2024 Wesleyan Heritage Conference

Scheduled Events

Monday, October 7, 2024

• 10:00—10:50 a.m.—Chapel: Dr. Beth Felker Jones: “Holiness Is Next to Godliness” (Matt 5:13-20)
  Hughes Auditorium
• 12:00—1:00 p.m.—Talkback Lunch with Beth Felker Jones
  Dougherty Dining Room, Johnson Dining Hall
• 4:00—5:30 p.m.—Lecture (FLEX credit event) Dr. Beth Felker Jones: “A Holy Mess”
  Rader Student Center, Map Room

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

• 11:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m.—Faculty Development Luncheon (for full-time faculty; RSVP required) Dr. Chris Bounds: “Definite Holiness”
  Dougherty Dining Room, Johnson Dining Hall
  

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

• 10:00—10:50 a.m.—Chapel: Dr. Chris Bounds: “Can We Be Perfect in This Life?” (Matt 5:48)
  Hughes Auditorium
• 4:00—5:30 p.m.—Panel Discussion (FLEX credit event) “Holiness of Heart and Life”: Twenty-First Century Discipleship Panelists: Dr. Chris Bounds, Dr. Phil Meadows, and Dr. Joseph Dongell Moderators: Dr. Kevin Anderson and Dr. Julianne Burnett
  Rader Student Center, Map Room

Main Speakers

Dr. Beth Felker Jones is a professor of theology at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. She also held professorships at Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) and Huntington University (Huntington IN).

Dr. Jones has written voluminously for both ecclesiastical and academic publications. She has written many books, including The Marks of His Wounds: Gender Politics and Bodily Resurrection, God the Spirit: Introducing Pneumatology in Wesleyan and Ecumenical Perspective, Faithful: A Theology of Sex, Pandemic Prayers: Devotions and Prayers for a Crisis, and the popular theology textbook Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically. She also keeps a substack page Church Blogmatics (https://bethfelkerjones.substack.com/).

Dr. Jones lives in Chicagoland with her husband Brian, four kids, two dogs, and Dwight, her theology cat.

Dr. Christopher Bounds is a professor of theology at Asbury Theological Seminary. Prior to coming to Asbury Theological Seminary, he served as the Dean of the School of Theology & Ministry and Professor of Systematic Theology at Indiana Wesleyan University. He is an Ordained Elder in The Arkansas Conference of The United Methodist Church, where he served as an appointed pastor for eight years.

He has published articles in popular and scholarly venues, and has contributed chapters to books for both laypersons and academic scholars. He has co-authored four books: Holiness: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Theology with Matt Ayars and Caleb Friedeman; Holiness: The Power to Transform You, Your Church, and Your World with Jim Garlow, Christy Lipscomb, and Joann Lyon; Selecting Worship Songs: A Guide for Leaders with Constance Cherry and Mary Brown; and Unholiness: Overcoming the Forces that Attack Your Soul with Jim Lo.

He presently serves on the Board of Trustees of One Mission Society (OMS); the Board of Directors of The Francis Asbury Society; and the Board of Directors for Good News: A Forum for Scriptural Christianity in The United Methodist Church. He previously served on the Board of the Manchester Wesley Research Centre.

He and his wife Tamara have been married for almost thirty years. They have two children, a daughter – Maris, a son – Morgan, and daughter-in-law – Alyse. Chris loves Arkansas Razorback basketball; Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football; and Ben and Jerry’s Heath Bar Crunch Ice Cream.

Dr. Joseph R. Dongell joined the faculty at Asbury Theological Seminary in 1989. He now serves as professor of Biblical Studies, with primary responsibility in the Inductive Bible Studies Department.

Prior to joining the faculty, he served as an instructor in various languages (Greek, Hebrew and Latin) at Asbury Seminary (1981-1983), Asbury College (1985-1986), and Union Theological Seminary (1987). His doctoral dissertation focused on the literary structure of Luke’s Gospel, a particular interest that has more recently extended into the Gospels of Mark and John. Dr. Dongell is the author of a commentary on the Gospel of John (Wesley Press).

As an ordained elder in the Wesleyan Church, Dr. Dongell has maintained an active ministry in that denomination as an associate pastor, a regular adult Sunday school teacher; a one-time director and frequent advisor of the Wesleyan Seminary Foundation on Asbury Seminary’s campus; an instructor in regional Wesleyan ministerial training; and a representative to the annual Graduate Student Theological Seminar.

He and his late wife, Regina, have two children who are both alumni of Asbury University.

Dr. Philip R. Meadows is the Sundo Kim Professor of Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary. Before coming to Asbury, Dr. Meadows served as Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at Westminster College (Oxford, UK), Professor of Evangelism and Wesleyan Studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (Chicago, USA), Director of Postgraduate Studies and Lecturer in Missiology and Wesley Studies at Cliff College (Derbyshire, UK), and Senior Research Fellow at Nazarene Theological College (Manchester, UK).

He is past president of the Wesleyan Theological Society, and his broad research and publication interests combine theology, spirituality, and discipleship in the Wesleyan tradition with the missionary challenges of contemporary culture. He has published numerous scholarly articles on topics from inter-religious dialogue to missional engagement with digital culture and the deepening problem of secularization in the West. His recent books include Remembering Our Baptism: Discipleship and Mission in the Wesleyan Spirit (Discipleship Resources, 2017); The DNA of Discipleship (Inspire Movement, 2021); The Skills of Spiritual Conversation (Inspire Movement, 2023); and Missional Discipleship: A Field Guide (Inspire Movement, 2024). He is also co-founder of the Inspire Movement, which is an ecumenical network seeking to resource mission-shaped discipleship in the leadership and life of the church. At the heart of the Inspire is an ecology of disciple-making and church planting that includes a vision for missional discipleship, shaped by the practices of fellowship band and house fellowship.

Dr. Meadows is married to Samantha. They have four children and five grandchildren.