William J. Abraham


William J. Abraham is a Northern Irish theologian, analytic philosopher, and United Methodist pastor known for his contributions to the philosophy of religion, religious epistemology, evangelism, and church renewal. Abraham has spent most of his career in the United States and is currently the Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. He previously taught at Seattle Pacific University and was a visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School.
Abraham is associated with the Confessing Movement in The United Methodist Church and is a proponent of Canonical Theism, a church renewal movement that looks to the canons of the ancient ecumenical Church as a source for renewing Mainline Protestant churches.

Education

Abraham attended Methodist College in Belfast, N. Ireland, then completed his undergraduate studies at The Queen's University of Belfast, earning a B.A. in 1970 in philosophy and psychology. He then attended Asbury Theological Seminary, earning an M.Div in 1973, before earning his D.Phil at Regent's Park College, Oxford University, in 1977. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Asbury in 2008.

Selected publications

Books