Author Archives: Ben Hartley

About Ben Hartley

Since 2021, I have served as the Associate Professor of Mission and World Christianity at Seattle Pacific University. I have served in similar roles at George Fox University (2016-2020) and at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University (2005-2016). I am an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church.

Remembering Celilo Falls

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Ben Hartley

This blog post first appeared at UM & Global on March 21, 2022 On March 10, 1957, over a span of just over four hours, the waters of the mighty Columbia River flooded and silenced the Celilo Falls.  The Dalles … Continue reading →

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UMC Deacons at 25: Rethinking Deacons’ Education

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Ben Hartley

This post first appeared on the UM & Global blog. Deacon Benjamin L. Hartley Benjamin L. Hartley is a member of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference.  In the fall of 2021, he will begin serving as Associate Professor of Mission and … Continue reading →

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UMC Deacons at 25: Claim the name “Deacon!”

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Ben Hartley

This post first appeared on the UM & Global blog. Deacon Benjamin L. Hartley is a member of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference.  In the fall of 2021, he will begin serving as Associate Professor of Mission and World Christianity at … Continue reading →

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UMC Deacons at 25: Picking up on an Old Conversation

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Ben Hartley

By Benjamin L. Hartley and Paul E. Van Buren This post originally appeared on UM & Global in May of 2021 Paul E. Van Buren is a retired deacon residing in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Benjamin L. Hartley is a … Continue reading →

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Ridge Beauty

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Ben Hartley

A different sort of blog post here written a couple years ago while visiting my home in Eitzen, Minnesota and our family farm a few miles south in Iowa. A few patches of April snow dotted the Minnesota prairie that … Continue reading →

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Becoming One, Becoming Holy: A Response to “Sent in Love

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Ben Hartley

Holiness is an integrating and animating idea and practice too often relegated to the “ash heap” of Methodist history rather than history’s “garden” from which United Methodists may still yield abundant fruit. Continue reading →

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Oregon-Idaho United Methodists Celebrating 200 Years in Mission in October

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Ben Hartley

The Methodist movement is at its best when it keeps the mission of God at the forefront of its collective heart, mind, and action.  The older I get (I turn 50 this year, so I can start saying that now) … Continue reading →

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Opening Up the Church so Wide…

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Ben Hartley

There are now nearly 70 million people living in our world who have been forced from their homes for a whole assortment of reasons.[1] I have been thinking and writing about refugees quite a bit recently.   November 11, 2018 will … Continue reading →

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On Really Getting Things Wrong

Posted on July 7, 2018 by Ben Hartley

This summer I am once again in the archives researching world Christian leaders in the early part of the twentieth century: John R. Mott, T. Z. Koo, J. H. Oldham, to name a few.  A more limited project has me … Continue reading →

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My hope for United Methodism

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Ben Hartley

I was asked some months ago to write a blog as part of a series entitled “My hope for United Methodism.”  It first appeared on UM & Global’s site, but UM Insight picked it up as well.   “Now the Passover … Continue reading →

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