Dr. James E. Pedlar
Title & Contact Info
Donald N. and Kathleen G. Bastian Chair of Wesley Studies
Associate Professor of Theology
Email: jpedlar [at] tyndale.ca
Phone: 416.226.6620 ext. 2215
Website: http://jamespedlar.wordpress.com
Academic Credentials
BA (Hons), Queen’s University, 2002
MDiv, Wycliffe College / University of Toronto, 2005
PhD, University of St. Michael’s College, 2013
Areas of Specialization
Wesleyan theology, ecclesiology, unity and diversity in the church, renewal and reform movements
Biography
James Pedlar believes the study of Christian theology is a spiritual practice, because true knowledge of God is transformative and participatory, and never merely intellectual. His hope is that students will leave his classroom equipped to articulate the Christian faith for the building up of God’s people, so that they might more faithfully live out God’s mission.
Dr. Pedlar is a Wesleyan theologian whose work focuses on ecclesiology – especially questions involving renewal and reform movements. His first book, Division, Diversity, and Unity, explores the use of the Pauline concept of “charisms” as a way of thinking about the unique gifts that renewal movements bring to the life of the church. His articles have appeared journals such as Wesley and Methodist Studies, the Wesleyan Theological Journal, the Canadian Theological Review, and Ecumenical Trends. He is an Honorary Fellow at the Manchester Wesley Research Centre, and serves on the Canadian Roman Catholic-Evangelical dialogue. Dr. Pedlar convenes Tyndale’s annual Wesley Studies Symposium, an event that fosters Canadian scholarship on the Wesleyan tradition.
Dr. Pedlar is a pastor in the Free Methodist Church in Canada. He is part of the leadership team at Wesley Chapel in Scarborough, where he focuses primarily on worship ministry. He has previously served in various roles with The Salvation Army, and on the staff of the Canadian Council of Churches.
Popular Courses
- Theology of John Wesley: Renewing the Heart Renewing the Church
- Creation, New Creation, and Creation Stewardship
- Theology of Church Renewal: Movements of the Spirit
Favourite Place on Campus
I love to go to the path at the back of campus and look out over the hill leading down to the East Don River. It is a wonderful place to reflect on the beauty of God's creation!Favourite Place in Toronto
The Toronto Reference Library is one of my favourite places to work. It's an interesting building with lots of study spaces, a fantastic coffee shop (Balzac's) and a used book store with unbeatable deals.Faculty Publications
- Schism and the Spirit in Hugh Bourne's Theology (2018) (Article)
- “Separate but Non-Sectarian: The Salvation Army’s Place in the History of Wesleyan Ecclesial Division.” (2017) (Article)
- Holiness Tradition (2016) (Article)
- “O Boundless Salvation”: Save Souls, Grow Saints, and Serve Suffering Humanity – The Army's Holistic Vision (2016) (Chapter)
- Division, Diversity, and Unity: A Theology of Ecclesial Charisms (2015) (Book)
- Universal Atonement or Ongoing Incarnation? Comparing the Missional Theologies of William Booth and Isaac Hecker (2015) (Article)
- Ecclesial Institutions as Means of Grace: A Wesleyan View of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Church (2014) (Article)
- "His Mercy is Over All His Works": John Wesley's Mature Vision of the New Creation (2013) (Article)
- Sensing the Spirit: Wesley’s Empiricism and his Use of the Language of Spiritual Sensation (2012) (Article)
- Doctrine in The Salvation Army Tradition (2010) (Article)
- Episcopacy and the Sovereignty of the Spirit: ARCIC on Authority as a Response to Miroslav Volf (2009) (Article)