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Rating: 
Summary: Misses on 'for Today'
Review: Cobb is a process theologian trying to communicate to the reader how Wesley's theology can be relevent today. He's not in his area of specialization in this book and doesn't seem to really want to carry on. I expect that Cobb knows of what he speaks, but the book is burdened with academic language and, in my opinion, missed opportunities at connecting Wesleyen tradition to today. As a well-educated reader with a keen interest in Christianity's search for relevence in today's world, even I had trouble slogging through this one. Your experience may be better than mine, but I would recommend this one only reluctantly. Not an old book, but seems dated.
Rating: 
Summary: Underrated
Review: It appears to me that the reviews below are not representative of all who have read this fine work. While this is not Cobb's best book by any stretch, he does a fine job showing how his process hermeneutic applies to Wesleyan theology. Ask any ten Methodists what it means to be Wesleyan, and you'll likely get several different answers. Cobb finds a way to discern a unifying strand in the possible answers and points it toward mission and practice.With Cobb, what you see is what you get. When his theology has weak spots, he is the first to admit it. What I find in this book is an intellectually honest, faithful, and meaningful approach to what Wesleyanism and how it can be lived out in our current cultural context. Strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Underrated
Review: It appears to me that the reviews below are not representative of all who have read this fine work. While this is not Cobb's best book by any stretch, he does a fine job showing how his process hermeneutic applies to Wesleyan theology. Ask any ten Methodists what it means to be Wesleyan, and you'll likely get several different answers. Cobb finds a way to discern a unifying strand in the possible answers and points it toward mission and practice. With Cobb, what you see is what you get. When his theology has weak spots, he is the first to admit it. What I find in this book is an intellectually honest, faithful, and meaningful approach to what Wesleyanism and how it can be lived out in our current cultural context. Strongly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Commentary...But Misses Fidelity
Review: John Cobb notes that much of what John Wesley addressed in his writing was situational in nature, and that Wesley's theology needs to be 'made relevant' if it is to be useful today. From this starting point, Cobb writes an interesting theological commentary with a 'Wesleyanist' slant. His ideas are useful, and sometimes profound. But they are not essentially faithful to Wesley. Indeed, they are so far removed from Wesley as to make it appear that John Wesley simply provides a scarcely related background to Cobb's own theological discourse. In some ways, it is not unlike hearing a sermon that ignores the text that is being preached. Ultimately, I think one's comfort or discomfort with Cobb's attempt will be shaped by whether or not the reader agrees with the claim that Wesley's theology is too particular to his own time to be relevant today. For my part, I think there is much in Wesley that is still relevant. I therefore disagree with Cobb's premise. Nevertheless, this book IS worth reading, and no student of contemporary Methodism should be unfamiliar with it.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Commentary...But Misses Fidelity
Review: John Cobb notes that much of what John Wesley addressed in his writing was situational in nature, and that Wesley's theology needs to be 'made relevant' if it is to be useful today. From this starting point, Cobb writes an interesting theological commentary with a 'Wesleyanist' slant. His ideas are useful, and sometimes profound. But they are not essentially faithful to Wesley. Indeed, they are so far removed from Wesley as to make it appear that John Wesley simply provides a scarcely related background to Cobb's own theological discourse. In some ways, it is not unlike hearing a sermon that ignores the text that is being preached. Ultimately, I think one's comfort or discomfort with Cobb's attempt will be shaped by whether or not the reader agrees with the claim that Wesley's theology is too particular to his own time to be relevant today. For my part, I think there is much in Wesley that is still relevant. I therefore disagree with Cobb's premise. Nevertheless, this book IS worth reading, and no student of contemporary Methodism should be unfamiliar with it.
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