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Francis Asbury (August 20, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Early life He was born at the Bell Inn Southgate Street Gloucester, England. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Wesleyanism or Wesleyan Theology is the system of Christian theology of Methodism taught by John Wesley. Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the The Articles of Religion are an official doctrinal statement of American Methodism. Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology and embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the The governmental view of the Atonement (also known as the moral government theory) is a doctrine in Christian theology concerning the meaning and effect Imparted righteousness, in Methodist Theology, is that gracious gift of God given at the moment of the new birth which enables a Christian Christian Perfection is a Christian doctrine which maintains that after conversion but before death a Christian's soul may be cleansed from the stain of Original sin Richard Allen ( February 14 1760 - March 26 1831) was an African American pastor and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Thomas Coke ( September 9, 1747 &ndash May 2, 1814) was the first Methodist Bishop and is known as the Father of Methodist Missions Albert Cook Outler ( November 17, 1908 &ndash September 1, 1989) was a 20th century American James Varick was the first Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Biography Charles Wesley was the son of Susanna Wesley and Samuel Wesley. The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination and the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the " AME Church " is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, or AME Zion Church, was officially formed in 1821 but operated for a number years before then The Church of the Nazarene, often referred to as the Nazarene Church is an International evangelical Christian denomination that began in The Methodist Church of Great Britain or British Methodist Church is the largest Wesleyan / Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations The Christian Methodist Epsicopal Church is a historically black denomination within the broader context of Methodism. The Uniting Church in Australia ( UCA) was formed on June 22 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, This page is about the Moravian Church globally For information about the church in a particular geographic area use the links at Organisation below The Holiness movement in Christianity is composed of people who believe and propagate the belief that the carnal nature of humanity can be cleansed through Faith The Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church that is internally organised like a military service. Personalism is the school of thought that consists of three main principles and which can broadly be qualified as species of Humanism: Only persons are real (in Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine Year 1745 ( MDCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1816 ( MDCCCXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year For individual churches named Methodist Episcopal Church, see Methodist Episcopal Church (disambiguation The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
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Biography
Born at Hamstead Bridge, Staffordshire, England of Methodist parents, Asbury became a local preacher at eighteen and was ordained at age twenty-two. Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations His boyhood home still stands and is open as a museum in West Bromwich, England. Bishop Asbury Cottage ( is the boyhood home of Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist Bishop, in Great Barr, England West Bromwich ( is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In 1771 he volunteered to travel to America. When the American War of Independence broke out in 1776 he was the only Methodist minister to remain in America. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots"
In 1784 John Wesley named Asbury and Thomas Coke as co-superintendents of the work in America. Wilmore is a city in Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Thomas Coke ( September 9, 1747 &ndash May 2, 1814) was the first Methodist Bishop and is known as the Father of Methodist Missions This marks the beginning of the "Methodist Episcopal Church of the USA". For individual churches named Methodist Episcopal Church, see Methodist Episcopal Church (disambiguation The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes For the next thirty-two years, Asbury led all the Methodists in America.
Like Wesley, Asbury preached in all sorts of places: courthouses, public houses, tobacco houses, fields, public squares, wherever a crowd assembled to hear him. For the remainder of his life he rode an average of 6000 miles each year, preaching virtually every day and conducting meetings and conferences. Under his direction the church grew from 1,200 to 214,000 members and 700 ordained preachers.
In the most exciting time in American history, Asbury was arguably the most extraordinary preacher of his time. Biograph Ezra Squier Tipple wrote: "If to speak with authority as the accredited messenger of God; to have credentials which bear the seal of heaven . . . if when he lifted the trumpet to his lips the Almighty blew the blast; if to be conscious of an ever-present sense of God, God the Summoner, God the Anoining One, God the Judge, and to project it into speech which would make his hearers tremble, melt them with teror, and cause them to fall as dead men; if to be and do all this would entitle a man to be called a great preacher, than Asbury was a great preacher. "
Bishop Asbury died in Spotsylvania, Virginia, and is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Baltimore near the graves of Bishops John Emory and Beverly Waugh. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Mount Olivet Cemetery is an old cemetery in western Baltimore Maryland, on Frederick Avenue John Emory ( 11 April 1789 &ndash 1835 was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1832 Beverly Waugh (1789 - 1858 was an American who distinguished himself as a Methodist Pastor, Book Agent and Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal
His Journal
Asbury kept a journal assiduously; on December 8, 1812 he crossed the Broad River into York County, South Carolina and came to the home of David Leech, Esq. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 1812 ( MDCCCXII) a leap year started on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year For other rivers with the same name see Broad River. The Broad River is a principal Tributary of the Congaree River, York County is a County located in the US state of South Carolina. He states in his journal that Leech offered him a Bible and a bottle of brandy; he wrote, "I took one. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn — “burnt wine” is a spirit produced by distilling Wine " His journal also contains some references to conversations with ministers who disagreed with the Methodist leadership, such as Rev. Charles Hopkins of Powhatan County, Virginia who had rejected the Methodist ideals several years before. Powhatan County is a county located in the US state &mdash officially " Commonwealth " &mdash of Virginia.
Namesakes
- Asbury's boyhood home, Bishop Asbury Cottage, in Sandwell, England, is now a museum. Bishop Asbury Cottage ( is the boyhood home of Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist Bishop, in Great Barr, England History of the Borough The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the County boroughs of Warley (associated with Worcestershire England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
- Three schools are named after Asbury:
- Two are in Wilmore, Kentucky: Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary. Wilmore is a city in Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. Asbury College is a Christian Liberal arts institution located in Wilmore Kentucky. Asbury Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational graduate institution that offers a variety of master degree and postgraduate degree programs
- Francis Asbury Elementary School in Hampton Virginia.
- In addition, DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana was originally known as Indiana Asbury College after him. DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana, USA is a private national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2400 students Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States.
- James A. Bradley, a convert to Methodism, named the town he founded on the New Jersey shore, Asbury Park, after Asbury. James Adam Bradley, (1830 – June 21, 1921) was a wealthy Manhattan brush manufacturer financier NJ state senator Philanthropist, and developer who
- The former Asbury Methodist Church on Staten Island (now the Son-Rise Interfaith Center) stands as a monument to his memory. Staten Island (ˌstætənˈaɪlənd is a borough of New York City situated primarily on the island of the same name
- An equestrian statue of Asbury was erected in Washington, D.C. in 1921. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D
- A hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park follows part of the path Asbury took when crossing the mountains in the early 1800s. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains There is a monument dedicated to Asbury at Shiloh Memorial Cemetery in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where Asbury delivered a sermon on October 20, 1808. Pigeon Forge is a City in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States.
- Stratosphere Balloon Cave in Germany Valley, West Virginia was for over 150 years called "Asbury Cave". Germany Valley is a scenic upland valley high in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia originally settled by German (including Pennsylvania Dutch (Asbury records his 1781 visit to the cave in his Journal. )
Sources
References and Resources for Further Study
"Midnight Rider for the Morning Star," an historical novel (ISBN 978-0-915143-10-8) by Mark Alan Leslie, available at bookstores or through http://www.francisasburysociety.com/midnightrider.htm
- The official Francis Asbury web site. Contains an A-Z index of places and people mentioned in his journals.
- Trailblazin' Bishop: The Francis Asbury Story. A one-man play on the life of Francis Asbury.
- Francis Asbury biographical sketch on Find-A-Grave
- Journal and Letters of Francis Asbury (1958) by Francis Asbury (ISBN 0-687-20581-6)
- America's Bishop: The Life of Francis Asbury (2003) by Darius Salter (ISBN 1-928915-39-6)
- The Story of American Methodism: A History of the United Methodists and Their Relations (1974) by Frederick Abbott Norwood (ISBN 0-687-39641-7)
- The Heritage of American Methodism (1999) by Kenneth Cain Kinghorn (ISBN 0-687-05500-8)
- From Wesley to Asbury: Studies in Early American Methodism (1976) by Frank Baker (ISBN 0-8223-0359-0)
- Eliza Asbury - her cottage and her son by David Hallam (ISBN 1858582350
See also
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Asbury, Francis |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | One of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1745 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Handsworth, Birmingham, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1816 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |