our neighbors, and our enemies. The study questions found throughout this book are suitable for cultivating spiritual formation within individuals and among a community. As you read about these causes and evils that divide our hearts from each other, nearly every individual will recognize the need for personal improvement in thoughts, words, and deeds.