University of Manchester/NTC Grad Publication Interview: Johan Tredoux on publishing his book, “Mildred Bangs Wynkoop: Her Life and Thought” (The Foundry Publishing, 2017)

What was the primary argument of your doctoral thesis?

My research broke new ground as I attempted to bring a comprehensive understanding of Wynkoop’s passion for a more biblical way of thinking about the Christian life and particularly Christian holiness. My thesis made the argument that Wynkoop’s version of Wesleyan holiness theology was an authentic interpretation of John Wesley’s doctrine of sanctification.

Going through boxes and boxes of her unpublished material, (Wynkoop Collection at the Nazarene Archives) especially her primary work, A Theology of Depth (written in 1958) and her 180-page master’s degree in theological anthropology, helped me to make significant discoveries of what shaped Wynkoop’s theology at a pre-suppositional level. 

As I examined the sources and development of Wynkoop's theology of sanctification, I was able to conclude that Wynkoop was significantly influenced by John Wesley's dynamic, Christological, relational, teleological, and socially oriented understanding of sanctification. 

What led you to study this subject?

My father introduced me to Wynkoop in 1980, during the Nazarene General Assembly, which was held in Kansas City that year. Meeting Mildred & Ralph at the early age of 21 was a delight. I recall a gracious and humble lady who was very present at the moment. Had I known at that time that I would spend six years researching her life and writings (almost 30 years later), I would have asked her lots of questions. Having grown up as Afrikaans-speaking citizens in apartheid-era South Africa, a theology of love was not something that would have been a reality in our lives. 

However, the choice to walk away from prejudice opened a whole new world to my father, including the opportunity to study under Wynkoop at NTS in the mid-1970s. Under Wynkoop, my father's theological world was opened to the thoughts of John Wesley and Wynkoop's relational and Christological understanding of Christian sanctification. Seeing the impact that Wynkoop made on my family, I became very curious about her life and theology. 

My curiosity eventually led me to make her lifetime work the focus of my doctoral research at the University of Manchester (UK) under the supervision of Dr. Tom Noble. As mentioned before, part of this research involved spending one day a week for a whole year going through boxes and boxes of her lifetime work that was never published.

How did your thesis contribute to the field?

My work helped to clarify the life circumstances, sources, and methodologies used by Wynkoop to put forth her existential understanding of Christian holiness as reflected in her main work A Theology of Love. I was able to set Wynkoop in her context, beginning with her family’s involvement with Dr. Phineas Bresee and her studies under Dr. H. Orton Wiley in the early days of the Church of the Nazarene. I also demonstrated in this thesis how John Wesley served as a mentor to her (not a guru), as she attempted to bring Wesley's theology into the 20th century. 

Her relational reading of John Wesley and the American holiness movement’s theology of Christian holiness raised significant theological debate in the last decades of the twentieth century. Even so, amid fundamentalism’s fear-based voices, I was able to show that Wynkoop taught the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition afresh the importance of biblically based, theological thinking.

As a female theologian, the work of Mildred Bangs Wynkoop remains a significant signpost for those in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, especially for the generations to follow. Given the continued threat of Gnosticism, Wynkoop’s theological anthropology, and her Eastern view of image and likeness require serious ongoing consideration. 

If seeking to publish your thesis, what has the process of searching for a publisher looked like?

I was fortunate in that the Foundry Publishing Co., expressed interest to publish my doctoral thesis. I already wrote my thesis with a potential publication in mind, so it was an easy transition for the Foundry to adapt my thesis to a less scholarly audience. However, it still required much editing and revision. I was also able to add historically significant photos spanning Wynkoop's life. The Foundry Publishing Co. team who worked with me made it an easy process. My book was launched with much fanfare at the 2017 General Assembly in Indianapolis 😊.

What does your life look like post-graduation? What is your current vocation and how does your doctoral work inform it? 

The primary work of Wynkoop was to show that her emphasis on Christlike love must be lived out in an on-the-ground “in shoe leather” theology. Little did I know that her belief would be put to the test for me in a very significant way. The last 5 years brought a significant change for me as I left the pastorate to become a board-certified clinical chaplain (BCC) in a Level 1 Trauma Center, under the tutelage of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). 

Wynkoop framed her theology in more therapeutic terms rather than judicial. This shift had a direct bearing on my present work as a hospice chaplain. My "witness" has expanded to the rich idea of "WITHness," as I journey with patients and their families facing the end of life. Wynkoop's emphasis on "likeness," as distinct from "image" has brought a renewed focus to the stages of moral cognitive development and the potential for growth embedded in each person. This has given me tools to assess the theological worldview of my patients so that I can better care for them.

What does it mean to you to be a scholar in the Wesleyan tradition?

The Wesleyan-Holiness tradition affords me the privilege to be a teacher of a theology that is saturated with the optimism of grace. A theology that is easily adaptable to any culture, because of its dynamic, Christological, relational, teleological, and socially oriented understanding of sanctification. The Wesleyan tradition's offer of grace and love is extended to everyone, regardless of race, gender, nationality, or sexual orientation. This theological posture allows me to be a proponent of the Wesleyan tradition without compromising my emotional and spiritual integrity. 

How do you see your scholarly work as part of your ministry?

My scholarly work allowed me to revisit the presuppositions of my faith. It helped me to move away from static, literal, apocalyptic, and fear-based assumptions, to more relational, historical, and therapeutic assumptions. These shifts in the theological undercurrents of my theological worldview made it possible to cross-fertilize into other disciplines, without compromising the integrity of my faith. This expanded worldview is indispensable in my work as a hospice chaplain, especially as I encounter Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist patients.

What made NTC and Manchester ideal places to undertake your doctoral studies?

Having tea in the lounge with other fellow Ph.D. students, walking down to the Didsbury restaurants, and getting feedback from faculty and fellow students on the papers that were presented, speaks of a journey that was filled with encouraging voices. The Manchester Wesleyan Research Centre library and the John Rylands Library have given me access to resources not otherwise available. The cost is also significantly lower than doing a Ph.D. in the USA, especially when you factor in the inexpensive accommodation arrangements at NTC.

What are some projects in progress? Where can we find your work these days?

Other than my main work: Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, Her Life, and Thought, I have contributed chapters in A Plain Account of Christian Faithfulness edited by Rob Fringer, and Love Does Not Control edited by Thomas Oord. The last edition (Vol 22, #2) of the Didache: Faithful Teaching Journal edited by Dean G. Blevins, featured an article I wrote on the “Key Tenets of Wynkoop’s Theology.”

What advice do you have for recent doctoral graduates who are searching for jobs, whether in academia, the church, or elsewhere?

It would be good for doctoral graduates to have a long view on the fruits of their labor percolating to the top. In this present climate of anti-intellectualism, in many cases, it will require graduates to carry their doctorates in their back pockets if they choose to enter pastoral ministry. It will also be advisable to look for communities that are open to pastoral theologians. In the academic world, I would advise that graduates remain open to enter at the adjunct level supported with bi-vocational income. Networking and writing to reflect theologically on current events will keep the graduate's feet on the ground. 

Robert Pelfrey’s New Book: “An Untold Story: Heroism, Mysticism, and the Quest for the True Self”

An Untold Story: Heroism, Mysticism, and the Quest for the True Self (Cascade Books, 2023).

What's the primary argument of your book? Did the argument or the phrasing of it change as you adapted your thesis to this publication?

The book's main argument is that our true self is revealed in the mystical-heroic journey of union with God. By coming to a better understanding of what it is to be a hero and what it is to be a mystic, we come to a better understanding of what it is to be ourselves. 

I did change a lot of the jargon from my scholarly work to make it more readable for a general audience. I also included a number of illustrations from popular culture, which hopefully makes the subject matter more understandable and even fun to read. The biggest change, however, is the focus on the true self, which is a more personal and intimate focus than the more academic work allowed.

What led you to study this subject? Why did you want to share your findings with a wider audience?

Having been a pastor for nearly twenty years—and a Christian twice that long—I am convinced that what the church most needs is not better PR or leaders with bigger platforms or hipper music or even more evangelism and outreach campaigns. What the church most desperately needs is disciples of Jesus Christ—people who are committed to and passionate about becoming like Christ in their own unique and authentic ways and contexts. 

I believe it's what the church needs and what the world needs. Everyone longs for meaning and identity and something of worth, which I believe are all found most profoundly in living the life God is living. That's the reason for my research and teaching and writing on spiritual formation—for the academy, the church, and the marketplace.

How does your new book contribute to the field? How does it contribute to public scholarship?

This book builds on my previous research into how the archetypal hero's journey of myth and legend is at the heart of the formative journey to life with God (and vice versa), with the spiritual theology of John of Ruusbroec (1293–1381) as the primary case study. However, where that previous work focused on demonstrating the parallels between the hero's journey and Ruusbroec's path of spiritual formation, this new book focuses on applying that research to actual formation in Christlikeness. 

So the new book takes the contributions of my previous work a step or two further, showing how to actually live out those ideas amongst the struggles and mess of everyday life in a challenging world. The public sphere is in dire need of books on Christian spirituality that are grounded in strong scholarship while also being accessible and understandable to a popular audience. I hope this is such a book.

What does it mean to you to be a scholar in the Wesleyan tradition?

In my experience, the Wesleyan tradition has the clearest and most well-rounded teaching on Christian formation. I was raised Methodist and am a Methodist pastor, but along the way I was part of a number of traditions—Baptist, Church of Christ, Anglican, charismatic—and of course I've studied many others. But with emphases like the means of grace, inner and outer holiness, classes and bands, social transformation, and especially Christian perfection and entire sanctification—I've yet to encounter a tradition more deeply rooted in and theologically bent toward Christian formation than the Wesleyan tradition. It's the ideal context for my work...and my faith.

How do you see your scholarly work as part of your ministry? How does publishing this book fit into that ministry?

I would point to another Wesleyan emphasis—the harmony of faith and reason. I always strive for faith that is well-informed and intellectually rigorous, and for scholarship that is faithful and practicable. I hope this book represents both sides of that approach.

Did you find new evidence or learn new information while rewriting?

Yes, constantly. At one point in the new book I mention how writing numerous drafts of my thesis, and then writing numerous drafts of the scholarly monograph based on my thesis, and then writing numerous drafts of this book resulted each time in new insights and greater understanding of the subject matter. It is deep and complex stuff, so it takes time and effort. But it is so worth it!

What made NTC and Manchester ideal places to undertake your doctoral studies?

For me, the greatest treasure of studying at NTC is found in the community—the administration, faculty, staff, and fellow students—that is formed around sincere Christian faith and rigorous scholarship. To undertake doctoral studies among people who are passionate about following Christ and passionate about service to the academy was priceless. And to be able to continue in my ministry context, to correspond and meet online with my advisors, and to gather regularly in Manchester with the NTC community—it was truly a life-changing experience. 

How did you begin the process of turning your scholarly monograph into a book with potentially wider reach? 

The entire time I was doing my research, writing my thesis, and then writing the scholarly monograph, I knew I wanted to adapt the work for a more general readership. After so many years as a pastor, I couldn't help but think how these ideas might be shared with the people in the pews. So the process involved first identifying the main ideas that would be helpful for everyday Christian living, and then being willing to jettison what wouldn't be. And then I had to think how best to present those ideas in understandable, relatable, and practicable ways. I found it helpful to keep certain people in mind as I wrote, people I've pastored over the years who are not academics but are passionate about their own spiritual formation. I'd think, 'How can I put this so X will really get it?' Then I shaped my work accordingly.

What are some of the differences between writing a scholarly monograph and a popular-level book?

The main difference lies in trying to find the balance between scholarship and readability. A scholarly monograph needs to be a bit more generalized and accessible than a thesis, but the language and concepts will still be highly specialized and academic. But a popular-level book like this one needs to be grounded in solid scholarship while also being enjoyable to read by non-academics. 

And that brings up another difference, which is that there's a lot more room in a popular-level book for illustrations from popular culture, personal stories, and practical applications of the subject matter. The 'hero's journey' aspect of this book really lent itself to that, as I got to include a lot of examples from films and works of fiction. I also got to wear my pastor's hat a bit more, offering illustrations from scripture and suggestions for spiritual practices. 

One more difference is that a popular-level book allows for a more relaxed writing style. That doesn't mean it's easy—one has to take care not to be sloppy or self-indulgent. Still, it's a welcome change after years of academic writing!

What are some other projects in progress or ones you're looking forward to post-publication?

I've just finished writing my first novel, so I'll be looking for a publisher for that and hopefully readying it for publication. Beyond that I'll continue working on contributions to Christian spiritual formation as a field of public knowledge, continuing to write for both the academy and a more general readership. I'm looking forward to developing more fully some of the practical theology I've only begun to address in my research so far—issues concerning the four-way intersection of being human, being one with God, being the church, and being in the world.

What advice do you have for others who want to publish their theses for a wider audience?

Get a clear picture of the sort of book you want your work to become. What are some books of that kind that you have enjoyed? What is it about them that made them special and that might help shape your work? Then, like a sculptor with a block of stone, begin shaping your work into the sort of book you've envisioned. Get an ideal reader (or a few) in mind—someone you know who is representative of the wider audience you're writing for—and then, as you write and shape your work, ask yourself, 'How can I present this so X will really get it...and enjoy it?' And that's the crucial thing—be true to your research, but make it enjoyable to read! And finally, look for publishers that will honor both the research and the readability.