Author of Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification // Lead Pastor @CC_Bham // Director of Research @WesleyBiblical // Senior Fellow @CenPasTheo
Birmingham, AL
Joined March 2010
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Matt O'Reilly retweeted
True. And not just theology. I am in week 6 of a Sunday School series on the Canon and Text of the Old Testament, currently talking with the fine folks in my class about the Dead Sea Scrolls and the puzzles scholars struggle with in defining the "original" text of the OT. Lay folks are just as smart as scholars and can absorb information that is presented clearly, with jargon explained or eliminated, and if the presenter doesn't poison it with "this is going to be disturbing" or "I might be a heretic for saying this" or silly things like that. Just be an honest broker of solid information and people are usually quite capable of following the discussion.
Otherwise brilliant people are often deeply intimidated by the study of theology. I see this all the time in the church.
They may have multiple degrees and a track record of academic professional excellence. But theology still feels like too much.
Here’s the good news: you can learn theology just as you learned the field you work in. Read books. Read them again. Read more. Take the long view. Disciplined reading over the long term can help you become theologically competent.
Oh, and make an appointment to talk theology with your pastor. It will be appreciated. I promise.
Repost if you know someone who needs this encouragement.
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
"The Articles of Faith of the Global Methodist Church: How We Got Here and Why It Matters" [Firebrand Conversations] - An Interview with Matt O’Reilly and David Watson by Matt Reynolds
youtu.be/bLtBTnQ81qQ
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
Great fellowship last night at the North Ala. GMC Seminary Foundation banquet. Great hearing Dr. Karl Stegall, our friend. This foundation invests in clergy in seminary. Thankful for @mporeilly for bringing it to N. Ala. Called to ministry in the @northalabamagmc ? There’s help.
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
The Global Methodist Church affirms the ordination of women in ministry. Here's part 2 of a discussion led by @mporeilly discussing relevant biblical texts that don't always get a lot of attention. #gmchurch podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
The Global Methodist Church affirms the ordination of women in ministry. Here's part 1 of a discussion led by @mporeilly discussing relevant biblical texts that don't always get a lot of attention. #gmchurch podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
Can Christians Be Perfect?
-podcast episode with @mporeilly
buff.ly/8YlvNQB
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
New from Firebrand:
"The Global Methodist General Conference in South Africa: A Recap and Testimony"
by Matt Reynolds
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
I think the revisions have made for better Articles & appreciate the fact that the team really took seriously the suggestions from the wider Church.
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
"How Should We Speak of Human Nature? A Question for the Global Methodist Church"
by Matt O’Reilly
firebrandmag.com/articles/ho…
firebrandmag.com/articles/ho…
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
When someone you love has died--someone you lived with and knew intimately, someone whose face and hands are as familiar to you as your own--this word of resurrection can never be heard as a mere theory or idea. It is everything or it is nothing.
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
Methodist pastor @mporeilly of Christ Church in Birmingham, Alabama who teaches @BeesonDivinity @WesleyBiblical discusses his new book “Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification.” juicyecumenism.com/2025/10/0…
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
The #ascension of Christ is an under-appreciated doctrine in modern day Protestant Christianity, which (I think) is one of the reasons the book of Revelation is so easily misunderstood.
-@mporeilly
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
B. B. Warfield on infant baptism: “The argument in a nutshell is simply this: God established his Church in the days of Abraham and put children into it. They must remain there until He puts them out. He has nowhere put them out. They are still then members of His church and as such entitled to its ordinances. Among these ordinances is baptism, which standing in similar place in the New Dispensation to circumcision in the Old, is like it to be given to children.”
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
“Good theology is the soil in which faithful ministry grows.”
-@mporeilly in “Reconstructing Methodism” (2024) #gmchurch
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
Great conversation with @mporeilly on entire sanctification. deepdivespirituality.podbean…
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
As John Wesley encouraged, may we speak kindly of those who serve and offer our cheerful assistance in times of need, so that we together make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. 🌍🙏 #GlobalMethodistMission
Matt O'Reilly retweeted
The Church is the theologian’s natural habitat; its edification in truth and love his primary concern; its communion with the triune God his greatest prayer, hope, and joy.
@KevinVanhoozer
