The Methodist Review: Volume 20

The January 1868 issue of The Methodist Review surveys theology, biblical studies, church history, and missionary policy, presenting a cross-section of scholarly debate and ecclesiastical concern. The piece titled The Divine Element in Inspiration argues for verbal, word-for-word inspiration as the sole viable form of divine guidance in Scripture, grounding its claims in the inseparability of words and ideas and drawing on philosophers and theologians to claim language embodies thought. Additional items review foundational reference works such as McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia and Nast’s English Commentary, assess Elizabeth I’s relations with continental Protestants, open a discussion on the Methodist missionary enterprise, and frame Part 1’s orthodox-Protestant program within contemporary German-English scholarship. The issue also includes local summaries on Christ’s death, slave history in the Atlantic world, Methodism’s stance on slavery, Canadian Methodism, and ecumenical and foreign religious intelligence. It treats biblical interpretation, church governance, and mission as interconnected facets of 19th-century Protestant life.