Guide to Everyday English No matter where the game is played, the language of sport is English. Every traditional sport ending with ball comes from the English language: basketball, football, handball, volleyball, baseball and any other ball-centered game you can think of. Even if your favourite sport doesn’t involve balls. Prepositions,con- junctions, relative pronouns and adverbs are the ever-recurring finger-boards that point the thought onward, or enable it on occasion to retrace its way, and make all clearer and surer by turning backward. For the connective force ofit in such use see INTRODUCTORY PARTI. CLES in the Addenda,. EWS Conversation Topics for Busi ness E ngl i sh S tudent s English Well Spoken Conversation Topics for Business English Students. Students; structured aro u n d b o th th e n eed s o f th e stu d en t an d th e co mp an y. At English Well Spoken w e bel i eve t hat l earni ng t hrough conversat i on i s t he most nat ural way.

1. English Conversations All Occasions Pdf Merger

Strip clubs are venues where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic or exotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style. American-style strip clubs began to appear outside North America after World War II, arriving in Asia in the late 1980s and Europe in the 1978,^[1] where they competed against the local English and French styles of striptease and erotic performances.

As of 2005, the size of the global strip club industry was estimated to be US$75 billion.^[2] In 2002, the size of the U.S. strip club industry was estimated to be US$3.1 billion, generating 19% of the total gross revenue in legaladult entertainment.^[3]SEC filings and state liquor control records available at that time indicated that there were at least 2,500 strip clubs in the United States,^[3] and since that time, the number of clubs in the U.S. has grown. Profitability of strip clubs, as with other service-oriented businesses, is largely driven by location and customer spending habits. The better appointed a club is, in terms of its quality of facilities, equipment, furniture, and other elements, the more likely customers are to encounter cover charges and fees for premium features such as VIP rooms.^[4] The popularity of a given club is an indicator of its quality, as is the word-of-mouth among customers who have visited a cross section of clubs in different regions.

The strip club as an outlet for salacious entertainment is a recurrent theme in popular culture.^[5] In some media, these clubs are portrayed primarily as gathering places of vice and ill repute. Clubs themselves and various aspects of the business are highlighted in these references. 'Top Strip Club' lists in some media have demonstrated that U.S.-style striptease is a global phenomenon and that it has also become a culturally accepted form of entertainment, despite its scrutiny in legal circles and popular media. Popular Internet sites for strip club enthusiasts also have lists calculated from the inputs of site visitors. The legal status of strip clubs has evolved over the course of time, with national and local laws becoming progressively more liberal on the issue around the world, although some countries (such as Iceland) have implemented strict limits and bans.^[6] Strip clubs are frequent targets of litigation around the world, and the sex industry, which includes strip clubs, is a hot button issue in popular culture and politics. Some clubs have been linked to organized crime.^[7]

• 1History
• 2Entertainment and services
  • 2.1Club offerings
  • 2.2Customer service
• 3Facilities
  • 3.1General admission areas
• 4Performers and staff
  • 4.1Performers
• 5Business and operations
  • 5.1Global industry
  • 5.2Business practices
• 6Law and politics
• 7Cultural impact
  • 7.1Film, television, and theater

History[edit]

The term 'striptease' was first recorded in 1938, though 'stripping', in the sense of women removing clothing to sexually excite men, seems to go back at least 400 years. For example, in Thomas Otway's comedy The Soldier's Fortune (1681) a character says: 'Be sure they be lewd, drunken, stripping whores'.^[9] Its combination with music seems to be as old. A conclusive description and visualization can be found in the 1720 German translation of the French La Guerre D'Espagne (Cologne: Pierre Marteau, 1707), where a galant party of high aristocrats and opera singers has resorted to a small château where they entertain themselves with hunting, play and music in a three-day turn:

The third day, dedicated to ball and dance, was used for the finest entertainment to divert the men; their eyes were given the opportunity to see all the pleasures nature could offer; and if the pleasant aspects of a well shaped young lady are able to arouse the mind, one can say that our princes enjoyed all the delicacies of love. The dancers, to please their lovers the more, dropped their clothes and danced, totally naked, the nicest entrées and ballets; one of the princes directed the delightful music, and only the lovers were allowed to watch the performances.^[10]

Other possible influences on modern stripping were the dances of the Ghawazee 'discovered' and seized upon by French colonists in 19th century North Africa and Egypt. The erotic dance of the bee, performed by a woman known as Kuchuk Hanem, was witnessed and described by the French novelist Gustave Flaubert. In this dance the performer disrobes as she searches for an imaginary bee trapped within her garments. It is likely that the women performing these dances did not do so in an indigenous context, but rather, responded to the commercial climate for this type of entertainment.^[11]

Middle Easternbelly dance, also known as oriental dancing, was popularized in the United States after its introduction on the Midway at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago by a dancer known as Little Egypt.^[12]

European tradition[edit]

In France during the late 19th century, Parisian shows such as the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergère were featuring attractive, scantily clad, dancing women and tableaux vivants.^[13] In this environment, an act featuring a woman slowly removing her clothes in a vain search for a flea crawling on her body was seen in 1895 and possibly filmed in 1897 by the first female director, Alice Guy.^[1][14] This routine, Le coucher d'Yvette, inspired 'French acts' in theaters and brothels in other parts of the world, seen in the U.S. city of New York as early as 1878.^[1] The first public act of striptease in modern times is credited to Parisian theater in 1894.^[15]

In 1905, Dutch dancer Mata Hari, later shot as a spy by the French authorities during World War I, was an overnight success from the debut of her act at the Musée Guimet.^[16] The most celebrated segment of her act was her progressive shedding of clothing until she wore just a jeweled bra and some ornaments over her arms and head.^[17] Another landmark performance was the appearance at the Moulin Rouge in 1907 of an actress called Germaine Aymos who entered dressed only in three very small shells.^[18] In the 1930s, the famous Josephine Baker danced semi-nude in the danse sauvage at the Folies and other such performances were provided at the Tabarin.^[19] These shows were notable for their sophisticated choreography and for often dressing the girls in glitzy sequins and feathers. By the 1960s 'fully nude' shows were provided at such places as Le Crazy Horse Saloon.^[20]

In Britain in the 1930s, Laura Henderson began presenting nude shows at the Windmill Theatre in London. At that time, British law prohibited naked girls from moving. To avoid the prohibition, the models appeared in stationary tableaux vivants.^[21] The Windmill girls also toured other London and provincial theatres, sometimes using ingenious devices such as rotating ropes to move their bodies round, though strictly speaking, staying within the letter of the law by not moving of their own volition.^[22] Another example of ways that the shows stayed within the law was the fan dance, in which a naked dancer's body was concealed by her fans and those of her attendants, until the end of her act in when she posed naked for a brief interval whilst standing still.^[22]

In 1942, Phyllis Dixey formed her own company of girls and rented the Whitehall Theatre in London to put on a review called The Whitehall Follies.^[23][24] By the 1950s touring striptease acts were used to attract audiences to the dying music halls. Paul Raymond started his touring shows in 1951 and later leased the Doric Ballroom in Soho, opening his private members club, the Raymond Revuebar in 1958. This was the first of the private striptease members' clubs in Britain.^[25]

Changes in the law in the 1960s brought about a boom of strip clubs in Soho with 'fully nude' dancing and audience participation.^[26] Pubs were also used as venues, most particularly in the East End, with a concentration of such venues in the district of Shoreditch. This pub striptease seems mainly to have evolved from topless go-go dancing.^[27] Though often a target of local authority harassment, some of these pubs survive to the present day. A custom in these pubs is that the strippers walk round and collect money from customers in a beer jug before each individual performance. This custom appears to have originated in the late 1970s when topless go-go dancers first started collecting money from the audience as the fee for going 'fully nude'.^[27] Private dances of a more raunchy nature are sometimes available in a separate area of the pub.^[28]

American tradition[edit]

In America, striptease started in traveling carnivals and burlesque theatres, and featured famous strippers such as Gypsy Rose Lee and Sally Rand. The vaudevilletrapeze artistCharmion performed a 'disrobing' act onstage as early as 1896, which was captured in the 1901 Edison film, Trapeze Disrobing Act. Another milestone for modern American striptease was the possibly legendary show at Minsky's Burlesque in April 1925: The Night They Raided Minsky's. The Minsky brothers brought burlesque to New York's 42nd Street. However, the burlesque theatres there were prohibited from having striptease performances in a legal ruling of 1937, leading to the later decline of these 'grindhouses' (named after the bump 'n grind entertainment on offer) into venues for exploitation cinema.^[29] The concept of 'strippers' as we know it today with the pole dance has been popularized in the United States in 1972. British Columbia followed the lead around 1978.

Widespread bans on striptease had a direct influence on the creation of the strip clip joint and the exotic dancer as known today.^[1] Bans still exist; enforced now mostly at the local municipal level. American-style striptease began to appear outside North America in the post-World War II era and is now practiced widely around the world.^[1]

The 1960s saw a revival of striptease in the form of topless go-go dancing. Topless dancing was banned in certain parts of the country, similar to the bans on striptease, but it eventually merged with the older tradition of burlesque dancing.^[1]Carol Doda of the Condor Night Club in the North Beach section of San Francisco is credited with being the first topless go-go dancer.^[30] The club opened in 1964 and Doda's première topless dance occurred on the evening of June 19 of that year.^[31][31][32] The large lit sign in front of the club featured a picture of her with red lights on her breasts. The club went 'bottomless' on September 3, 1969; launching the trend of explicit 'full nudity' in American striptease dancing.^[33] It was Doda's brand of dancing which is credited with the move from striptease to stripping.^[34]

San Francisco is also the location of the notorious Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theatre. Originally an X-rated movie theater, this striptease club pioneered lap dancing in 1970, and was a major force in popularizing it in strip clubs on a nationwide and eventually worldwide basis.^[35] A further development in the American tradition took place with the emergence of upscale 'gentlemen's clubs' in the early 1990s in large cities such as New York.^[36]Scores New York was the first major gentlemen's club, with 'a gorgeous interior, high-end food and drinks, and of course stunningly beautiful women in sexy gowns. Prior to that, live adult entertainment in New York consisted largely of seedy peep show-type places,' according to adult industry veteran Joe Diamond.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). An older term was 'sutorippu gekijo'. American-style striptease became popular in Japan during the U.S. occupation after the end of World War II (1945–1952). Some girls chose to strip in theaters as an alternative to prostitution.^[37]

When entrepreneur Shigeo Ozaki saw Gypsy Rose Lee perform, he started his own striptease revue in Tokyo's Shinjuku neighborhood. Teitoza was the first club to open in Shinjuku, on 15 January 1947. The first act was titled 'The Birth of Venus'.^[38] Each performance lasted for fifteen seconds and was modest by modern standards, incorporating veils, panties and a bra which covered much of what would be shown today. The woman on stage stood in a stationary pose, similar to shows in Britain. The show ran until August 1948. Theaters in Asakusa had fully nude displays,^[38] also featuring no motion or stripping. As this style of theater spread,^[38] the removal of clothing on stage was integrated into the process.

Over time, as regulations were relaxed, a variety of acts developed with shows presenting a variety of movements such as taking a bath in an outdoor washtub. One of the most famous variants had audience members given magnifying glasses for close up views.^[38]

During the 1950s, Japanese 'strip shows' became more sexually explicit and less dance-oriented, until they were eventually simply live sex shows.^[1] The strip shows in Tokyo during this time remained low key, but Osaka and Kyoto were pushing the art of striptease in Japan into new territory.^[39] In 1956, Osaka became the first city in Japan to have pubic hair on display during a strip show.^[39] Dotonbori is a well known red light district in Osaka, Japan that has featured entertainment theaters and prostitution for hundreds of years.^{[40][41][42][43]} The strip clubs of today are the latest incarnation of its temptations.^[40]

Peeping clubs, which feature peeping rooms (nozokibeya), are businesses where a customer views a girl through a hole from his own private cubicle. The customer then pays to watch a girl strip, pose, and masturbate. Kabukichō, a red light district in Tokyo, had 13 nozoki-beya in the early 1980s.^[44] The sex industry became so pervasive in Asia that by the 1990s, Kabukichō was described as a warren of peep shows, strip clubs, and massage parlors and Bangkok, Thailand had attained a reputation as the sex capital of the world.^[45]

Entertainment and services[edit]

Club offerings[edit]

American-style strip clubs are often structured as nightclubs or bars. High-end establishments are commonly referred to as 'gentlemen's clubs',^[46] complete with luxury features and services. More down-market competitors can be known by various names, such as titty bars, rippers, peelers, skin bars, girly bars, nudie bars, bikini bars or go-go bars.

Regardless of size, name, or location in the world, strip clubs can be full nude, topless or bikini.^[4][47] Where offered:

• Full nude routines – The male or female performer is fully nude by the end of their performance.
• Topless – The female performer's upper body is exposed but the genital area remains covered during a performance.
• Bikini – The female performer's breasts and genital area remain covered, such as go-go dancing.

For any of the three types of clubs there are exceptions based on the individual dancer and management. The use of pasties can alter the legal interpretation as to whether a performance is topless or not and whether a business is sexually oriented.^[48]

A club might also hire or broadcast forms of entertainment other than striptease (such as pay-per-view events), for which it earns revenue via premium fees. Some clubs have also moved into providing chat and broadcast services via the internet, including live video feeds.^[49] Beyond this more passive entertainment, some clubs' dancers offer additional services, such as lap dances or trips to the champagne room, for a set fee rather than for tips. This fee will typically include a set fee for the room, for a fixed amount of time.^[50] Lap dances may also be offered during lingerie modeling sessions. During a lap dance, the dancer rubs against the customer's crotch while he or she remains clothed, in an attempt to arouse or bring the recipient to climax.^[51] Touching of strippers is not permitted in many localities, however, some dancers and clubs allow touching of dancers during private dances.^[52][53] In some parts of the U.S., there are laws forbidding the exposure of female nipples, and thus dancers must cover their nipples with pasties to comply with those laws.^[54] Such clubs are known as pastie clubs.

Striptease[edit]

A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sensual manner.^[55] while doing so, the performer will make sure that the client feel warm, listened to and forget his problems. The main job of a stripper is to entertain and keep the clients on dreaming while being a semi 'psychologist'.The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a 'stripper' or exotic dancer. Most strippers are female, with less than a third of strippers being male strippers.^[56] Striptease and public nudity have been subject to legal and cultural prohibitions and other aesthetic considerations and taboos. Restrictions on venues may be through venue licensing requirements and constraints and a wide variety of national and local laws. These laws vary considerably around the world, and even between different parts of the same country.

Striptease involves a slow, sensuous undressing. The stripper may prolong the undressing by making sure that the sensual build up has been properly done using techniques such as the wearing of actual clothes or putting clothes or hands in front of just undressed body parts such as the breasts or genitalia in a sensual and playful manner. The emphasis is on the act of undressing along with sexually suggestive movement, rather than the state of being undressed. In the past, the performance often finished as soon as the undressing was finished, though today's strippers usually continue dancing in the nude.^[20][57] The costume the stripper wears before disrobing is part of the act. In some cases, audience interaction can form part of the act, with audience urging the stripper to remove more clothing, or the stripper approaching the audience to interact with them.

Unlike in burlesque theater, the modern popular form of strip theater can minimize the interaction of customer and dancer, reducing the importance of tease in the performance in favor of speed to undress.^[58] Most clubs have a dancer rotation where each dancer in turn will perform for one or more songs in a fixed sequence which repeats during a shift.^[59] Less formal clubs will have dancers take turns when a stage becomes empty or have a free flow of entertainers where the stage has any number of entertainers who wander off and on at will.^[60] Featured entertainers are not usually part of the rotation and they generally have set times when they will perform that are advertised throughout the shift.^[58] If a DJ is present, he or she will emcee the rotation and typically announce the current dancer(s) on stage and possibly whom to expect in future sets.

Private Dances[edit]

In peep shows, done with a customer seated in a private booth separated from a dancer by glass or plastic,^[61] there may be no music playing during a performance, in which the woman removes her clothes and displays her body to the customer. In clubs which offer lingerie modeling shows, which are peep shows where a dancer privately dances and strips for a customer, typically without a barrier, performances can also be done with or without a formal stage or music.^[62]

Private dances in the main club zones most often take the form of table dances, lap and couch dances, and bed dances among others. An air dance is a particular form of private dance where little-to-no contact between the dancer and customer occurs. This class of dance spans the different categories above and some dancers may perform air dances when more contact-heavy forms of dance were expected and paid for. Club management may set standard prices for the various dance services, but individual strippers, where permitted, will negotiate their own prices, which may be higher or lower than the advertised rate.^[63] Table dances are distinguished from other forms of dances in that they can be performed where the customer is seated, on the main floor.^[64]Table dance may also refer to a form of minimal-touch private dance where the performer is physically located on a small table in front of the customer(s). Table dances should not be confused with table stages, where the stripper is at or above eye level on a platform surrounded by chairs and usually enough table surface for customers to place drinks and tip money.

Where offered, lap dances are performed in all manner of locations and seating,^[50][65] ranging from plain stools and kitchen-grade chairs to plush leather armchairs. They can also be performed with the customer standing in these designated areas. A service provided by many clubs is for a customer to be placed on stage with one or more dancers for a public lap dance. Occasions for this type of performance are bachelor parties and birthdays, among others.^[66] Bed dance areas require more space because they are designed for the customer to be prone with the entertainer(s) positioned on top of them. Bed dances are the least common of the three, and in many clubs are a more expensive option than a lap dance because of the novelty and increased level of contact between customer and service provider.^[67]

Customer service[edit]

Strip clubs are profit-oriented businesses like restaurants and other retail establishments. Performers and staff are the primary customer service representatives in the club environment. Dancers are their primary vehicle to entice customers to spend time and money in the establishment.^[68]

Interaction[edit]

Dancers continually interact with the customers in the club. They walk around and solicit drinks and lap dances, usually scanning the club floor to find the most lucrative customer to greet. The dancer qualifies a customer by sizing up their appearance and personal characteristics. Once the dancer identifies a suitable customer, she approaches, and attempts to establish a social relationship. Interaction can also be initiated by customers.^[68] Clubs generate revenue by cover charges, selling drinks, and other means. Dancers make most of their income from giving lap dances or VIP dances, where regulations allow. Otherwise, customer tips, at the stage, are a dancer's primary form of income.^[68] Dancers are entertaining the customers in exchange for money and employing all of the resources at their disposal to do so. They sell the fantasy of sex, but do not typically follow through with the act.^[56]

Dancers, in an attempt to acquire a tip or monetary reward, may be selling more than just attractiveness and fantasy. They portray feelings of intimacy and emotional connectedness for their customers and most of the time these portrayals are overstated or false.^[69] The stage persona is different from who they are backstage, even if it does mirror aspects of their true personality.^[56] Within the context of the strip club, dancers might sometimes give the impression that they are revealing private (or backstage) information to customers in order to play a confidence game for increased profit.^[68] Dancers use props such as make-up, clothing, costumes, and appealing fragrances to complete their character and maintain their 'front' while in the club. Customers rarely, if ever, see the preparation of these props, since they are denied access to the backstage of a dancer's performance space by the layout of the club.^[68] A customer often wants a dancer to 'drop the act', which makes them feel special and desired.^[4][70] This girlfriend experience can involve increased intimacy up to and including sex acts.^[71][72][73] Dancers are commonly aware of this customer desire for increased confidence, and may allow the impression that a customer is seeing their true selves. In reality, it is often just part of the act with little to no emotional attachment for the dancer.^[4]

Cultural norms and policies[edit]

Rules governing strip clubs and the overall adult entertainment industry vary around the world and formats sometimes are combined under a single roof or complex. In Bangkok, Thailand, the Nana Entertainment Plaza in downtown Bangkok is a large, four-floor compound with over 40 bars. Most of the bars are go-go bars with dancers in various stages of nudity. They are not formal brothels, since customers must negotiate without an intermediary, directly with the dancers, for services up to and including sex.^[74]Zürich, Switzerland has legalized prostitution and its strip clubs throughout the city offer sex among their services. Differing from Zurich brothels, sex services via the strip clubs are typically performed off site.^[75] Eastern European strip clubs have a similar model.^[76] A .34 square kilometer 'sex zone' in Tokyo, Japan had approximately 3,500 sex facilities as of 1999. These included strip theaters, peep shows, 'soaplands', 'lover's banks', porno shops, telephone clubs, karaoke bars, clubs and more all offering adult entertainment services.^[77] In Dubai, a nation governed by very strict cultural norms and laws, there are several Indian strip clubs offering at least partial nudity.^[78]

Dancers may tie their state of undress to the number of songs played.^[79] This could correspond to a bikini performance for song one and topless for the second. In a fully nude club, the sequence could be topless-to-nude over two songs, or any one of a number of other variations. In the United States, clubs are classified based on typical performances, zoning regulations, and advertised services.^[47]Zoning regulations in the U.S. can prove a challenge, with clubs needing to be a certain distance away from schools and other areas where minor children are known to congregate.^[47] These restrictions are meant, ostensibly, to curb exposure to activities that could negatively impact social development of children and to protect nearby real estate properties not tied to the industry from devaluation. These are known as 'secondary effects'.^[80] The validity of secondary effects has been disputed, with the counterargument that clubs have been forced through zoning into 'seedy neighborhoods'.^[81] Elsewhere in North America, the Zona Norte red light district in Tijuana, Mexico has a number of legal brothels which are modeled on strip clubs and feature U.S.-style striptease performed by its prostitutes.^[82][83][84]

Facilities[edit]

Most strip clubs are located in buildings that are converted bars, restaurants, or warehouses, or had industrial uses. The original layout of the building will affect the physical layout of a club. The more money that has been invested in a facility, the more it resembles a dedicated club.^{[85][citation needed]} Regardless of the floorplan, as interactive theater, there are features every strip club will have. They include: performers (strippers), a floor area where the customers will congregate, and some form of staging for the striptease performance.^[59]

Higher-end gentlemen's clubs have features that cost millions of dollars to install and maintain.^[86]

General admission areas[edit]

The floor area is open for general admission. A customer is free to wander around the club, except for employee areas and premium lounges.^[51][68] To access premium lounges (sometimes called VIP, champagne, other lounges), a customer would normally be charged a fee above the cover charge. In some cases, the employee and premium lounges are dual use. For example, a manager's office might also double as the VIP room.^[87]

All clubs are configured differently. A small club can have a single room, with an improvised stage for the striptease show. Many clubs have more than the basic amenities. Larger clubs have clearer designations of areas. The different areas within a club could be separated by a physical step, built-in railing, platforms and levels, doorways, distinct rooms, and entirely separate floors, and they can also be formed by different carpeting, placement of seating, or physical implements such as a rope or other physical marker.

Floor and seating[edit]

Most entertainment takes place in the main floor area, and this is where performers and staff can interact with patrons. Customers get comfortable in this area and from their observations, they decide which club services they will use. The main stage is visible from the main floor, and the main bar is accessible, if one is present. Patrons can usually select from open seating and some clubs will have staff to assist with seating. If premium seating is provided, club staff will usually manage access to those areas.^[64] Depending on the day, time and staffing levels, accessibility of the general admission areas may vary. Larger clubs will rope off or otherwise close sections of the club to customers unless the size of the crowd warrants use of the space. Larger clubs could have multiple floor, bar, seating, and staging areas which are managed in a similar manner.

Main stage[edit]

A main stage is where a featured performer will dance as part of a rotation.^[59] In most clubs the main stage is a dominant feature of the layout and the center of activity.^[4] A common type of strip club main stage is the thrust stage, also known as a runway stage,^[88] but the other major forms are also used regularly. Theatre in the round is also a popular form of strip club staging for the main stage. During each set of one or more songs, the current performer will dance on stage. A dancer collects tips from customers either while on stage or while mingling with the audience after her performance. A customary tip (where customers can do so at the stage) is a dollar bill folded lengthwise and placed in the dancer's garter from the tip rail.^[58][59] The area of the tip rail is equivalent to the apron in traditional theatre. It is referred to in slang as 'ringside', 'gynecology row', 'pervert row', and other names.^[58][89]

Many stages have actual railing built on or around the stage to function as the tip railing, in addition to indicating where customers should position themselves relative to the performance zone. Customers take turns tipping the dancer.^[59] They may also line up to tip popular performers. If physical railing is not present, the tip rail is the edge of stage or defined performance area. Other common tip methods are to insert the dollar into the stripper's cleavage from the hand or mouth, to simply place it or toss it on stage, or to crumple bills into a ball shape and throw them in the entertainer's direction.^[90][91][92] Each club and dancer has different tolerance levels for customer interaction, including tipping. Some clubs have multiple stages on the premises. Tipping etiquette varies between countries and cultures.^[93] In Eastern European and Asian clubs it is customary to agree on payment upfront for a certain amount of time or dances, for stage performances and any private sessions.^[94][95]

Optional staging[edit]

Satellite staging includes one or more areas where a stripper can perform other than a main stage and private dances.^[88][96] Larger clubs can have elaborate staging layouts with multiple stage areas distributed around a club and multiple dancers rotating between them per song. Some strip clubs consider ad-hoc performances on satellite stages, paid for by a customer on a per song basis, a form of private dance. Rules at the satellite stages on the main floor tend to be the same as the main stage. In some cases, the layout is significantly different allowing more or less access to the customer. If a satellite stage is located in a premium access zone, access to the dancer could be considerably greater since the higher level of service can include a less restrictive policy than enforced on the main floor. Lap dance, peep show, and lingerie modeling clubs might only have satellite stages with pay to play entertainment options on their premises.

Novelty acts (such as shower shows, fire shows, and oil wrestling) can be presented on dedicated stages, temporary staging on the floor, or on the main stage itself depending on the club.^[97][98][99] The main stage, if used, must be prepared and possibly covered to prevent damage, as accidents and injuries have been reported during these types of striptease performances.^[100] When dangerous materials such as fire are used as props a permit may be required to be compliant with local ordinances.^[100] Novelty acts are typically performed by feature dancers or by select house dancers during a featured performance. Shower shows require special equipment, so they are more likely to have a dedicated stage in the club with house dancers performing in the show. Optional staging can be present on the main floor or in dedicated rooms throughout larger clubs.^[64]

Bars and counters[edit]

A full bar is the primary service mechanism for clubs that offer alcoholic beverages. In many clubs the main bar is the second most dominant element on the floor after the main stage,^[65] and in some cases the main (or satellite) stage is built into the bar. Clubs can derive large percentages of their income from drink purchases. For both Rick's Cabaret and VCGH, Inc., service revenues were the single largest revenue source, with sales of alcoholic beverages second. VCGH earned 18% more and RICK 27.5% more in service revenue than alcohol sales. The amounts are closer when food and merchandise sales are considered, with RICK reporting a smaller gap between the two revenue sources relative to VCGH.^[101][102] Upscale clubs that offer food can have free-standing or built-in bars for buffet service. Otherwise, food orders might be taken at the main bar or by waitstaff.

Consumption of alcohol is often facilitated via direct sales in strip clubs where such sales are legal, appropriately zoned, and licensed.^[103] Some clubs that are not licensed to serve alcohol will work around the restriction by implementing a bring your own beverage (BYOB) policy and a juice bar. Juice bars have the appointments of full bars but only serve non-alcoholic beverages such as water, fruit juice, and flavored carbonated beverages. Such a bar could double as a service counter for the storage of BYOB material and offer ice and mixing services to create mixed drinks using the customer-purchased ingredients. Where waitstaff are present, they may serve as an extension of the bar service; providing and refreshing drinks while maintaining the cleanliness of the seating areas.

Other floor areas[edit]

Many clubs have a lobby area where the cover charge, if any, is collected by a doorman or doorwoman and security personnel can do a quick check of prospective customers as they enter the facility.^[104]Games are also a common feature of strip clubs. Arcade and gambling machines are popular features, as are pool tables. Some clubs also have dedicated areas of the main floor dedicated to performing private dance services.^[50]

Premium access zones[edit]

Access to certain parts of a strip club can require payment of an additional fee,^[64] or can be by invitation. These areas offer features that are not present in the general admission areas. This approach might allow a club to offer different types and standards of services in the various areas, or to comply with local laws. In this setting, VIPs such as high rollers or persons of a wider popular celebrity, may receive complimentary services according to their reputation with the club personnel.^[105][106]

VIP seating adjacent to the main floor is often more comfortable. For example, arm chairs or couches may be provided, and may include booths with service tables. The area typically has a clear line of sight to the main stage. Reserve seating gives a customer a sense of importance and demonstrates prestige.^[107] In higher-end clubs, VIP seating might include balconies and other overlooks, which might also include smaller stages for a private dance if the customer wishes,^[4] at an additional fee. VIP seating can also act as lap dance booths, where a higher lap dance price would apply than in the general area.^[64]

VIP rooms are partitioned areas in a club that are typically enclosed by fixed walls and can have doors that close completely. For such rooms that do not offer solid doors, there is usually some type of blind system with stringed beads, curtains, or other screening implements. Couch rooms, private dance rooms,^[50] and lounges are also forms of VIP zones.^[64] VIP rooms have seating that is more plush than the general admission zones and the VIP seating adjacent to the main floor. Often, purchase of access to the room includes customer time with the dancer(s) of their choice. Some rooms are outfitted with props and appliances, such as showers, hot tubs, and various types of bedding.^[64]

A champagne room (also called a champagne lounge, or champagne court) is a specialized VIP Room service offered by gentlemen's clubs where a customer can purchase time (usually in half-hour increments) with an exotic dancer in a private room on the premises. Depending on the quality of the club, these rooms, which are typically away from the hustle and bustle of the main club, are generally well decorated and usually appointed with a private bar. Clubs sell champagne by the glass or by the bottle for both the dancer and the customer. Some clubs also offer food and/or cigar service. News media outlets have reported incidents of champagne room charges into the tens and hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars for a single visit.^[108]

Limited access zones[edit]

Portions of the club used only for the operation and maintenance typically have access restricted to staff and performers.^[68] These include (but are not limited to) management offices, employee booths, performer dressing rooms, and service areas, such as the kitchen and behind the bar. This business practice does not differ significantly from what is seen in other customer service businesses such as retail stores and restaurants. More frequently seen are entry booths, where security staff monitor customers entering and leaving the club and collect the cover charge, and the DJ booth, where the DJ operates.^[109] The DJ booth contains sound, lighting, and other equipment which is used to 'orchestrate the crowd' by adjusting the club environment, and is equivalent to a control room in a traditional theater.^[110]

Dancers use dressing rooms to prepare for performances, rest between performances, and stow any of their belongings not secured by other means.^[68] It is customary for disputes between club personnel to be handled off the floor and out of sight of patrons. Dressing rooms are commonly used for performer-only mediation, though this could shift into other areas of discussion if management is involved. Clubs are experimenting with granting greater access to restricted areas via technology.^[49] The service includes a live view into part of the backstage dressing room and paid access enables the website user to interact live with dancers at the club. Security of club assets and personnel are a primary driver for limiting access to these zones. If surveillance equipment for the club and grounds is present on site, the monitoring locations for the audio/videofeeds will be directed to management.^[111] In less frequent cases such feeds could also be accessed from off-site.^[112][113]

Performers and staff[edit]

Performers[edit]

Performers are called strippers, exotic dancers, just dancers, or entertainers. Strippers are the primary draw for any club. Dancers effectively entertaining customers are the key to generating revenue by keeping customers on site and enticing them to be repeat visitors.^[103] The image of strippers (as known today) evolved through the late 1960s and 1970s in the U.S. and international cultures that embraced Americanized striptease; introduced into popular culture by the genre-defining performances of Carol Doda.^[114] By the 1980s, the pole dancing and highly explicit imagery associated with today's performers was widely accepted and frequently portrayed in film, television, and theater. House dancers work for a particular club or franchise.^[115]Feature dancers tend to have their own celebrity, touring a club circuit and making appearances.^[46][71]Porn stars will often become feature dancers to earn extra income and build their fan base.^[116] High-profile adult film performers Jenna Haze and Teagan Presley, among others, have participated in feature shows through the U.S., as did now-retired stars such as Jenna Jameson.^{[117][118][119]}

Work environments[edit]

In some localities strippers are required to obtain permits to work in adult entertainment.^[120] During a bikini performance, both breasts and genital areas typically remain covered by revealing attire, while dancers provide services and entertainment. Go-go dancers will retain their tops and bottoms for the duration of their performance. A female stripper whose upper body is exposed, but whose genital areas remain obscured during a performance, is said to be topless. Strippers who uncover the genital areas along with other clothing during a performance are said to be dancing fully nude. The fully nude practice is banned in many jurisdictions,^[47] but many dancers work around these constraints by selective uncovering of the vulva, anus, or both, for short periods of time, followed by immediate replacement of the clothing.^[121][122] Not all strippers are comfortable dancing topless or fully nude.^[123]

Strippers can sometimes be contracted for performances outside the strip club environment.^[71] Strippers with ready access to the Internet away from work have also adopted social media and networks as a less intrusive way of maintaining direct connections with customers.^[124][125] Others use the internet to generate revenue by performing via webcam, recording premium content, or running their own subscriber-based web site.^[126][127]Online erotic content is pervasive and generally classified as pornography.^[128][129] Much like activities inside the club, different dancers have different comfort levels for services they provide during private parties.^[71] Aside from advertising for striptease services outside the club, an unknown percentage of strippers also work in other aspects of the sex industry. This can include erotic and nude modeling, pornography, escorting, and in some cases prostitution. Outside the U.S., the use of strip clubs to facilitate sex-for-hire is much more common and stripping in those settings is viewed as advertising for sexually oriented business that will be performed in either private areas of the club or off-premises.^[1][75]

Social interaction[edit]

Research suggests that exotic dancing can pay well, but often at significant cost to the stripper.^[70] One reason for this is the negative stigma associated with exotic dancing. Not all dancers are affected equally. Some dancers manage this stigma by dividing 'the social world' and only revealing part of their identity.^[130] By revealing only a part of themselves, strippers may avoid being characterized by the stigmatizing attributes associated with exotic dancing.^[56] Outside the club, dancers are indistinguishable by appearance from the general population and no more likely to be the targets of acts like violent crime than are other women.^[131] Inside the club, personal boundaries are frequently crossed between strippers, customers, and other club staff. Research indicates that at some point every dancer has felt exploited by customers, management, or other dancers. The most common complaint from dancers is being portrayed as an object or instrument, rather than as a person.^[5][132] While dancers feel this exploitation and are affected by it, they also admit that they exploit their customers.^[133]

Primary staff[edit]

Additional club staff almost always includes a club manager, as dancer-run clubs are rare. One or more managers are responsible for day-to-day operations on behalf of the club owner.^[134] Managerial responsibilities include money handling, inventory, and hiring and firing of employee staff and contractors. The manager role can be split between a general manager and one or more floor managers.^[120] If a bar is present, one or more dedicated bartenders might be employed to assist customers by preparing their drinks or by storing drinks that customers bring into BYOB clubs.^[135] In some localities bartenders are required to have an individual permit to serve alcohol.^[120] House moms monitor dancers on behalf of the management. A house mom can be particularly beneficial where staff is otherwise male, given her potential to relate to female dancers in a way that male members of staff may not be able to.^[136] Not every club will have a house mom.

Bouncers are security personnel. They are typically relatively large and physically strong males, who enforce club policy and maintain order in and around the premises.^[137] In some cases, on-duty law enforcement may be on site if a club is viewed by authorities as a location with a high enough crime risk.^[138] More commonly, privately hired security (including off-duty police) are contracted to guard the premises.^[139] Bouncers can also double as doormen or Disc jockeys (DJs); serving as hosts and maintaining the flow of entertainment and even cuing music for the dance sets.^[140] Where a DJ is not present, music may be provided via either a jukebox or sometimes live musicians.

Ancillary staff[edit]

Strip clubs have a variety of configurations and staffing needs. Some clubs employ a host to emcee the show, in addition to a DJ. Hosts are more common in busier clubs or shifts, and during special, such as amateur night and featured acts. If the club charges a fee for entry, specialized personnel may work the door to collect the cover. A common practice is to employ young women, which are known in the industry as door girls, for this function.^[104] In certain areas, doormen working outside the strip club will act as 'hype men' enticing people to enter and sample the show and services.^[141]The Block in Baltimore, Maryland has aggressive doormen stationed at nearly every entrance, only feet apart in a highly concentrated area of clubs.^[142]Broadway in San Francisco, California has fewer clubs clustered together, but practices similar activities with their doormen.^[131][143]

Waitstaff are also employed to assist with providing drinks, and in some cases meals, to customers on the main floor and others areas of the club.^[144] Shooter girls are specialized waitstaff that carry pre-prepared drinks in shot glasses, that customers can conveniently purchase.^[145] Depending on the local ordinances, these shots may involve some erotic part of the body of the shooter girl, typically her cleavage, in the delivery.^[90][146] If a club has a policy of setting a drink minimum per visit or per hour, the floor staff also assists in enforcing those rules. Dancers may also be required to generate a certain number of drink purchases per shift and as part of their rounds, the waitstaff may ask customers if they would like to buy a drink for the dancer seated with them.^[88][147] If a kitchen is present and if premium fare is offered, the club may also employ a chef to prepare and cook food items.

Parking lot attendants can include people who simply coordinate where to park and how much to pay or they may also include formal valets, who will park a vehicle and keep track of the driver's keys while he or she is in the club.^[148] Some clubs require paid or valet parking to be used if keeping cars on the premises, to generate revenue and help regulate patron behavior. Bathroom attendants monitor the restrooms on behalf of management; primarily watching for policy violations and potential liability concerns.^[149] In strip clubs, policy enforcement can range from watching for drug use, sex, fighting, and other activities the club would prefer to see done off the premises. The attendant will also attempt to keep the restroom area clean, assist with the washing of hands, and if available, provide by request an assortment of cologne, mints, and other disposable items.^[149]

Business and operations[edit]

As a global industry, strip clubs are booming.^[2] As of 2009, there were between 3,500 and 4,000 strip clubs in the United States alone.^[101] More money is spent in the U.S. in strip clubs than is spent on theater, opera, ballet, jazz and classical music concerts combined.^[116][150] Some clubs have hundreds of entertainers appear on stage within a single year.^[151]

Global industry[edit]

The U.S. and international markets for clubs offering Americanized striptease are not well defined and published revenue figures are estimates. In 2002, the size of the U.S. industry was estimated to be US$3.1 billion, spanning 2,500 clubs and generating 19% of the total gross in legaladult entertainment revenue.^[3] The U.S. market for strip clubs was estimated to be as large as US$15 billion in 2005.^[152] That same year the U.S. state of California alone accounted for US$1 billion in revenue,^[153] and the total size of the global strip club industry was estimated to be US$75 billion.^[2] Also, in 2005, an estimated 300,000 women worked as strippers in the U.S., across 3,000 clubs.^[2] An industry insider in 2008 estimated the U.S. strip club market at close to US$2 billion,^[154] basing that estimate on Adult Video News Media Network (AVN) statistics^[102] and highlighting both the methodological variances of different studies and the difficulties of providing reliable statistics on the industry. Since then, the number of clubs in the U.S. has grown to approximately 4,000 by 2010.^[101]

In Britain the number of strip clubs rose over 1,000 percent between 1997 and 2010. In 2008 alone, a strip club opened there almost every week.^[155] One factor in the proliferation of British strip clubs is Britain's 2003 Licensing Act, which introduced the one-size-fits-all premises licence, which meant that strip clubs in Britain no longer had to receive special permission for nudity.^[156] In 2005, revenues for the UK strip club industry, one of the fastest growing sectors of its leisure industry, were estimated to be UK£300 million.^[2] Revenues for 2006 in Scotland alone accounted for UK£20 million of the UK total.^[2]

Markets and ownership[edit]

American-style striptease, closely associated with contemporary clubs around the world, began to appear outside North America in the post-World War II era, emerging in Asian performances during the late 1940s and in European theaters by 1950.^[1] A contemporary example, the American Spearmint Rhino chain, has clubs located in the UK, Russia, and Australia, as well as the United States. In 2003, the company's London location reportedly made UK£3 per minute.^[2] Strip clubs offering American striptease and other adult entertainment services have been established on six of seven continents (all except Antarctica),^[2][157] and the demand for these types of business is soaring in economically developing nations.^[158] Most adult entertainment companies, which include strip clubs, are in privately held ownership.^[159][160]

Two strip club companies are publicly traded in U.S. financial markets and listed on NASDAQ: VCG Holding Corp. (VCGH) and Rick's Cabaret International, Inc. (RICK). In February 2010, the two clubs agreed in principle to merge, with Rick's Cabaret acquiring VCG Holding. The estimated purchase price, according to the statement of intent, was for the acquisition using RICK stock to be at a value of US$2.20 to US$3.80 per share.^[161] The US$45 million deal fell through after the statement of intent expired on March 31, 2010, with Rick's Cabaret unable to enter into a definitive merger agreement to acquire all of VCG's outstanding stock.^[162] A third publicly traded company, Scores Holding Company, Inc. (SCRH), licenses its brand to strip club operators but does not own or operate any club properties itself.^[163] Publicly reported earning statements for U.S. companies operating strip clubs have not provided guidance on how they define their market segment, non-public competitors, or overall industry revenue.^{[101][102][163]}

The largest operator of strip clubs internationally is Déjà Vu, which has over 130 locations worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

Financial trends[edit]

The rapid expansion of the strip club industry observed in the 2000s occurred primarily in the Western world.^[2] Far from its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, Japan's sex industry has been in a protracted slump in the first decade of the 21st century, as the overall economy experienced a recession.^[164] Its hostess and strip bars (those which had not closed outright) felt the impact of dwindling corporate spending accounts, leading to increased competition (and reduced boundaries) for remaining patrons.^[164] Profitability of strip clubs, as with other service-oriented businesses, is largely driven by location and customer spending habits.^[165] Clubs closely proximate to Wall Street in New York, New York are notorious for hosting meetings with financial industry power brokers, among other business heavyweights, which are frequently expensed on company bankrolls.^[166] Since clubs located in urban areas or business centers have caused concerns over traffic and social issues, some club owners with common interests in close proximity have shared representation without consolidating their businesses.^[167] After numerous incidents during the 1990s with local and state government, Downtown Entertainment Inc. was formed in 2000 to represent the interests of business owners on The Block in Baltimore, Maryland.^[167]

Strip clubs which practice Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) typically report negative working capital, where current liabilities exceed current assets. Clubs receive immediate cashpayment for sales, while inventories, accrued expenses, and other current liabilities normally carry longer payment terms. The practice is believed to increase net cash provided by operating activities.^[101] Service revenues include entertainer payments to perform at clubs, customer admission fees, customer payments for tabs and tip charges, dance dollar payments, and suite rental fees.^[101] The economic downturn, which accelerated in 2008, impacted clubs at all levels, and even higher-end gentlemen's clubs in some parts of the U.S. and elsewhere adjusted their business practices to compensate for reduced revenues.^[165]

Business practices[edit]

Strip clubs can operate at all hours, depending on regulations and revenue. It is a common business practice to have a reduced door charge or no entry fee at all during daytime. Clubs that are open for more than just the nighttime hours may incorporate a staggered or shift workschedule for their entertainers and staff. External factors, such as location and public perception, have some impact on business, but the essential draw of the strip club is the live entertainment.^[168] Because of negative perceptions of the adult entertainment industry, many clubs engage in public displays of charity to generate goodwill. VCGH clubs, in order to be good corporate citizens, actively sponsor and participate in local charitable events and contribute to local charities.^[101] Some clubs also register their business entities using benign names, so that they appear to be businesses unrelated to the sex industry on receipts and financial statements, and as a means of discretion.^[2] Cameras (including camera phones) and other recording devices are often banned from strip clubs to 'protect the identity of the women working there and to spare the blushes of men caught on film attending the club'.^[169]

Among clubs, there is a variety of different ways to deliver entertainment, and fee structures commonly differ between clubs. A cover charge (entry fee also known as a door charge) is customary at many clubs,^[170] the amount of which can vary by factors such as day of visit, time of day, gender, and other factors. To make the charge more acceptable to customers, some clubs include bonus items in the admission price, such as drink tickets that can be redeemed once inside. Some clubs also have drink fees tied to interaction with performers.^[64] The bigger the drink, the longer the time permitted with the dancer. This practice is more common in European strip clubs and African or Asian hostess clubs.^[171] Champagne Room pricing (where time with an exotic dancer in a private room on the premises can be purchased) is a variation on that same theme.

Operations[edit]

In the U.S., striptease dancers are generally classified as independent contractors. A few smaller strip clubs may pay a weekly wage but, in most cases, a dancer's income is derived entirely from tips and other fees, which they collect from customers. In most clubs, dancers must pay a 'stage fee' or 'house fee' to work a given shift.^[170] In these cases, strippers receive payment in the form of tips and payment for specific services offered by the club (such as lap dances). Many clubs also take a percentage of fees charged for each private dance. It is also customary – and often required in the United States – for dancers to pay a 'tip out', usually at the end of their shift, to the supporting staff, such as DJs, house moms, make-up artists, servers, bartenders, and bouncers. This can be a set fee or a percentage of money earned.^[172] For the customer, the fee structure of a club is determined by management policy.

In many smaller clubs, multiple staff roles are filled by the same person, such as a bartender and manager. In extreme cases, one person fills all the support functions within a club.^[173] Some clubs hire attractive women onto the staff, as bartenders and shot girls, to complement the strippers. They can also double as stage and lap dance entertainers, depending on the club. The positions of paid staff are discretionary. Turnover can be frequent, but standard employment laws do apply and have been enforced through the courts and other regulatory means.^[4][115] A highly publicized 2010 case in the United States concerned a pregnant bartender in New York. She alleged that Cafe Royale in Farmingdale, New Yorkdiscriminated against her because pregnancy is 'unsexy'.^[135] Hiring of staff and performers in the United States is almost always voluntary on the part of the club and worker. Some strip clubs have hosted job fairs to address staffing needs.^[174] While not a common practice in the United States, globally, women are regularly compelled into working as strippers with the knowledge of club management.^[175]

Marketing[edit]

The ability to attract first-time patrons is critical to a nightclub's success. As such, promotions, advertising, and special offers are the typical means to market a nightclub. Marketing strategies for strip clubs include attracting new customers, increasing the frequency of visits by existing customers, and establishing a higher level of name recognition. Target markets can include the business-convention traveler, local professionals, and business people.^[101] College students are also a secondary target market.^[101] Advertising is essential for strip clubs, but local regulations and public reaction can make it challenging. For this reason, clubs around the world advertise on the World Wide Web. Advertising can include discount passes, virtual club tours, and dancer schedules.^[176]

U.S. company VCGH, Inc. uses a variety of highly targeted methods to reach its customers, including local radio, billboard trucks, Internet, newspaper and magazine advertisements, and professional sporting events. Its advertising and marketing expenses decreased by approximately 3.9% to US$2,805,260 from US$2,921,327 over the year ended December 31, 2008. Advertising and marketing expenses were approximately 5.1% of their total revenues in 2009 and 2008. The decrease was attributed to a shift in advertising, including using billboard trucks for mobile advertising versus leasing fixed billboard signs.^[101] By contrast, in public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Rick's Cabaret International reported an increase in its advertising budget from US$2,231,005 in 2008 to US$8,091,745 in 2009, growing from 3.9% to 10.8% of total annual revenue.^[102]

In the U.S. city of Seattle, Washington, the city's Major League Baseball franchise, the Seattle Mariners, initially sued in King County Superior Court to try to prevent Dreamgirls cabaret from opening. The team's attorneys argued that the strip club's existence would adversely affect families that visit the stadium. The suit was dropped after the Mariners reached a compromise which included limits on outdoor advertising, window displays, and signs. The compromise specified that the clubs video screens would only show text on kids days at the stadium, and not images of strippers. In May 2010, there was public controversy because the club showed strippers on its large electronic display on 'kids' day'. Dreamgirls claimed that it is the team's responsibility to tell them when such a display is prohibited.^[177]

Elite Cabaret, a Tempe city strip club, filed suit in 2007 against the City of Tempe in federal court. In the settlement that was reached, the two sides ended the legal wrangle amidst a host of stipulations. One clause is aimed at preventing the racy image promoted by strip clubs. The club is not allowed to depict the human body on the exterior of its building. Signs cannot say 'nude', 'topless', 'girls' or similar words. The sign can only have the bar's name and terms like 'cabaret' or 'gentlemen's club'.^[178] Strip club advertising and its associated controversy are not limited to the United States. In South Africa, well-known strip club chain Teazers generated media coverage and official complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) over its suggestive billboards.^{[179][180][181][182]}

Law and politics[edit]

The legal status of strip clubs has evolved over the course of time, with national and local laws becoming progressively more liberal on the issue around the world, although some countries (such as Iceland) have implemented strict limits and bans.^[6] Strip clubs are frequent targets of litigation around the world, and the sex industry, which includes strip clubs, is a hot button issue in popular culture and politics. Some clubs have been linked to organized crime,^[7] which has been known to use legitimate business as fronts for its illegal operations.

United States and the Americas[edit]

With the legal system of the U.S. based on common law, motivations for lawsuits can range from legitimate legal grounds to cases filed with the intent of shaping case law to favor the socio-political aims of special interest groups. Clubs around the country have personnel and clientele that are purported to engage in not only sex acts on the premises,^[65] but also drug use and other criminalized activities. Incidents of such activity vary widely. Their prevalence is dependent on regional differences in the attitudes of management, entertainers, customers, and law enforcement.^[183][184] Strip clubs are obligated to enforce age limits for entry to the clubs and consumption of alcohol.^[120] If a club is found to have served a person under the age of 21 alcohol it can have its liquor license suspended or rescinded for repeated violations.^[120] Licenses can also be lost due to evidence of drug use in the club.^[183] Club owners have closed their businesses as a result of losing a liquor license.^[183]

A widely cited U.S. local ordinance is San Diego (California) Municipal Code 33.3610,^[185] specific and strict in response to allegations of corruption among local officials,^[186] which included contacts in the nude entertainment industry. Among its provisions is the 'six-foot rule', copied by other municipalities in requiring that dancers maintain a six-foot distance from patrons while performing. Fully nude clubs may be subject to additional requirements, such as restrictions on alcohol sales and no-touch rules between customers and dancers.^[187] To circumvent these rules, two 'separate' bars – one topless and one fully nude – may open adjacent to one another. In a small number of states and jurisdictions where it is legal for alcohol to be consumed but not sold, some clubs still allow customers to bring their own beverages.

Still other rules forbid 'full nudity' in certain districts, which can vary among different areas within the same town. Some parts of the U.S. have laws forbidding the exposure of female nipples or even areolas, thus requiring female dancers to cover these with pasties. These laws are not, however, known to be applied to the exposure of male nipples. Managers, dancers, and other club workers can be cited or arrested by local or federal authorities for violating nudity, drug, and other violations.^[183] In February 2010, the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan banned fully exposed breasts in its strip clubs, following the example of Houston, Texas, which began enforcing a similar ordinance in 2008.^[54] The Detroit city council has since softened the rules; eliminating the requirement for pasties but keeping other restrictions.^[188] Both municipalities were reputed to have suffered rampant occurrences of illicit activities, including prostitution, all linked to striptease establishments within their cities' limits.^[189][190] Detroit has also drawn attention from the federal government for incidents of human trafficking in its strip clubs.^[191] In 2010, the state of Missouri passed a law similar to that of Houston and Detroit, banning full nudity in strip clubs across the state.^[192]

Strip clubs have also received attention in the Americas outside the United States. There have been several attempts to amend the CanadianImmigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), passed in 2001. The 2009 version of the bill (Bill C-45: An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act) contained provisions intended to tighten the issuing of visas to exotic dancers, to combat human trafficking.^[193] In August 2009, the city of Rio de Janeiro, while bidding for the 2014 World Cup, shut down one of its most notorious clubs, the Help discothèque. There were plans to bulldoze the club and 'replace it with a music-themed museum' with US firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro as architects, backed by Rio's governor Sergio Cabral who was also backing the 2016 Summer Olympics bid.^[194] In November 2009, officials in Rio de Janeiro threatened to sue American comedian Robin Williams for disparaging comments made on a late-night talk show. One of his comments on its Olympics bid, 'Rio sent 50 strippers and a pound of blow. It wasn't really fair, you know?' was replayed several times on news shows in Brazil and prompted a public response from its mayor. The Olympic Committee for Rio had its lawyers investigate whether there were grounds for a lawsuit, but no charges were filed.^[195]

United Kingdom[edit]

In 2009, the United Kingdom passed the Policing and Crime Act following concerns about an increase in the number of strip clubs in the country. Any strip clubs where live entertainment takes place more than 11 times a year must apply for a licence from their local authorities.^[196] Such clubs are routinely opposed by those who feel that these 'lower the tone' of particular neighbourhoods. The legislation caused a reduction in the number of relevant premises, from about 350 in the early 2000s to fewer than 200, across the UK.^[197] In 2014, the East London Strippers Collective was formed to improve working conditions in strip clubs. Their concerns included poorly-maintained working environments, exploitative business practises including the levying of fees, commission and fines, and a lack of employment protection and job security.^[198]

Rest of Europe[edit]

The Irish government had, at one time, special visa categories for 'entertainers,' which enabled the trafficking of women for strip clubs and prostitution.^[2]

In 2001, the former immigration chief in Cyprus was found guilty of accepting bribes to issue work permits to foreign women (in this case from Ukraine), to work as strippers in clubs, with some forced into prostitution.^[199] Throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the Netherlands, studies have shown that Russian individuals and organized crime groups are importing women from Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States, and Central Europe into the Russian sex industry to work in stripping, prostitution, peep and show club services, and massage and escort services, among others.^[175][200]

In March 2010, Iceland outlawed striptease.^[6]Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Iceland's prime minister, said: 'The Nordic countries are leading the way on women's equality, recognizing women as equal citizens rather than commodities for sale.'^[201] The politician behind the bill, Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir, said: 'It is not acceptable that women or people in general are a product to be sold.'^[201]

Rest of the world[edit]

Outside the United States, views on strip clubs, and on sexuality in general, can be much more liberal. American striptease, though present, can be treated much differently. Activities which are not legal in most parts of the United States or its territories may be permitted in other parts of the world. Also, ties to criminal elements (as defined by international law) can be much more pronounced.

In Eastern Europe and Asia, common incidents of strip club crime involve customers being quoted a price upon entering a club, only to find out later that management expects a much higher payment before customers are permitted to leave. Intimidation and possibly the threat of violence are used to compel customers to comply.^[94]

The Japanese government, similar to Canada and Ireland, had special visa categories for 'entertainers'. These enabled the trafficking of women for strip clubs and prostitution.^[2]

In South Africa, there has been public controversy over incidents of prostitution and violence related to its strip clubs.^{[202][203][204]} In June 2010, 17 customers were arrested, during a raid at a strip club in Cape Town, for committing unspecified illegal acts. 35 Eastern European dancers were also arrested for working at the club without the correct documents.^[205][206]

In 2008, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research in Sydney, Australia reported 1,600 people were charged with committing a range of 27 criminal offenses in the state's 'places of worship'. Oddly, the figures showed only 282 people were charged with the same offenses in premises classified as adult entertainment establishments. A breakdown of the statistical figures showed that 85 people were assaulted in places of worship, compared to 66 at adult entertainment locations. Incidents of both sexual assault and harassing and threatening behavior were also greater at places of worship. The report included churches, synagogues, monasteries, mosques, convents, cathedrals and chapels as places of worship. Premises listed as adult entertainment sites included strip clubs, sex shops, brothels, massage parlors, gay clubs, gaming houses, and gambling clubs. The bureau's interpretation was that people were just as likely to be assaulted or robbed in the sanctity of a church as they were in sex industry venues.^[207]

Cultural impact[edit]

The strip club as an outlet for salacious entertainment is a recurrent theme in popular culture.^[5] In the media, clubs are portrayed primarily as gathering places of vice and ill repute. Both clubs themselves and various features of the business are highlighted in these references. Comedian Chris Rock also pokes fun at the champagne room in his spoken word track, 'No Sex (In the Champagne Room)', on his 1999 album, Bigger & Blacker. Wyclef Jean later noted Rock's comment in his own reflection on strippers, 'Perfect Gentleman'. In 2016, rapper Shawty Lo's funeral procession stopped at his favorite strip club, The Blue Flame Lounge in Atlanta, where patrons and mourners honored his casket with a moment of silence.^[208][209]

Film, television, and theater[edit]

The image of strippers as known today evolved through the late 1960s and 1970s in the U.S. and in international cultures which embraced American striptease.^[34] By the 1980s, the pole dancing and highly explicit imagery associated with today's performers was widely accepted and frequently portrayed in film, television, and theater.

1980s–1990s[edit]

In addition to lesser-known videos such as A Night at the Revuebar (1983), the 1980s also featured mainstream films involving strippers and their work as part of the central narrative. These included Flashdance (1983), which told the story of blue-collar worker Alexandra (Alex) Owens (Jennifer Beals), who works as an exotic dancer in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bar at night and at a steel mill as a welder during the day.^[210]Blaze (1989) features Lolita Davidovitch as notorious stripper Blaze Starr. Starr herself appears in the film in a cameo role. Exotica (1994), directed by Atom Egoyan, is set in a Canadian lap-dance club, and portrays a man's (Bruce Greenwood) obsession with a schoolgirl stripper named Christina (Mia Kirshner). Showgirls (1995) was directed by Paul Verhoeven and starred Elizabeth Berkley and Gina Gershon. Striptease (1996), was an adaptation of the novel starring Demi Moore. The Players Club (1998) starred LisaRaye as a girl who becomes a stripper to earn enough money to enter college and study journalism.

In Jekyll and Hyde (1997), the character of Lucy Harris (originally portrayed by Linda Eder) works as a prostitute and stripper in a small London club called The Red Rat, where she meets a multi-dimension man named Doctor Henry Jekyll, who turns into his evil persona Mr. Edward Hyde. Lucy performs the song 'Bring on the Men' during a show at the Red Rat (which was later replaced with 'Good 'n' Evil' in the Broadway production, some claiming 'Bring on the Men' was too 'risqué'.). In Neighbours (1985), the character of Daphne is originally a stripper at Des's bucks party, and eventually goes on to marry him. Married... with Children (1987–97) often featured Al Bundy, Jefferson D'Arcy, and the NO MA'AM crew spending a night at the Nudie Bar.^[211] In the six season of The Sopranos (1999–2007), business was often conducted at the Bada Bing strip club.

2000s–present[edit]

By the 2000s, visits to strip clubs by characters in action movies were a common occurrence.^[212]Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000) is a feature film starring Daryl Hannah. The female cast of the film researched the film by dancing at strip clubs and created their parts and their storylines to be as realistic as possible. The Raymond Revuebar the Art of Striptease (2002) is a documentary, directed by Simon Weitzman. Los Debutantes (2003) is a Chilean film set in a strip-club in Santiago. Portraits of a Naked Lady Dancer (2004) is a documentary, directed by Deborah Rowe. In Closer (2004), Natalie Portman plays Alice, a young stripper just arrived in London from America. Crazy Horse Le Show (2004) features dance routines from the Crazy Horse, Paris. I Know Who Killed Me (2007) stars Lindsay Lohan as Dakota Moss, an alluring stripper involved in the machinations of a serial killer, and features a long striptease sequence at a strip club.^[213] In 2009, a DVD called 'Crazy Horse Paris' featuring Dita Von Teese was released. Barely Phyllis is a play on Phyllis Dixey which was first staged at the Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield in 2009. A strip club is prominently featured in the film 'Megean and Andrew go to a Strip Club' (2011) in which the title characters go to a strip club. Stripsearch (2001–), an ongoing Australianreality television show which centers around the training of male strippers. In Degrassi: The Next Generation (2007), in the two-part season 6 finale, titled Don't You Want Me, Alex Nunez resorts to stripping after her mother and herself do not have enough money to pay the rent on their apartment.

Notable locations[edit]

One of the most famous strip clubs in the U.S. is on Route 17 in Lodi, New Jersey. It was featured on the television show The Sopranos. The club is actually a go-go bar, serving alcohol with dancers, and it does not offer nudity. It is called 'Satin Dolls' in real life, but is known more universally around the world and in the show as 'The Bada Bing'.^[214] The Gold Club was an Atlanta adult entertainment club receiving national attention for the indictment of several of its owners, managers, and employees. The Gold Club trial received significant attention because numerous significant professional athletes were called to testify.^[3][105] The club was closed after the convictions of its owner plus several managers and employees.^[215]

Sapphire Gentlemen's Club in Las Vegas^[216] has been billed as the world's largest strip club. In 2006 it sold at auction for US$80 million.^[86]Tampa, Florida, is well known for its strip clubs, including the famous Mons Venus. Howard Stern, a radio host and television personality, makes frequent mention of 'Rick's Cabaret' which operates in several cities. Bangkok and Pattaya in Thailand are world-famous for their go bars offering a variety of extra services.^[217]

Top clubs[edit]

Given the variety of club formats and laws governing the operation of strip clubs around the world, a definitive and objective list of top clubs is not practical. The popularity of a given club is an indicator of its quality, as is the word of mouth among customers who have visited a cross section of clubs in different regions. A 2013 article published by the AskMen.com portal posted a list of the top 10 strip clubs in the world.^[95] According to their criteria, which included aesthetics, quality of girls, services, and such, the top clubs at the time were:

1. Playhouse Gentleman's Club, Warsaw
2. Night Flight, Moscow
3. Larry Flynt's Hustler Club, New York City
4. 4 Play Gentlemen's Club, Los Angeles
5. Spearmint Rhino, Las Vegas
6. Le Crazy Horse, Paris
7. Seventh Heaven, Tokyo
8. Temptations, Bristol
9. Wanda's, Montreal
10. K5 Relax, Prague

U.S. style striptease remains a global phenomenon and culturally accepted form of entertainment, despite its scrutiny in legal circles and popular media. Over half of clubs still open from the list are located outside the United States. Popular internet sites for strip club enthusiasts also have Top Club lists calculated from input from their online visitors. The Ultimate Strip Club List has a Top 100 Strip Clubs list, generated by analyzing the ratings for all of its clubs as entered by individual reviewers.^[218] Its list regularly includes strip clubs from outside the U.S. and the site details clubs from countries across six continents. The Strip Club Network, calculates its online Strip Club List: Top 100 Clubs, by the total number of views that each club information page has received on their website.^[219]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdefghiShteir, Rachel (2004). Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 31, 39, 263–266, 350. ISBN978-0-19-512750-8.
2. ^ ^abcdefghijklJeffreys, Sheila (2009). The industrial vagina: the political economy of the global sex trade. Taylor & Francis. pp. 86–106. ISBN978-0-415-41233-9.
3. ^ ^abcdPurdue, Lewis (2002). EroticaBiz: How Sex Shaped the Internet. IUniverse. pp. 23–24. ISBN978-0-595-25612-9.
4. ^ ^abcdefgFrank, Katherine (2002). G-Strings and Sympathy: Strip Club Regulars and Male Desire. Durham and London: Duke University Press. pp. 57–84. ISBN978-0-8223-2972-5.
5. ^ ^abcBoles, J.; Garbin, A. P. (1974). 'The Strip Club and the Customer-Stripper Patterns of Interaction'. Sociology and Social Research. 58: 136–144.
6. ^ ^abc'Legislation Bans Stripping in Iceland'. Iceland Review. 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
7. ^ ^abColetta, Chris (2007-12-14). 'Strip club's ownership shift creates furor over payments'. Triangle Business Journal. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
8. ^Image from Der spanische, teutsche, und niederländische Krieg oder: des Marquis von ... curieuser Lebens-Lauff, vol. 2 (Franckfurt/ Leipzig, 1720), p. 238
9. ^Robert Hendrickson (1997) QPB Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins. New York, Facts on File, Inc: 227
10. ^The German text reads 'Am dritten Tag, so zum Ball und Tantz bestimmt war, spielte man eine der artigsten Kurtzweil, die Herren zu divertieren; Sie hatten ein solches Spectacul, welches ihren Augen alle Schönheit der Natur vorstellte: und wann die Annehmlichkeiten eines wohlgewachsenen Mädgens fähig sind, die Gemüther zu rühren, so kan man sagen, daß unsere Printzen alle Niedlichkeiten der Liebe genossen. Die Tänzerinnen, um ihren Amant desto besser zu gefallen, zohen ihre Kleider ab, und tantzten gantz nackend die schönsten Entrèen und Ballets; einer von den Printzen dirigirte dann diese entzückende Music, und stunde die Schaubühne niemand als diesen Verliebten offen.', Der spanische, teutsche, und niederländische Krieg oder: des Marquis von ... curieuser Lebens-Lauff, Bd. 2 (Franckfurt/ Leipzig, 1720), S.238, recapitulated in Olaf Simons, Marteaus Europa oder der Roman, bevor er Literatur wurde (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2001), p.617-635.
11. ^Parramore, Lynn (2008). Reading the Sphinx: Ancient Egypt in Nineteenth-Century Literary Culture. Macmillan. p. 132. ISBN978-0-230-60328-8.
12. ^Carlton, Donna (1994). Looking for Little Egypt. IDD Books. p. 14. ISBN978-0-9623998-1-7.
13. ^Cavendish, Marshall (2009). Sex and Society, Volume 1. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. pp. 208–209. ISBN978-0-7614-7906-2.
14. ^Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1978). The People's Almanac No. 2, Issue 2. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. ISBN978-0-688-03372-9.
15. ^Patinkin, Sheldon (2008). No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance': a history of the American musical theater. Northwestern University Press. p. 61. ISBN978-0-8101-1994-9.
16. ^Noe, Denise. 'Mata Hari is Born'. Crime Library. Archived from the original on 2015-02-10.
17. ^'Mata Hari Life – World of Biography'. Media Matrix. 2006. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
18. ^Stratton, John (2000). The Desirable Body: cultural fetishism and the erotics of consumption. University of Illinois Press. p. 100. ISBN978-0-252-06951-2.
19. ^London theatre record. 7. University of Michigan. 1988. p. 404. ISBN978-0-7614-7906-2.
20. ^ ^abRichard Wortley (1976) A Pictorial History of Striptease: 11, 29–53.
21. ^Vivien Goldsmith, 'Windmill: always nude but never rude', Daily Telegraph, 24 November 2005
22. ^ ^abTom Weaver (2001). I Was a Monster Movie Maker: Conversations With 22 Sf and Horror Filmmakers. McFarland & Company. ISBN978-0-7864-1000-2. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
23. ^Roy Hudd; Philip Hindin (1997). Roy Hudd's cavalcade of variety acts: a who was who of light entertainment, 1945–60. Robson Book Ltd. ISBN978-1-86105-115-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
24. ^Alfred Shaughnessy (1979). Both ends of the candle. ISBN978-0-86072-018-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
25. ^Rajan, Amol (2008-03-04). 'Paul Raymond, the king of the Soho sex trade, dies aged 82'. The Independent. London.
26. ^Goldstein, Murray (2005) Naked Jungle – Soho Stripped Bare. Silverback Press
27. ^ ^abMartland, Bill (2006). In the Beginning There was Theresa. Lulu.com. p. 5. ISBN978-1-4116-5178-4.
28. ^Lara Clifton; Sarah Ainslie; Julie Cook (2002). Baby Oil and Ice: Striptease in East London. The Do-Not Press. ISBN978-1899344857.
29. ^'Theater History'. The New Victory Cinema. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
30. ^Nudity, Noise Pay Off in Bay Area Night Clubs, Los Angeles Times, February 14, 1965, Page G5.
31. ^ ^abCalifornia Solons May Bring End To Go-Go-Girl Shows in State, Panama City News, September 15, 1969, Page 12A.
32. ^'Naked Profits'. The New Yorker. 2004-07-12. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
33. ^'World Chronology: 1964'. Answers.com. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
34. ^ ^abKelly DiNardo (2007-12-31). Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique. Back Stage Books. ISBN978-0-8230-8889-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
35. ^Lap Victory. How a DA's decision to drop prostitution charges against lap dancers will change the sexual culture of S.F. – and, perhaps, the country.SF Weekly, 8 September 2004
36. ^'A Brief History of The 'Gentlemen's Club''. www.eroticmuseumvegas.com. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
37. ^Bacarr, Jina (2004). The Japanese art of sex: how to tease, seduce, & pleasure the samurai in your bedroom. Stone Bridge Press, Inc. p. 177. ISBN978-1-880656-84-6.
38. ^ ^abcdPoitras, Gilles (1999). The anime companion: what's Japanese in Japanese animation?. Stone Bridge Press, Inc. pp. 535, 120. ISBN978-1-880656-32-7.
39. ^ ^abLisa Louis (2008-07-25). Butterflies of the night: mama-sans, geisha, strippers, and the Japanese men they serve. Tengu Books. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
40. ^ ^abBarbara C. Adachi (1978). The voices and hands of bunraku. Kodansha America. ISBN978-0-87011-333-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
41. ^Komakichi Nohara (1936). The true face of Japan: a Japanese upon Japan. Jarrolds, limited. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
42. ^Gary P. Leupp (1997-05-15). Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan. University of California Press. ISBN978-0-520-20900-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
43. ^Dean Schwaab (1989). Osaka prints. Rizzoli International Publications. ISBN978-0-8478-1074-1. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
44. ^Poitras, Gilles (2005). The Anime Companion 2: More What's Japanese in Japanese Animation?. Stone Bridge Press, Inc. p. 35. ISBN978-1-880656-96-9.
45. ^Ashok K. Dutt (1994). The Asian City: Processes of Development, Characteristics, and Planning. Kluwer Academic Pub. ISBN978-0-7923-3135-3. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
46. ^ ^abApplebome, Peter (1996-07-08). 'Dancers Follow the Olympic Flame, and the Money, to Atlanta's StripClubs'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
47. ^ ^abcdStanley, Kameel (2010-06-05). 'Police raid downtown St. Petersburg bikini bar'. St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
48. ^Stanzilis, Amanda (2010-05-06). 'City's debate: Is topless woman nude if she's wearing pasties?'. KENS 5-TV, Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
49. ^ ^abCarnes, Patrick J.; David L. Delmonico; Elizabeth Griffin; Joseph M. Moriarity (2007). In the Shadows of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior. Hazelden Publishing. pp. 22, 38. ISBN978-1-59285-478-3. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
50. ^ ^abcd'Patron dies in private room of strip club'. St. Petersburg Times. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
51. ^ ^abBremer, Susan (2005). 'The Grind'. In Egan, R. Danielle; Frank, K.; Johnson, M. L. (eds.). Flesh for Fantasy: Producing and Consuming Exotic Dance. New York, U.S.: Thunder's Mouth Press, Avalon Publishing Group. ISBN978-1-56025-721-9.
52. ^Marc Cooper (2004). The Last Honest Place in America: In Search of Paradise and Perdition in the New Las Vegas. Nation Books. ISBN978-1-56025-490-4. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
53. ^James Elias (2009-11-06). Prostitution: on whores, hustlers, and johns. Prometheus Books. ISBN978-1-57392-229-6. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
54. ^ ^ab'Houston topless clubs lose case, may respond to Supreme Court with pasties'. Victoria Times. 2008-03-29. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
55. ^Richard Wortley (1976) A Pictorial History of Striptease: 11.
56. ^ ^abcdBernard, Constance; DeGabrielle, C.; Cartier, L.; Monk-Turner, E.; Phill, C.; Sherwood, J.; Tyree, T. (2003). 'Exotic Dancers: Gender Differences in Societal Reaction, Subcultural Ties, and Conventional Support'(PDF). Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. 10 (1): 1–11.
57. ^Lara Clifton (2002) Baby Oil and Ice: Striptease in East London.
58. ^ ^abcdCatherine M. Roach (2007). Stripping, Sex, and Popular Culture. Berg Publishers. ISBN978-1-84520-129-6. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
59. ^ ^abcdeHess, Amanda (2009-02-19). 'Strip Club: Way Less Depressing Than The Rest of D.C.!'. Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
60. ^'Dancers who strip to lure more customers'. News.asiaone.com. 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
61. ^David A. Scott (October 2003). Behind the G-String: An Exploration of the Stripper's Image, Her Person and Her Meaning. McFarland. ISBN978-0-7864-1849-7. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
62. ^Jonathan Ames (2001-08-07). What's Not to Love?: The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer. Vintage. ISBN978-0-375-72649-1. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
63. ^Jodi O'Brien (2005-07-20). The Production of Reality: Essays and Readings on Social Interaction. SAGE Publications, Incorporated. ISBN978-1-4129-1519-9. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
64. ^ ^abcdefghRicher, Steve (2002-10-23). 'How To: Behave In Strip Clubs'. AskMen.com. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
65. ^ ^abc'Former Great Falls Mayor Sentenced to One Year in Jail Over Involvement in Prostitution Ring'. KFBB-TV. 2010-06-03. Archived from the original on 2010-06-05. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
66. ^David Boyer (2007-04-24). Bachelor Party Confidential: A Real-Life Peek Behind the Closed-Door Tradition. Gallery. ISBN978-1-4169-2808-9. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
67. ^'Tampa City Council – meeting transcription detail'. Tampagov.net. 1998-06-05. Archived from the original on 2011-11-28. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
68. ^ ^abcdefghWosick-Correa, Kassia R.; Joseph, L. B. (2008). 'Sexy Ladies Sexing Ladies: Women as Consumers in Strip Clubs'. Journal of Sex Research. 45 (3): 201–216. doi:10.1080/00224490801987432. PMID18686149. Archived from the original on 2010-06-04.
69. ^Pasko, Lisa (2002). 'Naked Power: The Practice of Stripping as a Confidence Game'. Sexualities. 5 (1): 66. doi:10.1177/1363460702005001003.
70. ^ ^abRonai, C. R.; Ellis, C. (1989). 'Turn-ons for money: Interactional strategies of the table dancer'. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 118 (3): 271–298. doi:10.1177/089124189018003002.
71. ^ ^abcdJames Oliver Cury (2003-05-27). The Playboy Guide to Bachelor Parties: Everything You Need to Know About Planning the Groom's Rite of Passage-From Simple to Sinful. Touchstone. ISBN978-0-7432-4562-3. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
72. ^Valentine Selena (July 2004). How to Date an Exotic Dancer: For Men Who Prefer Extraordinary Women. Island Waves, LLC. ISBN978-0-9753088-0-6. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
73. ^Kerr Fuffle; Roscoe Spanks (December 2003). Paying for Sex: The Gentlemen's Guide to Web Porn, Strip Clubs, Prostitutes & Escorts Without Humiliation, Job Loss, Bankruptcy, Infection, Bloodshed Or. Trafford. ISBN978-1-4120-1348-2. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
74. ^Bee Gee, Dylan (2008-07-26). 'Top 10: Brothels'. AskMen.com. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
75. ^ ^ab'Escort Service in Switzerland'. European Sex Union. 2007-09-05. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
76. ^Macklin, Audrey (2003). 'Dancing across borders: 'Exotic dancers,' trafficking, and Canadian immigration policy'. The International Migration Review. 37 (2): 464. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2003.tb00145.x.
77. ^Hughes, Donna; Sporcic, Laura J.; Mendelsohn, Nadine Z.; Chirgwin, Vanessa (1999). 'The Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation'. Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. Archived from the original on 2010-07-16. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
78. ^Runnette, Charles (2007-03-25). 'Confessions on a Dubai Dance Floor'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
79. ^Mike Kelley; John C. Welchman (2003). Foul Perfection: Essays and Criticism. The MIT Press. ISBN978-0-262-61178-7. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
80. ^Hudson, Jr., David L. (May 2002). 'Adult Entertainment and the Secondary-effects Doctrine: How a zoning regulation may affect First Amendment freedoms'(PDF). First Amendment Center. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
81. ^Brunner, Jim (2006-10-24). 'Crime part of debate over strip-club rules'. Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2010-07-10. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
82. ^Katsulis, Yasmina (2008). Sex work and the city: the social geography of health and safety in Tijuana, Mexico. pp. 2, 156, 179. ISBN978-0-292-71886-9.
83. ^McKinley Jr., James C. (2005-12-13). 'A New Law in Tijuana Regulates the Oldest Profession'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
84. ^Marosi, Richard (2005-01-23). 'Prostitutes in Tijuana fight, beat City Hall / Hookers organize to stop proposal to ban street walking in revitalized red-light district'. Los Angeles Times (reprint by SFGate.com). Retrieved 2010-07-05.
85. ^'Inside of a Strip Club'. Huffington Post. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
86. ^ ^ab'SAPPHIRE SOLD : Strip club bids bring $80 million'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2006-01-24. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
87. ^Jordan Belfort (2007-08-13). The Wolf of Wall Street. Bantam. ISBN978-0-553-80546-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
88. ^ ^abcKatherine Liepe-Levinson (2002). Strip Show: Performances of Gender and Desire. Psychology Press. ISBN978-0-415-17381-0. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
89. ^Scott, David (2003). Behind the G-String. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. pp. 10, 147. ISBN978-0-7864-1849-7.
90. ^ ^abMaxi Mounds (2004-01-15). The Maxi Mounds Guide to the World of Exotic Dancing. Perpetual Summer Pub. ISBN978-0-9734333-1-9. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
91. ^Tailhook 91: Events at the 35th Annual Tailhook Symposium. DIANE Publishing. 1993-01-31. ISBN978-0-7881-0117-5. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
92. ^Jim Norton (2007-07-10). Happy Endings: The Tales of a Meaty-Breasted Zilch. Simon and Schuster. ISBN978-1-4169-5022-6. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
93. ^Ann Marie Sabath; Brandon Toropov (December 2002). International Business Etiquette: What You Need to Know to Conduct Business Abroad with Charm and Savvy. Asia & the Pacific Rim. Authors Choice Press. ISBN978-0-595-24801-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
94. ^ ^abTay, Dawn (2009-09-04). 'Pay, or perform in sex show'. AsiaOne. Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Archived from the original on 2010-08-28. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
95. ^ ^abSalvatore Mann. 'World's Best Strip Clubs'. www.uk.askmen.com. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
96. ^T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting (2007). Pimps Up, Ho's Down: Hip Hop's Hold on Young Black Women. New York University Press. ISBN978-0-8147-4014-9. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
97. ^Holsopple, Kelly (1998). 'Stripclubs According to Strippers: Exposing Workplace Sexual Violence'(PDF). The Freedom and Justice Center for Prostitution Resources. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
98. ^'Louisiana Stripper Burned in Flame-Blowing Dance Routine'. Fox News. Associated Press. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
99. ^Genson, Loren; Ison, Jona (2010-06-07). 'Chillicothe open for adult business?'. Chillicothe Gazette. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
100. ^ ^abChilders, Fred (2008-04-04). 'Shreveport Fire Dept. Will Investigate Deja Vu Adult Club After Dancer Burned'. WorldNow and KSLA. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
101. ^ ^abcdefghij'VCG Holding Group, Inc. 2009 10-K'. VCGH. 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
102. ^ ^abcd'Rick's Cabaret International, Inc. 2009 10-K'. VCGH. 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
103. ^ ^abAlan Markovitz; Thomas Stevens (2009-10-01). Topless Prophet: The True Story of America's Most Successful Gentleman's Club Entrepreneur. Greenleaf Book Group. ISBN978-0-9840855-0-7. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
104. ^ ^abO'Brien, Victor (2010-04-30). 'Teen girl employed by Killeen strip club'. Killeen Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
105. ^ ^abSimmons, Bill (2007-09-27). 'Idiot's Guide to Gold Club Trial'. Page 2. ESPN. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
106. ^'News – Ex-strip club manager describes bribes'. reviewjournal.com. 2006-04-13. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
107. ^Katherine Frank (December 2002). G-Strings and Sympathy: Strip Club Regulars and Male Desire. Duke University Press Books. ISBN978-0-8223-2972-5. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
108. ^'Exec Sued Over $241,000 Strip Club Tab'. The Smoking Gun. 2005-10-21. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
109. ^SPIN Media LLC (November 2004). SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
110. ^Catherine M. Roach (2008-05-30). Stripping, Sex, and Popular Culture. Berg Publishers. ISBN978-1-84520-129-6. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
111. ^George Ritzer (2009-11-17). McDonaldization: The Reader. SAGE Publications, Incorporated. ISBN978-1-4129-7582-7. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
112. ^'Naked Ambition'. Philadelphia Magazine. 13 October 2006. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
113. ^'Danbury strip club owner pleads guilty to tax evasion'. NewsTimes. 2009-11-19. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
114. ^Mick Sinclair (2004). San Francisco: a cultural and literary history. Interlink Pub Group Inc. ISBN978-1-56656-489-2. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
115. ^ ^abSchwartzman, Paul (2009-03-15). 'Exotic dancer uses labor law to sue D.C. club over wages'. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
116. ^ ^abSchlosser, Eric (1997-02-10). 'The Business of Pornography'. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
117. ^Dan Miller (2008-08-28). 'Carmen Hart, Jenna Haze Capture Exotic Dancer Awards'. AVN.com. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
118. ^Tod Hunter (2008-10-28). 'NightMoves Winners Announced'. xbiz.com. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
119. ^Ross Dale (2008-06-01). Embedded: Confessions of a TV Sex Journalist. Sourcebooks, Inc. ISBN978-1-4022-1217-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
120. ^ ^abcdeMatteucci, Megan (2009-10-22). 'Police: Strip club offered drugs, sex'. ajc.com. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
121. ^A. W. Stencell (1999). Girl Show: Into the Canvas World of Bump and Grind. Ecw Press. ISBN978-1-55022-371-2. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
122. ^Erskine, Michael. 'Exotic dance club is still open despite lawsuits'. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
123. ^Bernadette Barton (2006). Stripped: Inside the Lives of Exotic Dancers. NYU Press. ISBN978-0-8147-9933-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
124. ^'Refreshed MySpace Desperately Seeks Users'. News.yahoo.com. 2010-07-17. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
125. ^Jenn Shreve (2006-04-18). 'MySpace Faces a Perp Problem'. Wired.com. Archived from the original on 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
126. ^Committee, Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Home Affairs (2009). The Trade in Human Beings: Oral and ...ISBN978-0-215-53021-9. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
127. ^Jacki Willson (2008-01-08). The Happy Stripper: Pleasures and Politics of the New Burlesque. I. B. Tauris. ISBN978-1-84511-318-6. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
128. ^Pamela Paul (2006-08-08). Pornified: How Pornography Is Damaging Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN978-0-8050-8132-9. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
129. ^Ann C. Hall; Mardia J. Bishop (2007). Pop-Porn: Pornography in American Culture. Praeger Pub Text. ISBN978-0-275-99920-9. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
130. ^Thompson, W. E.; Harred, J. L. (1989). 'Topless dancers: Managing stigma in a deviant occupation'. Deviant Behavior. 13 (3): 291–311. doi:10.1080/01639625.1992.9967914.
131. ^ ^abKelvin, T. A. (2007). Headless Man in Topless Bar: Studies of 725 Cases of Strip Club Related Criminal Homicides. Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.: Dog Ear Publishing. ISBN978-1-59858-324-3.
132. ^McCaghy, C.H.; Skipper, J.K. (1969). 'Lesbian behavior as an adaptation to the occupation of stripping'. Social Problems. 17 (2): 262–270. doi:10.1525/sp.1969.17.2.03a00100.
133. ^Bell, H.; Sloan, L.; Stickling, C. (1998). 'Exploiter or Exploited: Topless Dancers Reflect on their Experiences'. Affilia. 13 (3): 352–365. doi:10.1177/088610999801300306.
134. ^Helliker, Kevin (2009-02-13). 'A Reporter Faces the Naked Truth'. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
135. ^ ^abOliver, Kealan (2010-03-08). 'Strip Club Bartender Jennifer Paviglianiti Says She was Demoted Because of 'Unsexy' Pregnancy'. CBS News. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
136. ^Chotzinoff, Robin (2003-07-10). 'Bare Necessities'. Denver Westword. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
137. ^'Bouncers react to killings'. Record-Journal. 2009-05-16. Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
138. ^'When off-duty police fire their weapons'. Chicago Tribune. 2009-12-06. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
139. ^Harris, Hamil R. (2008-01-25). 'Man, 25, Killed Outside Strip Club in Capitol Heights'. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
140. ^Levitan, Corey (2006-03-27). 'STRIP CLUB DJ: Land of a Thousand Dances'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
141. ^Clarke, Norm (2008-02-01). 'Feds take a look at LV cash flow'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
142. ^Schneider, Michael (1994-06-18). 'This is God's House'. The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
143. ^John T. Lescroart (1940-01-14). The First Law. Signet. ISBN978-0-451-21022-7. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
144. ^Sixel, L. M. (2010-05-13). 'EEOC says age bias behind firing of strip-club waitress'. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
145. ^Charnas, Dan (2006-01-10). 'Shot girls gone wild: heating up the fight for your drink dollar'. azcentral.com. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
146. ^Oppliger, Patrice (2008). Girls gone skank: the sexualization of girls in American culture. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers. ISBN9780786435227.
147. ^New York Media, LLC (1995-09-25). New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
148. ^Cherkis, Jason (2010-03-23). 'Our Morning Roundup: Ward 5 Gets A Strip Club'. Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
149. ^ ^abCook, Daniel (2008-04-09). 'Who'd be a toilet attendant?'. BBC News Magazine. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
150. ^Martin Amis (2001-03-17). 'A rough trade'. London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
151. ^'City plans crackdown on some sex businesses' – Houston Chronicle, 2007
152. ^Hanna, Judith L. (2005). 'Adult Entertainment Exotic Dance: A Guide for Planners and Policy Makers'(PDF). Journal of Planning Literature. 20 (2): 116–134. doi:10.1177/0885412205277071. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2007-08-23.
153. ^Freridge, Michael (2005). 'A Report on the Adult Entertainment Industry'. Free Speech Coalition. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
154. ^'Naked Profits: Rick's Cabaret'. Equities Magazine. March 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
155. ^Scott, Lisa (2010-03-11). 'Strip clubs 'may die out' if new lap-dancing laws come into place'. Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
156. ^Bell, Rachel (2008-03-19). 'The reality of lap-dancing, by a former dancer'. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
157. ^Birgit Beumers (2005). Pop Culture Russia!: Media, Arts, And Lifestyle. Abc-clio. ISBN978-1-85109-459-2. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
158. ^Larry J. Siegel (2009-01-05). Introduction to Criminal Justice. Wadsworth Publishing Company. ISBN978-0-495-59977-7. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
159. ^Gerrie Lim (2006-09-15). In Lu$t We Trust: Adventures in Adult Cinema. Monsoon Books Pte Limited. ISBN978-981-05-5302-9. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
160. ^James A. Inciardi; Hilary L. Surratt; Paulo R. Telles (2000). Sex, Drugs, And Hiv/aids in Brazil. Westview Press. ISBN978-0-8133-3424-0. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
161. ^'Strip Club Wedding: RICK Buys VCGH'. Barron's. 2006-02-16. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
162. ^'Rick's Cabaret deal to buy strip-club company VCG Holdings is off'. Denver Business Journal. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
163. ^ ^ab'Scores Holding Company, Inc. 2009 10-K'. SCRH. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
164. ^ ^abAFP, Tokyo (2002-02-25). 'Japan's recession hits sex clubs'. Agence France-Presse (AFP). Retrieved 2010-07-03.
165. ^ ^abHudson, Kirk (2009-06-11). 'Some Gentlemen's Clubs Strip Down Upscale Offerings as Business Slumps'. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
166. ^O'Donnell, Jayne (2006-03-22). 'Should business execs meet at strip clubs?'. USA Today. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
167. ^ ^abSmith, Van (2000-02-02). 'Around the Block: The Colorful Past, Controversial Present, and Uncertain Future of Baltimore's Red-Light District'. Baltimore City Paper. Archived from the original on 2009-12-12. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
168. ^Jill Nagle (1997). Whores and Other Feminists. Psychology Press. ISBN978-0-415-91822-0. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
169. ^'Furtive phone photography spurs ban'. BBC News. 2003-04-04. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
170. ^ ^ab'Bucks naked: here's the bottom line on running a topless club'. Business North Carolina. 1996-04-01. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
171. ^Wanjohi Kibicho (2009-11-06). Sex Tourism in Africa: Kenya's Booming Industry. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN978-0-7546-7460-3. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
172. ^Kiko Wu (2000). 'stripper-faq: making money'. stripper-faq.org. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
173. ^T A Kevlin (April 2007). Headless Man in Topless Bar: Studies of 725 Cases of Strip Club Related Criminal Homicides. Dog Ear Pub Llc. ISBN978-1-59858-324-3. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
174. ^Trevino, Monica (2009-03-19). 'Strip club fair offers solution to skimpy job market'. CNN. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
175. ^ ^abEbbe, Obi N. Ignatius; Das, Dilip K. (2008). Global trafficking in women and children. CRC Press. ISBN978-1-4200-5943-4.
176. ^'Strip scene gossip for December'. Strip-magazine.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2006. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
177. ^Shaprio, Brian (2010-04-23). 'Families outraged over strip club advertising on Kids Day'. MyNorthwest.com (Bonneville International). Archived from the original on 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
178. ^'Settlements and Verdicts: Elite Cabaret'. Online Legal Media. 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
179. ^Fourie, Magdel (2009-09-30). 'Storm over Teazers billboard'. News24.com. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
180. ^South African Press Association (2008-05-14). 'Teazers billboard 'degrading''. News24.com. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
181. ^Sabela, Zanele (2009-10-01). 'Teazers boss: R20,000 not a guilty payment'. Times Live (AVUSA, Inc.). Retrieved 2010-07-01.
182. ^South African Press Association (2010-05-04). 'Strip-club owner dies in hail of bullets'. Mail & Guardian Online. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
183. ^ ^abcdDan Herbeck (2010-08-03). 'Strip club owner professes legitimacy'. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
184. ^Barry Barry Michael Dank; Roberto Refinetti, PH. D. (2000-02-23). The Politics of Sexuality. Transaction Publishers. ISBN978-0-7658-0651-2. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
185. ^'San Diego Municipal Code: Chapter 3: Business Regulations, Business Taxes, Permits and Licenses: Division 36: Nude Entertainment Business'(PDF). City of San Diego. November 2000. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
186. ^'More bad news? What else is new?'. The San Diego Union-Tribune. 2005-06-19. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
187. ^Nude DancingArchived 2004-12-22 at the Library of Congress Web Archives (from the First Amendment Center website)
188. ^'Detroit Passes New Strip Club Rules'. ClickOn Detroit. 2010-02-21. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
189. ^'Another Houston Strip Club Raided'. The Smoking Gun. 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
190. ^'Detroit City Council To Vote on Strip Club Restrictions'. The Smoking Gun. 2009-11-11. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
191. ^'Working To End Human Trafficking'. Voice of America News. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
192. ^'Nixon Bans Full Nudity, Alcohol At Missouri Strip Clubs'. St. Joseph News-Press. Jun 26, 2010.
193. ^Harrold, Daphne Keevil (2009-08-25). 'Bill C-45: An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act'. The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
194. ^Phillips, Tom (2009-08-17). 'Rio nightclub closure leaves prostitutes Helpless'. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
195. ^Greiner, Andrew (2009-12-01). 'Rio Looks to Sue Robin Williams for Olympic Comment'. The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
196. ^Orbach, Max (2008-06-11). 'Tough new rules on strip club openings'. Echo. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
197. ^'SEV licensing'. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
198. ^Stacey Clare; Billy Laser (15 October 2015). 'We're a group of strippers working to improve our employment conditions - and we want your support, rather than your sympathy'. The Independent. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
199. ^Finckenauer, James O.; Schrock, Jennifer L. (2008). The prediction and control of organized crime: the experience of post-Soviet Ukraine. Transaction Publishers. ISBN978-0-7658-0562-1.
200. ^Melissa Farley, PhD (2003). Prostitution, Trafficking and Traumatic Stress. Psychology Press. ISBN978-0-7890-2379-7. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
201. ^ ^abClark-Flory, Tracy (2010-03-26). 'Iceland's stripping ban: Does the country's move to shut down strip clubs really make it the most 'female-friendly on the planet'?'. Salon.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
202. ^Rawoot, Ilham (2010-05-28). 'Gigi's pad 'no clean-cut strip club''. Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
203. ^Rawoot, Ilham (2010-05-20). 'This is why we write about strip clubs'. Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
204. ^Raphaely, Vanessa (2010-05-07). 'Giving Lolly-lovers some stick'. Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
205. ^Mamoepa, Ronnie (2010-06-26). 'Thirty five Eastern European exotic dancers arrested at Arabesque night club to be deported'. South African Department of Home Affairs. Archived from the original on 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
206. ^du Plessis, JP (27 June 2010). '17 strip club customers arrested for 'illegal acts''. Eyewitness News (Primedia Broadcasting). Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
207. ^Duke, Barry (2008-04-12). 'Australians are safer in strip joints, gay clubs or brothels than in churches'. The Freethinker. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
208. ^'Shawty Lo Final Resting Place Has Tons of T & A'. TMZ. October 1, 2016.
209. ^Maas, Jennifer (October 1, 2016). 'Shawty Lo's Funeral Ends With His Hearse Driving To His Fave Strip Club — Watch'. Hollywoodlife.
210. ^Stanley Green (2000-01-01). Hollywood Musicals: Year by Year. Hal Leonard Corp. ISBN978-0-634-00765-1. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
211. ^Brenton J. Malin (2005). American Masculinity Under Clinton: Popular Media And the Nineties 'Crisis of Masculinity'. Peter Lang. ISBN978-0-8204-6806-8. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
212. ^Melvin Burke Donalson (2003). Black Directors in Hollywood. ISBN978-0-292-70179-3. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
213. ^Outlook Publishing (2008-02-18). Outlook. Outlook Publishing. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
214. ^Castellanos, Melissa (2007-08-20). ''Bada Bing' Auction Sales Go 'Bada Boom': HBO Series Memorabilia To Be Auctioned Online'. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
215. ^'Strip club boss cops plea in rackets trial'. CNN. 2001-08-03. Archived from the original on 2009-07-18.
216. ^'Las Vegas Strip Clubs'. Sapphires Las Vegas. 2001-08-03.
217. ^Paul Gray; Lucy Ridout (2002-01-31). The Rough Guide to Thailand's Beaches & Islands. Rough Guides Limited. ISBN978-1-85828-829-1. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
218. ^'Top 100 Strip Clubs'. The Ultimate Strip Club List (TUSCL). Archived from the original on 2010-05-02. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
219. ^'Strip Club List Top 100 Clubs'. Strip Club List (SCL). Archived from the original on 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2010-05-01.

Bibliography[edit]

• R. Danielle Egan; Katherine Frank; Merri Lisa Johnson (2005). Egan, R. Danielle; Frank, K.; Johnson, M. L. (eds.). Flesh for Fantasy: Producing and Consuming Exotic Dance. New York, U.S.: Thunder's Mouth Press, Avalon Publishing Group. ISBN978-1-56025-721-9.
• Frank, Katherine (2005). G-Strings and Sympathy: Strip Club Regulars and Male Desire. Durham and London: Duke University Press. ISBN978-0-8223-2972-5.
• Purdue, Lewis (2002). EroticaBiz: How Sex Shaped the Internet. IUniverse. ISBN978-0-595-25612-9.
• Uebel, Michael (2004). Striptopia? Social Semiotics 14(2), 3–19.

Methodism, also known as the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of ProtestantChristianity which derive their inspiration from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother Charles Wesley were also significant early leaders in the movement. It originated as a revival movement within the 18th-century Church of England and became a separate denomination after Wesley's death. The movement spread throughout the British Empire, the United States, and beyond because of vigorous missionary work,^[1] today claiming approximately 80 million adherents worldwide.^{[nb 1][2]}

Wesley's theology focused on sanctification and the effect of faith on the character of a Christian. Distinguishing Methodist doctrines include the new birth,^[3] an assurance of salvation, imparted righteousness, the possibility of perfection in love,^[4] the works of piety, and the primacy of Scripture. Most Methodists teach that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for all of humanity and that salvation is available for all; in theology, this view is known as Arminianism.^{[nb 2]} This teaching rejects the Calvinist position that God has pre-ordained the salvation of a select group of people. However, Whitefield and several other early leaders of the movement were considered Calvinistic Methodists and held to the Calvinist position. Methodism emphasises charity and support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the works of mercy.^[5] These ideals are put into practice by the establishment of hospitals, orphanages, soup kitchens, and schools to follow Christ's command to spreadthe gospel and serve all people.^[6]

The movement has a wide variety of forms of worship, ranging from high church to low church in liturgical usage. Denominations that descend from the British Methodist tradition are generally less ritualistic, while American Methodism is more so, the United Methodist Church in particular.^[7] Methodism is known for its rich musical tradition, and Charles Wesley was instrumental in writing much of the hymnody of the Methodist Church.^[8]

Early Methodists were drawn from all levels of society, including the aristocracy,^{[nb 3]} but the Methodist preachers took the message to labourers and criminals who tended to be left outside organised religion at that time. In Britain, the Methodist Church had a major effect in the early decades of the developing working class (1760–1820). In the United States, it became the religion of many slaves who later formed black churches in the Methodist tradition.

• 2Theology
• 5Contemporary Methodism
  • 5.1Europe
  • 5.2Caribbean
  • 5.3Africa
  • 5.4Asia
  • 5.5Americas
  • 5.6Oceania
• 10Further reading

Origins[edit]

The Methodist revival began with a group of men, including John Wesley (1703–1791) and his younger brother Charles (1707–1788), as a movement within the Church of England in the 18th century.^[10][11] The Wesley brothers founded the 'Holy Club' at the University of Oxford, where John was a fellow and later a lecturer at Lincoln College.^[12] The club met weekly and they systematically set about living a holy life. They were accustomed to receiving Communion every week, fasting regularly, abstaining from most forms of amusement and luxury and frequently visited the sick and the poor, as well as prisoners. The fellowship were branded as 'Methodist' by their fellow students because of the way they used 'rule' and 'method' to go about their religious affairs.^[13] John, who was leader of the club, took the attempted mockery and turned it into a title of honour.^[13][14]

In 1735, at the invitation of the founder of the Georgia Colony, General James Oglethorpe, both John and Charles Wesley set out for America to be ministers to the colonists and missionaries to the Native Americans.^[15] Unsuccessful in their work, the brothers returned to England conscious of their lack of genuine Christian faith. They looked for help to Peter Boehler and other members of the Moravian Church. At a Moravian service in Aldersgate on 24 May 1738, John experienced what has come to be called his evangelical conversion, when he felt his 'heart strangely warmed'.^[16] He records in his journal: 'I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.'^[17] Charles had reported a similar experience a few days previously. Considered a pivotal moment, Daniel L. Burnett writes: 'The significance of [John] Wesley's Aldersgate Experience is monumental … Without it the names of Wesley and Methodism would likely be nothing more than obscure footnotes in the pages of church history.'^[18]

The Wesley brothers immediately began to preach salvation by faith to individuals and groups, in houses, in religious societies, and in the few churches which had not closed their doors to evangelical preachers.^[19] John Wesley came under the influence of the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609). Arminius had rejected the Calvinist teaching that God had pre-ordained an elect number of people to eternal bliss while others perished eternally. Conversely, George Whitefield (1714–1770), Howell Harris (1714–1773),^[20] and Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon (1707–1791) were notable for being Calvinistic Methodists.

George Whitefield, returning from his own mission in Georgia, joined the Wesley brothers in what was rapidly to become a national crusade.^[19] Whitefield, who had been a fellow student of the Wesleys at Oxford, became well known for his unorthodox, itinerant ministry, in which he was dedicated to open-air preaching—reaching crowds of thousands.^[19] A key step in the development of John Wesley's ministry was, like Whitefield, to preach in fields, collieries and churchyards to those who did not regularly attend parish church services.^[19] Accordingly, many Methodist converts were those disconnected from the Church of England; Wesley remained a cleric of the Established Church and insisted that Methodists attend their local parish church as well as Methodist meetings.^[21]

Faced with growing evangelistic and pastoral responsibilities, Wesley and Whitefield appointed lay preachers and leaders.^[19] Methodist preachers focused particularly on evangelising people who had been 'neglected' by the established Church of England. Wesley and his assistant preachers organised the new converts into Methodist societies.^[19] These societies were divided into groups called classes—intimate meetings where individuals were encouraged to confess their sins to one another and to build each other up. They also took part in love feasts which allowed for the sharing of testimony, a key feature of early Methodism.^[22] Growth in numbers and increasing hostility impressed upon the revival converts a deep sense of their corporate identity.^[19] Three teachings that Methodists saw as the foundation of Christian faith were:

1. People are all, by nature, 'dead in sin', and, consequently, 'children of wrath'.
2. They are 'justified by faith alone'
3. Faith produces inward and outward holiness.^[23]

Wesley's organisational skills soon established him as the primary leader of the movement. Whitefield was a Calvinist, whereas Wesley was an outspoken opponent of the doctrine of predestination.^[24] Wesley argued (against Calvinist doctrine) that Christians could enjoy a second blessing—entire sanctification (Christian perfection) in this life: loving God and their neighbours, meekness and lowliness of heart and abstaining from all appearance of evil.^[3][25] These differences put strains on the alliance between Whitefield and Wesley,^[24] with Wesley becoming quite hostile toward Whitefield in what had been previously very close relations. Whitefield consistently begged Wesley not to let theological differences sever their friendship and, in time their friendship was restored, though this was seen by many of Whitefield's followers to be a doctrinal compromise.^[26]

Many clergy in the established church feared that new doctrines promulgated by the Methodists, such as the necessity of a new birth for salvation—the first work of grace, of justification by faith and of the constant and sustained action of the Holy Spirit upon the believer's soul, would produce ill effects upon weak minds.^[27]Theophilus Evans, an early critic of the movement, even wrote that it was 'the natural Tendency of their Behaviour, in Voice and Gesture and horrid Expressions, to make People mad.' In one of his prints, William Hogarth likewise attacked Methodists as 'enthusiasts' full of 'Credulity, Superstition, and Fanaticism'.^[27] Other attacks against the Methodists were physically violent—Wesley was nearly murdered by a mob at Wednesbury in 1743.^[28] The Methodists responded vigorously to their critics and thrived despite the attacks against them.^[29]

Initially, the Methodists merely sought reform within the Church of England (Anglicanism), but the movement gradually departed from that Church. George Whitefield's preference for extemporaneous prayer rather than the fixed forms of prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, in addition to his insistence on the necessity of the New Birth, set him at odds with Anglican clergy.^[30]

As Methodist societies multiplied, and elements of an ecclesiastical system were, one after another, adopted, the breach between John Wesley and the Church of England gradually widened. In 1784, Wesley responded to the shortage of priests in the American colonies due to the American Revolutionary War by ordaining preachers for America with power to administer the sacraments.^[31] This was a major reason for Methodism's final split from the Church of England after Wesley's death. This split created a separate, eventually worldwide, group of church denominations.

With regard to the position of Methodism within Christendom, 'John Wesley once noted that what God had achieved in the development of Methodism was no mere human endeavor but the work of God. As such it would be preserved by God so long as history remained.'^[32] Calling it 'the grand depositum' of the Methodist faith, Wesley specifically taught that the propagation of the doctrine of entire sanctification was the reason that God raised up the Methodists in the world.^[33][34]

The influence of Whitefield and Lady Huntingdon on the Church of England was a factor in the founding of the Free Church of England in 1844. At the time of Wesley's death there were over 500 Methodist preachers in British colonies and the United States.^[19] Total membership of the Methodist societies in Britain was recorded as 56,000 in 1791, rising to 360,000 in 1836 and 1,463,000 by the national census of 1851.^[35]

Early Methodism experienced a radical and spiritual phase that allowed women authority in church leadership. The role of the woman preacher emerged from the sense that the home should be a place of community care and should foster personal growth. Methodist women formed a community that cared for the vulnerable, extending the role of mothering beyond physical care. Women were encouraged to testify their faith. However the centrality of women's role sharply diminished after 1790 as Methodist churches became more structured and more male dominated.^[36]

The Wesleyan Education Committee, which existed from 1838 to 1902, has documented the Methodist Church's involvement in the education of children. At first most effort was placed in creating Sunday Schools but in 1836 the British Methodist Conference gave its blessing to the creation of 'Weekday schools'.^[37][38]

Methodism spread throughout the British Empire and, mostly through Whitefield's preaching during what historians call the First Great Awakening, in colonial America. After Whitefield's death in 1770, however, American Methodism entered a more lasting Wesleyan and Arminian phase of development.

Theology[edit]

Catechism for the Use of the People Called Methodists.^[4]

Methodist churches do not adhere to a definitive statement, or 'confession', of belief (unlike the Westminster Confession used by Reformed churches). Many Methodist bodies, such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church, base their doctrinal standards on Wesley's Articles of Religion,^[39] an abridgment of the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England that excised its Calvinist features.^[40] Some Methodist denominations also publish catechisms, which concisely summarise Christian doctrine.^[4] Methodists generally accept the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed as declarations of shared Christian faith.^[4][41] Methodism also affirms the traditional Christian belief in the triune Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as the orthodox understanding of the consubstantial humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ.^[42] Methodism emphasises doctrines that indicate the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen the faith of believers and to transform their personal lives.^[43]

Methodism is broadly evangelical in doctrine and is characterized by Wesleyan–Arminian theology.^[44] John Wesley is studied by Methodists for his interpretation of church practice and doctrine.^[4] At its heart, the theology of John Wesley stressed the life of Christian holiness: to love God with all one's heart, mind, soul and strength and to love one's neighbour as oneself.^[45][46] One popular expression of Methodist doctrine is in the hymns of Charles Wesley. Since enthusiastic congregational singing was a part of the early evangelical movement, Wesleyan theology took root and spread through this channel.^[47][48]

Salvation[edit]

Wesleyan Methodists identify with the Arminian conception of free will, as opposed to the theological determinism of absolute predestination.^{[49][nb 2]} Methodism teaches that salvation is initiated when one chooses to respond to God, who draws the individual near to him (the Wesleyan doctrine of prevenient grace), thus teaching synergism.^[53][54] Methodists interpret Scripture as teaching that the saving work of Jesus Christ is for all people (unlimited atonement) but effective only to those who respond and believe, in accordance with the Reformation principles of sola gratia (grace alone) and sola fide (faith alone).^[55] John Wesley taught four key points fundamental to Methodism:

1. A person is free not only to reject salvation but also to accept it by an act of free will.
2. All people who are obedient to the gospel according to the measure of knowledge given them will be saved.
3. The Holy Spirit assures a Christian of their salvation directly, through an inner 'experience' (assurance of salvation).
4. Christians in this life are capable of Christian perfection and are commanded by God to pursue it.^[56]

After the first work of grace (the new birth),^[3] Methodist soteriology emphasizes the importance of the pursuit of holiness in salvation,^[57] a concept best summarized in a quote by Methodist evangelist Phoebe Palmer who stated that 'justification would have ended with me had I refused to be holy.'^[58] Thus, for Methodists, 'true faith...cannot subsist without works'.^[59] Methodism, inclusive of the holiness movement, thus teaches that 'justification [is made] conditional on obedience and progress in sanctification',^[58] emphasizing 'a deep reliance upon Christ not only in coming to faith, but in remaining in the faith.'^[60] John Wesley taught that the keeping of the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments,^[61] as well as engaging in the works of piety and the works of mercy, were 'indispensible for our sanctification'.^[59]

Sacraments[edit]

Methodists hold that sacraments are sacred acts of divine institution. Methodism has inherited its liturgy from Anglicanism, although American Methodist theology tends to have a stronger 'sacramental emphasis' than that held by Evangelical Anglicans.^[62]

In common with most Protestants, Methodists recognise two sacraments as being instituted by Christ: Baptism and Holy Communion (also called the 'Lord's Supper', rarely the 'Eucharist').^[63] Most Methodist churches practice infant baptism, in anticipation of a response to be made later (confirmation), as well as believer's baptism.^[4] The Catechism for the use of the people called Methodists states that, '[in Holy Communion] Jesus Christ is present with his worshipping people and gives himself to them as their Lord and Saviour'.^[64] The explanation of how Christ's presence is made manifest in the elements (bread and wine) is a 'Holy Mystery'.^[65]

Methodist churches generally recognise sacraments to be a means of grace.^[66] John Wesley held that God also imparted grace by other established means such as public and private prayer, Scripture reading, study and preaching, public worship, and fasting. These constitute the Works of Piety. Wesley considered means of grace to be 'outward signs, words, or actions ... to be the ordinary channels whereby [God] might convey to men, preventing [i.e., preparing], justifying or sanctifying grace'.^[67] Specifically Methodist means, such as the class meetings, provided his chief examples for these prudential means of grace.^[68]

Sources of teaching[edit]

Traditionally, Methodists declare the Bible (Old and New Testaments) to be the only divinely inspired Scripture and the primary source of authority for Christians. The historic Methodist understanding of Scripture is based on the superstructure of Wesleyan covenant theology.^[69] Methodists, stemming from John Wesley's own practices of theological reflection, also make use of tradition, drawing primarily from the teachings of the Church Fathers, as a source of authority. Though not infallible like holy Scripture, tradition may serve as a lens through which Scripture is interpreted. Theological discourse for Methodists almost always makes use of Scripture read inside the wider theological tradition of Christianity.^[70]

It is a historical position of the church that any disciplined theological work calls for the careful use of reason. By reason, it is said, one reads and is able to interpret the Bible coherently and consistently. By reason one asks questions of faith and seeks to understand God's action and will. Methodism insists that personal salvation always implies Christian mission and service to the world.^[5]Scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety; love of God is always linked with love of neighbours and a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world.^[71]

Worship and liturgy[edit]

Methodism was endowed by the Wesley brothers with worship characterised by a twofold practice: the ritual liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer on the one hand and the informal preaching service on the other.^[72]

This twofold practice became distinctive of Methodism because worship in the Church of England was based, by law, solely on the Book of Common Prayer and worship in the Non-conformist churches was almost exclusively that of 'services of the word', i.e. preaching services, with Holy Communion being observed infrequently. John Wesley's influence meant that, in Methodism, the two practices were combined, a situation which remains characteristic of the movement.^[72] The Lovefeast, traditionally practiced quarterly, was another practice that characterized early Methodism as John Wesley taught that it was an apostolic ordinance.^[73]

In America, the United Methodist Church and Free Methodist Church, as well as the Primitive Methodist Church and Wesleyan Methodist Church, have a wide variety of forms of worship, ranging from high church to low church in liturgical usage. When the Methodists in America were separated from the Church of England because of the American Revolution, John Wesley himself provided a revised version of the Book of Common Prayer called The Sunday Service of the Methodists; With Other Occasional Services (1784).^[74][75] Today, the primary liturgical books of the United Methodist Church are The United Methodist Hymnal and The United Methodist Book of Worship. Congregations employ its liturgy and rituals as optional resources, but their use is not mandatory. These books contain the liturgies of the church that are generally derived from Wesley's Sunday Service and from the 20th-century liturgical renewal movement.

The British Methodist Church is less ordered or liturgical in worship, but makes use of the Methodist Worship Book (similar to the Church of England's Common Worship), containing worship services (liturgies) and rubrics for the celebration of other rites, such as marriage. The Worship Book is also ultimately derived from Wesley's Sunday Service.^[76]

A unique feature of American Methodism has been the observance of the season of Kingdomtide, encompassing the last 13 weeks before Advent, thus dividing the long season after Pentecost into two distinct segments. During Kingdomtide, Methodist liturgy has traditionally emphasised charitable work and alleviating the suffering of the poor.

A second distinctive liturgical feature of Methodism is the use of Covenant Services. Although practice varies between different national churches, most Methodist churches annually follow the call of John Wesley for a renewal of their covenant with God. It is common, at least in British Methodism, for each congregation to normally hold an annual Covenant Service on the first convenient Sunday of the year, and Wesley's covenant prayer is still used, with minor modification, in the order of service:

Christ has many services to be done. Some are easy, others are difficult. Some bring honour, others bring reproach. Some are suitable to our natural inclinations and temporal interests, others are contrary to both ... Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.

...I am no longer my own but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

As John Wesley advocated outdoor evangelism, revival services are a traditional worship practice of Methodism that are often held in churches, as well as at camp meetings and at tent revivals.^[77][78][79]

Lifestyle[edit]

Early Methodists wore plain dress, with Methodist clergy condemning 'high headdresses, ruffles, laces, gold, and 'costly apparel' in general'.^[80] John Wesley recommended that Methodists annually read his thoughts On Dress;^[81] in that sermon, John Wesley expressed his desire for Methodists: 'Let me see, before I die, a Methodist congregation, full as plain dressed as a Quaker congregation'.^[82] The 1858 Discipline of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection thus stated that 'we would ... enjoin on all who fear God plain dress'.^[83]Peter Cartwright, a Methodist revivalist, stated that in addition to wearing plain dress, the early Methodists distinguished themselves from other members of society by fasting once a week, abstaining from alcohol, and devoutly observing the Sabbath.^[84] The early Methodists did not participate in, and condemned, 'worldly habits' including 'playing cards, racing horses, gambling, attending the theater, dancing (both in frolics and balls), and cockfighting'.^[80]

Over time, many of these practices were gradually relaxed in mainline Methodism, although practices such teetotalism and fasting are still very much encouraged, in addition to the current prohibition of gambling;^[85] denominations of the conservative holiness movement, such as the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and Bible Methodist Connection of Churches, continue to reflect the spirit of the historic Methodist practice of wearing plain dress, encouraging members in 'abstaining from the wearing of extravagant hairstyles, jewelry—to include rings, and expensive clothing for any reason'.^[86][87] The General Rules of the Methodist Church in America, which are among the doctrinal standards of many Methodist Churches, promote first-day Sabbatarianism as they require 'attending upon all the ordinances of God' including 'the public worship of God' and prohibit 'profaning the day of the Lord, either by doing ordinary work therein or by buying or selling'.^[88][89]

Contemporary Methodism[edit]

Today, millions belong to Methodist churches, which are present on all populated continents.^[90] Although Methodism is declining in Great Britain and North America, it is growing in other places; at a rapid pace in, for example, South Korea.^[91]

There is no single Methodist Church with universal juridical authority; Methodists belong to multiple independent denominations or 'connexions'. The great majority of Methodists are members of denominations which are part of the international World Methodist Council, an association of 80 Methodist, Wesleyan and related united and uniting churches, representing over 80 million people. In 1956, the World Methodist Council established a permanent headquarters in the United States at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.^[92]

I look on all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.

Europe[edit]

Methodism is prevalent in the English-speaking world but it is also organised in mainland Europe, largely due to missionary activity of British and American Methodists. British missionaries were primarily responsible for establishing Methodism across Ireland and Italy. Today the United Methodist Church (UMC)—a large denomination based in the United States—has a presence in Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. Collectively the European and Eurasian regions of the UMC constitute over 100,000 Methodists.^[93][94][95] Other smaller Methodist denominations exist in Europe.

Great Britain[edit]

The original body founded as a result of Wesley's work came to be known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Schisms within the original Church, and independent revivals, led to the formation of a number of separate denominations calling themselves 'Methodist'. The largest of these were the Primitive Methodist church, deriving from a revival at Mow Cop in Staffordshire, the Bible Christians and the Methodist New Connexion. The original church became known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church to distinguish it from these bodies. In 1907, a union of smaller groups with the Methodist New Connexion and Bible Christian Church brought about the United Methodist Church (Great Britain), then the three major streams of British Methodism united in 1932 to form the current Methodist Church of Great Britain.^[96] The fourth-largest denomination in the country, the Methodist Church of Great Britain has about 202,000 members in 4,650 congregations.^[97]

Early Methodism was particularly prominent in Devon and Cornwall, which were key centers of activity by the Bible Christian faction of Methodists.^[98] The Bible Christians produced many preachers, and sent many missionaries to Australia.^[99] Methodism also grew rapidly in the old mill towns of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where the preachers stressed that the working classes were equal to the upper classes in the eyes of God.^[100] In Wales, three elements separately welcomed Methodism: Welsh-speaking, English-speaking, and Calvinistic.^[101]

British Methodists, in particular the Primitive Methodists, took a leading role in the temperance movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Methodists saw alcoholic beverages, and alcoholism, as the root of many social ills and tried to persuade people to abstain from these.^[102] Temperance appealed strongly to the Methodist doctrines of sanctification and perfection. To this day, alcohol remains banned in Methodist premises, however this restriction no longer applies to domestic occasions in private homes (i.e. the minister may have a drink at home in the manse).^[103] The choice to consume alcohol is now a personal decision for any member.^[103]

British Methodism does not have bishops; however, it has always been characterised by a strong central organisation, the Connexion, which holds an annual Conference (note that the Church retains the 18th-century spelling connexion for many purposes). The Connexion is divided into Districts in the charge of the Chair (who may be male or female). Methodist districts often correspond approximately, in geographical terms, to counties—as do Church of England dioceses. The districts are divided into circuits governed by the Circuit Meeting and led and administrated principally by a superintendent minister. Ministers are appointed to Circuits rather than to individual churches, although some large inner-city churches, known as 'central halls', are designated as circuits in themselves—of these Westminster Central Hall, opposite Westminster Abbey in central London, is the best known. Most circuits have fewer ministers than churches, and the majority of services are led by lay local preachers, or by supernumerary ministers (ministers who have retired, called supernumerary because they are not counted for official purposes in the numbers of ministers for the circuit in which they are listed). The superintendent and other ministers are assisted in the leadership and administration of the Circuit by Circuit Stewards, lay people who may have particular skills who collectively with the ministers form what is normally known as the Circuit Leadership Team.

The Methodist Council also helps to run a number of schools, including two leading public schools in East Anglia: Culford School and the Leys School. It helps to promote an all round education with a strong Christian ethos.

Other Methodist denominations in Britain include: The Salvation Army, founded by Methodist minister William Booth in 1865; the Free Methodist Church, a holiness church; the Church of the Nazarene; the Wesleyan Reform Union,^[104] an early secession from the Wesleyan Methodist Church; and the Independent Methodist Connexion.^[105]

Ireland[edit]

John Wesley visited Ireland on at least twenty-four occasions and established classes and societies.^[106] The Methodist Church in Ireland (Irish: Eaglais Mheitidisteach in Éirinn) today operates across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on an all-Ireland basis. As of 2013 there are around 50,000 Methodists across Ireland. The biggest concentration–13,171–is in Belfast, with 2,614 in Dublin.^[107] As of 2011 it is the fourth-largest denomination in Northern Ireland, with Methodists accounting for 3 percent of the population.^[108]

Eric Gallagher was the President of the Church in the 1970s, becoming a well-known figure in Irish politics.^[109] He was one of the group of Protestant churchmen who met with Provisional IRA officers in Feakle, County Clare to try to broker peace. The meeting was unsuccessful due to a Garda raid on the hotel.

Italy[edit]

The Italian Methodist Church (Italian: Chiesa Metodista Italiana) is a small Protestant community in Italy,^[110] with around 7,000 members.^[111] Since 1975 it is in a formal covenant of partnership with the Waldensian Church, with a total of 45,000 members.^[111]Waldensians are a Protestant movement which started in Lyon, France, in the late 1170s.

Italian Methodism has its origins in the Italian Free Church, British Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, and the American Methodist Episcopal Mission. These movements flowered in the second half of the 19th century in the new climate of political and religious freedom that was established with the end of the Papal States and unification of Italy in 1870.^[112]

Bertrand M. Tipple, minister of the American Methodist Church in Rome, founded a college there in 1914.^[113]

In April 2016 the World Methodist Council opened an Ecumenical Office in Rome. Methodist leaders and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, jointly dedicated the new office.^[114] It helps facilitate Methodist relationships with the wider Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church.^[115]

Nordic and Baltic countries[edit]

The 'Nordic and Baltic Area' of the United Methodist Church covers the Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland) and the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). Methodism was introduced to the Nordic countries in the late 19th century.^[116] Today the United Methodist Church in Norway (Norwegian: Metodistkirken) is the largest church in the region with 10,684 members in total (as of 2013).^[94]

France[edit]

The French Methodist movement was founded in the 1820s by Charles Cook in the village of Congénies in Languedoc near Nîmes and Montpellier. The most important chapel of department was built in 1869, where there had been a Quaker community since the 18th century.^[117] Sixteen Methodist congregations voted to join the Reformed Church of France in 1938.^[118] In the 1980s, missionary work of a Methodist church in Agen led to new initiatives in Fleurance and Mont de Marsan.^[119]

Methodism exists today in France under various names. The best-known is the Union of Evangelical Methodist Churches (French: l'Union de l'Eglise Evangélique Méthodiste) or UEEM. It is an autonomous regional conference of the United Methodist Church and is the fruit of a fusion in 2005 between the 'Methodist Church of France' and the 'Union of Methodist Churches'. As of 2014, the UEEM has around 1,200 members and 30 ministers.^[118]

Germany[edit]

The Protestant-Methodist Church (German: Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche) is the name of the United Methodist Church in Germany and Austria. The German church had about 52,031 members in 2015.^[95] Members are organised into three conferences: north, east and south.^[95] Methodism is most prevalent in southern Saxony and around Stuttgart.

British Methodist missionaries introduced Methodism to Germany in 1830, initially in the region of Württemberg. In 1859, the first Methodist minister arrived in Württemberg. Methodism was also spread in Germany through the missionary work of the American Methodist Episcopal Church, which began in 1849 in Bremen, soon spreading to Saxony. Early opposition towards Methodism was partly rooted in theological differences—northern and eastern regions of Germany were predominantly Lutheran and Reformed, and Methodists were dismissed as fanatics. Methodism was also hindered by its unfamiliar church structure (Connectionalism or Konnexionalismus), which was more centralised than the hierarchical polity in the Lutheran and Reformed churches. After World War I, the 1919 Weimar Constitution allowed Methodists to worship freely and many new chapels were established. In 1936, German Methodists elected their first bishop.^[120]

Hungary[edit]

The first Methodist mission in Hungary was established in 1898 in Bácska, in a then mostly German-speaking town of Verbász (since 1918 part of the Serbian province of Vojvodina). In 1905 a Methodist mission was established also in Budapest. In 1974, a group later known as the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship seceded from the Hungarian Methodist Church over the question of interference by the communist state.

As of 2017, the United Methodist Church in Hungary, known locally as the Hungarian Methodist Church (Hungarian: Magyarországi Metodista Egyház), has 453 professing members in 30 congregations.^[121] It runs two student homes, two homes for the elderly, the Forray Methodist High School, the Wesley Scouts and the Methodist Library and Archives.^[122] The church has a special ministry among the Roma.

The seceding Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship (Magyarországi Evangéliumi Testvérközösség) also remains Methodist in its organisation and theology. It has eight full congregations and several mission groups, and runs a range of charitable organisations: hostels and soup kitchens for the homeless, a non-denominational theological college,^[123] a dozen schools of various kinds, and four old people's homes.

Today there are a dozen Methodist/Wesleyan churches and mission organisations in Hungary, but all Methodist churches lost official church status under new legislation passed in 2011, when the number of officially recognised churches in the country fell to 14.^[124] However, the list of recognised churches was lengthened to 32 at the end of February 2012.^[125] This gave recognition to Hungarian Methodist Church and the Salvation Army, which was banned in Hungary in 1949 but had returned in 1990, but not to the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship. The legislation has been strongly criticised by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe as discriminatory.^[126]

The Hungarian Methodist Church, the Salvation Army and the Church of the Nazarene and other Wesleyan groups formed the Wesley Theological Alliance for theological and publishing purposes in 1998.^[127] Today the Alliance has 10 Wesleyan member churches and organisations. The Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship does not belong to it and has its own publishing arm.^[128]

Russia[edit]

The Methodist Church established several strongholds in Russia—Saint Petersburg in the west and the Vladivostok region in the east, with big Methodist centres right in the middle, in Moscow and Ekaterinburg (former Sverdlovsk). Methodists began their work in the west among Swedish immigrants in 1881 and started their work in the east in 1910.^[129] On 26 June 2009, Methodists celebrated the 120th year since Methodism arrived in Czarist Russia by erecting a new Methodist centre in Saint Petersburg.^[129] A Methodist presence was continued in Russia for 14 years after the Russian Revolution of 1917 through the efforts of Deaconess Anna Eklund.^[130] In 1939, political antagonism stymied the work of the Church and Deaconess Anna Eklund was coerced to return to her native Finland.^[129]After 1989, the Soviet Union allowed greatly increased religious freedoms^[131] and this continued after the USSR's collapse in 1991. During the 1990s, Methodism experienced a powerful wave of revival in the nation.^[129] Three sites in particular carried the torch—Samara, Moscow and Ekaterinburg. As of 2011, the United Methodist Church in Eurasia comprised 116 congregations, each with a native pastor. There are currently 48 students enrolled in residential and extension degree programs at the United Methodist Seminary in Moscow.^[129]

Caribbean[edit]

Methodism came to the Caribbean in 1760 when the planter, lawyer and Speaker of the Antiguan House of Assembly, Nathaniel Gilbert (c. 1719–1774), returned to his sugar estate home in Antigua.^[132] A Methodist revival spread in the British West Indies due to the work of British missionaries.^[133] Missionaries established societies which would later become the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA). The MCCA has about 62,000 members in over 700 congregations, ministered by 168 pastors.^[133] There are smaller Methodist denominations that have seceded from the parent church.

Antigua[edit]

The story is often told that in 1755, Nathaniel Gilbert, while convalescing, read a treatise of John Wesley, An Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion sent to him by his brother Francis. As a result of having read this book Gilbert, two years later, journeyed to England with three of his slaves and there in a drawing room meeting arranged in Wandsworth on 15 January 1759, met the preacher John Wesley. He returned to the Caribbean that same year and on his subsequent return began to preach to his slaves in Antigua.^[132]

When Nathaniel Gilbert died in 1774 his work in Antigua was continued by his brother Francis Gilbert to approximately 200 Methodists. However, within a year Francis took ill and had to return to Britain and the work was carried on by Sophia Campbell ('a Negress') and Mary Alley ('a Mulatto'), two devoted women who kept the flock together with class and prayer meetings as best as they could.^[133]

On 2 April 1778, John Baxter, a local preacher and skilled shipwright from Chatham in Kent, England, landed at English harbour in Antigua (now called Nelson's Dockyard) where he was offered a post at the naval dockyard. Baxter was a Methodist and had heard of the work of the Gilberts and their need for a new preacher. He began preaching and meeting with the Methodist leaders, and within a year the Methodist community had grown to 600 persons. By 1783, the first Methodist chapel was built in Antigua, with John Baxter as the local preacher, its wooden structure seating some 2,000 people.^[134]

St. Bart's[edit]

In 1785, William Turton (1761–1817) a Barbadian son of a planter, met John Baxter in Antigua, and later, as layman, assisted in the Methodist work in the Swedish colony of St. Bartholomew from 1796.^[132]

In 1786 the missionary endeavour in the Caribbean was officially recognised by the Conference in England, and that same year Thomas Coke, having been made Superintendent of the church two years previously in America by Wesley, was travelling to Nova Scotia, but weather forced his ship to Antigua.

Jamaica[edit]

In 1818 Edward Fraser (1798 – Aft. 1850), a privileged Barbadian slave, moved to Bermuda and subsequently met the new minister James Dunbar. The Nova Scotia Methodist Minister noted young Fraser's sincerity and commitment to his congregation and encouraged him by appointing him as assistant. By 1827 Fraser assisted in building a new chapel. He was later freed and admitted to the Methodist Ministry to serve in Antigua and Jamaica.^[132]

Barbados[edit]

Following William J. Shrewsbury's preaching in the 1820s, Sarah Ann Gill (1779–1866), a free-born black woman, used civil disobedience in an attempt to thwart magistrate rulings that prevented parishioners holding prayer meetings. In hopes of building a new chapel, she paid an extraordinary £1,700-0s–0d and ended up having militia appointed by the Governor to protect her home from demolition.^[135]

In 1884 an attempt was made at autonomy with the formation of two West Indian Conferences, however by 1903 the venture had failed. It was not until the 1960s that another attempt was made at autonomy. This second attempt resulted in the emergence of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas in May 1967.^[133]

Francis Godson (1864–1953), a Methodist minister, who having served briefly in several of the Caribbean islands, eventually immersed himself in helping those in hardship of the First World War in Barbados. He was later appointed to the Legislative Council of Barbados, and fought for the rights of pensioners. He was later followed by renowned Barbadian Augustus Rawle Parkinson (1864–1932),^[136] who also was the first principal of the Wesley Hall School, Bridgetown in Barbados (which celebrated its 125th anniversary in September 2009).^[132]

In more recent times in Barbados, Victor Alphonso Cooke (born 1930) and Lawrence Vernon Harcourt Lewis (born 1932) are strong influences on the Methodist Church on the island.^[132] Their contemporary and late member of the Dalkeith Methodist Church, was the former secretary of the University of the West Indies, consultant of the Canadian Training Aid Programme and a man of letters – Francis Woodbine Blackman (1922–2010). It was his research and published works that enlightened much of this information on Caribbean Methodism.^[137][138]

Africa[edit]

Most Methodist denominations in Africa follow the British Methodist tradition and see the Methodist Church of Great Britain as their mother church. Originally modelled on the British structure, since independence most of these churches have adopted an episcopal model.

Nigeria[edit]

The Nigerian Methodist Church is one of the largest Methodist denominations in the world and one of the largest Christian churches in Nigeria, with around two million members in 2000 congregations.^[139] It has seen exponential growth since the turn of the millennium.^[140]

Christianity was established in Nigeria with the arrival in 1842 of a Wesleyan Methodist missionary.^[139] He had come in response to the request for missionaries by the ex-slaves who returned to Nigeria from Sierra Leone. From the mission stations established in Badagry and Abeokuta, the Methodist church spread to various parts of the country west of the River Niger and part of the north. In 1893 missionaries of the Primitive Methodist Church arrived from Fernando Po, an island off the southern coast of Nigeria. From there the Methodist Church spread to other parts of the country, east of the River Niger and also to parts of the north. The church west of the River Niger and part of the north was known as the Western Nigeria District and east of the Niger and another part of the north as the Eastern Nigeria District. Both existed independently of each other until 1962 when they constituted the Conference of Methodist Church Nigeria. The conference is composed of seven districts. The church has continued to spread into new areas and has established a department for evangelism and appointed a director of evangelism. An episcopal system adopted in 1976 was not fully accepted by all sections of the church until the two sides came together and resolved to end the disagreement. A new constitution was ratified in 1990. The system is still episcopal but the points which caused discontent were amended to be acceptable to both sides. Today, the Nigerian Methodist Church has a prelate, eight archbishops and 44 bishops.^[139]

Ghana[edit]

Methodist Church Ghana is one of the largest Methodist denominations, with around 800,000 members in 2,905 congregations, ministered by 700 pastors.^[141] It has fraternal links with the British Methodist and United Methodist churches worldwide.

Methodism in Ghana came into existence as a result of the missionary activities of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, inaugurated with the arrival of Joseph Rhodes Dunwell to the Gold Coast in 1835.^[142] Like the mother church, the Methodist Church in Ghana was established by people of Protestant background. Roman Catholic and Anglican missionaries came to the Gold Coast from the 15th century. A school was established in Cape Coast by the Anglicans during the time of Philip Quaque, a Ghanaian priest. Those who came out of this school had Bible copies and study supplied by the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge. A member of the resulting Bible study groups, William De-Graft, requested Bibles through Captain Potter of the ship Congo. Not only were Bibles sent, but also a Methodist missionary. In the first eight years of the Church's life, 11 out of 21 missionaries who worked in the Gold Coast died. Thomas Birch Freeman, who arrived at the Gold Coast in 1838 was a pioneer of missionary expansion. Between 1838 and 1857 he carried Methodism from the coastal areas to Kumasi in the Asante hinterland of the Gold Coast. He also established Methodist Societies in Badagry and AbeoKuta in Nigeria with the assistance of William De-Graft.^{[citation needed]}

By 1854, the church was organized into circuits constituting a district with T. B. Freeman as chairman. Freeman was replaced in 1856 by William West. The district was divided and extended to include areas in the then Gold Coast and Nigeria by the synod in 1878, a move confirmed at the British Conference. The district were Gold Coast District, with T.R. Picot as chairman and Yoruba and Popo District, with John Milum as chairman. Methodist evangelisation of northern Gold Coast began in 1910. After a long period of conflict with the colonial government, missionary work was established in 1955. Paul Adu was the first indigenous missionary to northern Gold Coast.

In July 1961, the Methodist Church in Ghana became autonomous, and was called the Methodist Church Ghana, based on a deed of foundation, part of the church's Constitution and Standing Orders.^[141]

Southern Africa[edit]

The Methodist Church operates across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, with a limited presence in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It is a member church of the World Methodist Council.

Methodism in Southern Africa began as a result of lay Christian work by an Irish soldier of the English Regiment, John Irwin, who was stationed at the Cape and began to hold prayer meetings as early as 1795.^[143] The first Methodist lay preacher at the Cape, George Middlemiss, was a soldier of the 72nd regiment of the British Army stationed at the Cape in 1805.^[144] This foundation paved the way for missionary work by Methodist missionary societies from Great Britain, many of whom sent missionaries with the 1820 English settlers to the Western and Eastern Cape. Among the most notable of the early missionaries were Barnabas Shaw and William Shaw.^{[145][146][147]} The largest group was the Wesleyan Methodist Church, but there were a number of others that joined together to form the Methodist Church of South Africa, later known as the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.^[148]

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa is the largest mainline Protestant denomination in South Africa—7.3 percent of the South African population recorded their religious affiliation as 'Methodist' in the last national census.^[149]

Asia[edit]

China[edit]

Methodism was brought to China in the autumn of 1847 by the Methodist Episcopal Church. The first missionaries sent out were Judson Dwight Collins and Moses Clark White, who sailed from Boston 15 April 1847, and reached Foochow 6 September. They were followed by Henry Hickok and Robert Samuel Maclay, who arrived 15 April 1848. In 1857 it baptised the first convert in connection with its labours. In August 1856, a brick built church, called the 'Church of the True God' (真神堂), the first substantial church building erected at Foochow by Protestant Missions, was dedicated to the worship of God. In the winter of the same year another brick built church, located on the hill in the suburbs on the south bank of the Min, was finished and dedicated, called the 'Church of Heavenly Peace' (天安堂). In 1862, the number of members was 87. The Foochow Conference was organised by Isaac W. Wiley on 6 December 1867, by which time the number of members and probationers had reached 2,011.

Rev. Hok Chau 周學 (also known as Lai-Tong Chau, 周勵堂) was the first Chinese ordained minister of the South China District of the Methodist Church (incumbent 1877–1916). Benjamin Hobson (1816–1873), a medical missionary sent by the London Missionary Society in 1839, set up a highly successful Wai Ai Clinic (惠愛醫館)^[150][151]Liang Fa (Leung Fat in Cantonese, 梁發, 1789–1855, ordained by the London Missionary Society), Hok Chau and others worked there. Rev. Liang (age 63) baptized Chau (quite young) in 1852. The Methodist Church based in Britain sent missionary George Piercy to China. In 1851, Piercy went to Guangzhou (Canton), where he worked in a trading company. In 1853, he started a church in Guangzhou. In 1877, Chau was ordained by the Methodist Church, where he pastored for 39 years.^[152][153]

In 1867, the mission sent out the first missionaries to Central China, who began work at Kiukiang. In 1869 missionaries were also sent to the capital cityPeking, where they laid the foundations of the work of the North China Mission. In November 1880, the West China Mission was established in Sichuan Province. In 1896 the work in the Hinghua prefecture (modern-day Putian) and surrounding regions was also organized as a Mission Conference.^[154]

In 1947, the Methodist Church in the Republic of China celebrated its centenary. In 1949, however, the Methodist Church moved to Taiwan with the Kuomintang government. On 21 June 1953, Taipei Methodist Church was erected, then local churches and chapels with a baptized membership numbering over 2,500. Various types of educational, medical and social services are provided (including Tunghai University).

In 1972 the Methodist Church in the Republic of China became autonomous and the first bishop was installed in 1986.

India[edit]

Methodism came to India twice, in 1817 and in 1856, according to P. Dayanandan who has done extensive research on the subject.^[155] Thomas Coke and six other missionaries set sail for India on New Year's Day in 1814. Coke, then 66, died en route. Rev. James Lynch was the one who finally arrived in Madras in 1817 at a place called Black Town (Broadway), later known as George Town. Lynch conducted the first Methodist missionary service on 2 March 1817, in a stable.

The first Methodist church was dedicated in 1819 at Royapettah. A chapel at Broadway (Black Town) was later built and dedicated on 25 April 1822.^{[citation needed]} This church was rebuilt in 1844 since the earlier structure was collapsing. At this time there were about 100 Methodist members in all of Madras, and they were either Europeans or Eurasians (European and Indian descent). Among names associated with the founding period of Methodism in India are Elijah Hoole and Thomas Cryer, who came as missionaries to Madras.

In 1857, the Methodist Episcopal Church started its work in India, and with prominent evangelists like William Taylor the Emmanuel Methodist Church, Vepery, was born in 1874. The evangelist James Mills Thoburn established the Thoburn Memorial Church in Calcutta in 1873 and the Calcutta Boys' School in 1877.

In 1947 the Wesleyan Methodist Church in India merged with Presbyterians, Anglicans and other Protestant churches to form the Church of South India while the American Methodist Church remained affiliated as the Methodist Church in Southern Asia (MCSA) to the mother church in USA- the United Methodist Church until 1981, when by an enabling act the Methodist Church in India (MCI) became an autonomous church in India. Today, the Methodist Church in India is governed by the General Conference of the Methodist Church of India headed by six Bishops, with headquarters at Methodist Centre, 21 YMCA Road, Mumbai, India.^[156]

Malaysia and Singapore[edit]

Missionaries from Britain, North America, and Australia founded Methodist churches in many Commonwealth countries. These are now independent and many of them are stronger than the former 'mother' churches. In addition to the churches, these missionaries often also founded schools to serve the local community. A good example of such schools are the Methodist Boys' School in Kuala Lumpur, Methodist Girls' School and Methodist Boys' School in George Town, and Anglo-Chinese School, Methodist Girls' School, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls School and Fairfield Methodist Schools in Singapore.

Philippines[edit]

Methodism in the Philippines began shortly after the United States acquired the Philippines in 1898 as a result the Spanish–American War. On 21 June 1898, after the Battle of Manila Bay but before the Treaty of Paris, executives of the American Mission Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church expressed their desire to join other Protestant denominations in starting mission work in the islands and to enter into a Comity Agreement that would facilitate the establishment of such missions. The first Protestant worship service was conducted on 28 August 1898 by an American military chaplain named Rev. George C. Stull. Rev. Stull was an ordained Methodist minister from the Montana Annual Conference of The Methodist Episcopal Church (later part of the United Methodist Church after 1968).

Methodist and Wesleyan traditions in the Philippines are shared by three of the largest mainline Protestant churches in the country: The United Methodist Church, Iglesia Evangelica Metodista En Las Islas Filipinas ('Evangelical Methodist Church in the Philippine Islands', abbreviated IEMELIF), and The United Church of Christ in the Philippines.^[157] There are also evangelical Protestant churches in the country of the Methodist tradition like the Wesleyan Church of the Philippines, Inc. the Free Methodist Church of the Philippines,^[158] and the Church of the Nazarene.^[159] There are also the IEMELIF Reform Movement (IRM), The Wesleyan (Pilgrim Holiness) Church of the Philippines, the Philippine Bible Methodist Church, Inc., the Pentecostal Free Methodist Church, Inc., the Fundamental Christian Methodist Church, The Reformed Methodist Church, Inc., The Methodist Church of the Living Bread, Inc., and the Wesley Evangelical Methodist Church & Mission, Inc.

There are three Episcopal Areas of the United Methodist Church in the Philippines: the Baguio Episcopal Area,^[160] Davao Episcopal Area^[161] and Manila Episcopal Area.^[162]

A call for autonomy from groups within the United Methodist Church in the Philippines was discussed at several conferences led mostly by episcopal candidates. This led to the establishment of the Ang Iglesia Metodista sa Pilipinas ('The Methodist Church in the Philippines') in 2010,^[163] led by Bishop Lito C. Tangonan, Rev. George Buenaventura, Chita Milan and Atty. Joe Frank E. Zuñiga. The group finally declared full autonomy and legal incorporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission was approved on 7 December 2011 with papers held by present procurators. It now has 126 local churches in Metro Manila, Palawan, Bataan, Zambales, Pangasinan, Bulacan,^[164]Aurora, Nueva Ecija, as well as parts of Pampanga and Cavite. Tangonan was consecrated as the denomination's first Presiding Bishop on 17 March 2012.^[165]

South Korea[edit]

The Korean Methodist Church (KMC) is one of the largest churches in South Korea with around 1.5 million members and 8,306 ministers.^[166] Methodism in Korea grew out of British and American mission work which began in the late 19th century. The first missionary sent out was Robert Samuel Maclay of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who sailed from Japan in 1884 and was given the authority of medical and schooling permission from emperor Gojong.^[167] The Korean church became fully autonomous in 1930, retaining affiliation with Methodist churches in America and later the United Methodist Church.^[166] The church experienced rapid growth in membership throughout most of the 20th century—in spite of the Korean War—before stabilizing in the 1990s.^[166] The KMC is a member of the World Methodist Council and hosted the first Asia Methodist Convention in 2001.^[166]

There are many Korean-language Methodist churches in North America catering to Korean-speaking immigrants, not all of which are named as Methodist.

Americas[edit]

Brazil[edit]

The Methodist Church in Brazil was founded by American missionaries in 1867 after an initial unsuccessful founding in 1835. It has grown steadily since, becoming autonomous in 1930. In the 1970s it ordained its first woman minister. As of 2011, the Brazilian Methodist Church is divided into eight annual conferences with 162,000 members.^[168]

Canada[edit]

The father of Methodism in Canada was William Black (1760–1834) who began preaching in settlements along the Petitcodiac River of New Brunswick in 1781.^[169] A few years afterwards, Methodist Episcopal circuit riders from the U.S. state of New York began to arrive in Canada West at Niagara, and the north shore of Lake Erie in 1786, and at the Kingston region on the northeast shore of Lake Ontario in the early 1790s. At the time the region was part of British North America and became part of Upper Canada after the Constitutional Act of 1791. Upper and Lower Canada were both part of the New York Episcopal Methodist Conference until 1810 when they were transferred to the newly formed Genesee Conference. Reverend Major George Neal began to preach in Niagara in October 1786, and was ordained in 1810 by Bishop Philip Asbury, at the Lyons, New York Methodist Conference. He was Canada's first saddlebag preacher, and travelled from Lake Ontario to Detroit for 50 years preaching the gospel.

The spread of Methodism in the Canadas was seriously disrupted by the War of 1812 but quickly gained lost ground after the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1815. In 1817 the British Wesleyans arrived in the Canadas from the Maritimes but by 1820 had agreed, with the Episcopal Methodists, to confine their work to Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) while the latter would confine themselves to Upper Canada (present-day Ontario). In the summer of 1818, the first place of public worship was erected for the Wesleyan Methodists in York, later Toronto. The chapel for the First Methodist Church was built on the corner of King Street and Jordan Street, the entire cost of the building was $250, an amount that took the congregation three years to raise.^[170] In 1828 Upper Canadian Methodists were permitted by the General Conference in the United States to form an independent Canadian Conference and, in 1833, the Canadian Conference merged with the British Wesleyans to form the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Canada. In 1884, most Canadian Methodists were brought under the umbrella of the Methodist Church, Canada.

During the 19th century, Methodism played a large role in the culture and political affairs of Toronto. The city became known for being very puritanical with strict limits on the sale of alcohol and a rigorous enforcement of the Lord's Day Act.

In 1925, the Methodist Church, Canada and most Presbyterian congregations, then by far the largest Protestant communion in Canada, most Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec congregations, Union Churches in Western Canada, and the American Presbyterian Church in Montreal merged to form the United Church of Canada. In 1968, the Evangelical United Brethren Church's Canadian congregations joined after their American counterparts joined the United Methodist Church.

Mexico[edit]

The Methodist Church came to Mexico in 1872, with the arrival of two Methodist commissioners from the United States to observe the possibilities of evangelistic work in México. In December 1872, Bishop Gilbert Haven arrived to Mexico City, and he was ordered by M. D. William Butler to go to México. Bishop John C. Keener arrived from the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in January 1873.^[171][172]

In 1874, M. D. William Butler established the first Protestant Methodist school of México, in Puebla. The school was founded under the name 'Instituto Metodista Mexicano.' Today the school is called 'Instituto Mexicano Madero.' It is still a Methodist school, and it is one of the most elite, selective, expensive and prestigious private schools in the country,^[173] with two campuses in Puebla State, and one in Oaxaca. A few years later the principal of the school created a Methodist university,^[174] the first and only Protestant university in Mexico.

On 18 January 1885, the first Annual Conference of the United Episcopal Church of México was established.^{[citation needed]}

United States[edit]

Wesley came to believe that the New Testament evidence did not leave the power of ordination to the priesthood in the hands of bishops but that other priests could ordain. In 1784, he ordained preachers for Scotland, England, and America, with power to administer the sacraments (this was a major reason for Methodism's final split from the Church of England after Wesley's death). At that time, Wesley sent Thomas Coke to America. Francis Asbury founded the Methodist Episcopal Church at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784; Coke (already ordained in the Church of England) ordained Asbury deacon, elder, and bishop each on three successive days. Circuit riders, many of whom were laymen, travelled by horseback to preach the gospel and establish churches in many places. One of the most famous circuit riders was Robert Strawbridge who lived in the vicinity of Carroll County, Maryland soon after arriving in the Colonies around 1760.

English Conversations All Occasions Pdf Merger

The First Great Awakening was a religious movement in the 1730s and 1740s, beginning in New Jersey, then spreading to New England, and eventually south into Virginia and North Carolina. The English Methodist preacher George Whitefield played a major role, traveling across the colonies and preaching in a dramatic and emotional style, accepting everyone as his audience.

The new style of sermons and the way people practiced their faith breathed new life into religion in America. People became passionately and emotionally involved in their religion, rather than passively listening to intellectual discourse in a detached manner. People began to study the Bible at home. The effect was akin to the individualistic trends present in Europe during the Protestant Reformation.

The Second Great Awakening was a nationwide wave of revivals, from 1790 to 1840. In New England, the renewed interest in religion inspired a wave of social activism among Yankees; Methodism grew and established several colleges, notably Boston University. In the 'burned over district' of western New York, the spirit of revival burned brightly. Methodism saw the emergence of a Holiness movement. In the west, especially at Cane Ridge, Kentucky and in Tennessee, the revival strengthened the Methodists and the Baptists. Methodism grew rapidly in the Second Great Awakening, becoming the nation's largest denomination by 1820. From 58,000 members in 1790, it reached 258,000 in 1820 and 1,661,000 in 1860, growing by a factor of 28.6 in 70 years, while the total American population grew by a factor of eight.^[176] Other denominations also used revivals, but the Methodists grew fastest of all because 'they combined popular appeal with efficient organization under the command of missionary bishops.'^[177]

Disputes over slavery placed the church in difficulty in the first half of the 19th century, with the northern church leaders fearful of a split with the South, and reluctant to take a stand. The Wesleyan Methodist Connexion (later renamed the Wesleyan Methodist Church) and the Free Methodist Churches were formed by staunch abolitionists, and the Free Methodists were especially active in the Underground Railroad, which helped to free the slaves. In 1968 the Wesleyan Methodist Church and Pilgrim Holiness Church merged to form the Wesleyan Church; a significant amount dissented from this decision resulting in the independence of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and the formation of the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches, both of which fall within the conservative holiness movement.^[178]

In a much larger split, in 1845 at Louisville, the churches of the slaveholding states left the Methodist Episcopal Church and formed The Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The northern and southern branches were reunited in 1939, when slavery was no longer an issue. In this merger also joined the Methodist Protestant Church. Some southerners, conservative in theology, opposed the merger, and formed the Southern Methodist Church in 1940.

The Third Great Awakening from 1858 to 1908 saw enormous growth in Methodist membership, and a proliferation of institutions such as colleges (e.g., Morningside College). Methodists were often involved in the Missionary Awakening and the Social Gospel Movement. The awakening in so many cities in 1858 started the movement, but in the North it was interrupted by the Civil War. In the South, on the other hand, the Civil War stimulated revivals, especially in Lee's army.^{[citation needed]}

In 1914–1917 many Methodist ministers made strong pleas for world peace. President Woodrow Wilson (a Presbyterian), promised 'a war to end all wars,' using language of a future peace that had been a watchword for the postmillennial movement.^[179] In the 1930s many Methodists favored isolationist policies. Thus in 1936, Methodist Bishop James Baker, of the San Francisco Conference, released a poll of ministers showing 56% opposed warfare. However, the Methodist Federation did call for a boycott of Japan, which had invaded China and was disrupting missionary activity there.^[180] In Chicago, 62 local African Methodist Episcopal churches voted their support for the Roosevelt administration's policy, while opposing any plan to send American troops overseas to fight. When war came in 1941, the vast majority of Methodists strongly supported the national war effort, but there were also a few (673)^[181]conscientious objectors.

The United Methodist Church (UMC) was formed in 1968 as a result of a merger between the Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB) and The Methodist Church. The former church had resulted from mergers of several groups of German Methodist heritage, however there was no longer any need or desire to worship in the German language. The latter church was a result of union between the Methodist Protestant Church and the northern and southern factions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The merged church had approximately nine million members as of the late 1990s. While United Methodist Church in America membership has been declining, associated groups in developing countries are growing rapidly.^[182] Prior to the merge that led to the formation of the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Methodist Church entered into a schism with the Methodist Church, citing modernism in its parent body as the reason for the departure in 1946.^[183]

American Methodist churches are generally organized on a connectional model, related, but not identical to that used in Britain. Pastors are assigned to congregations by bishops, distinguishing it from presbyterian government. Methodist denominations typically give lay members representation at regional and national Conferences at which the business of the church is conducted, making it different from most episcopal government. This connectional organizational model differs further from the congregational model, for example of Baptist, and Congregationalist Churches, among others.

In addition to the United Methodist Church, there are over 40 other denominations that descend from John Wesley's Methodist movement. Some, such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Free Methodists and the Wesleyan Church (formerly Wesleyan Methodist), are explicitly Methodist. There are also independent Methodist churches, many of which are affiliated with the Association of Independent Methodists.^[184] Others do not call themselves Methodist, but grew out of the Methodist movement: for example, The Salvation Army and the Church of the Nazarene. Some of the charismatic or Pentecostal churches such as the Pentecostal Holiness Church and the Assemblies of God USA also have roots in or draw from Wesleyan thought.

The Holiness Revival was primarily among people of Methodist persuasion, who felt that the church had once again become apathetic, losing the Wesleyan zeal. Some important events of this revival were the writings of Phoebe Palmer during the mid-1800s, the establishment of the first of many holiness camp meetings at Vineland, New Jersey in 1867, and the founding of Asbury College, (1890), and other similar institutions in the U.S. around the turn of the 20th century.

Oceania[edit]

Australia[edit]

An Australasian General Conference, meeting triennially, for Australasia was established in 1875, with Annual Conferences in each colony (including New Zealand).

Various branches of Methodism in Australia merged during the 20 years from 1881. The Methodist Church of Australasia was formed on 1 January 1902 when five Methodist denominations in Australia – the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodists, the Bible Christian Church, the United Methodist Free and the Methodist New Connexion Churches came together.^[185][186] In polity it largely followed the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The only sizable Methodist group outside this new structure were the Lay Methodists.

In 1945 the Rev. Dr. Kingsley Ridgway offered himself as a Melbourne-based 'field representative' for a possible Australian branch of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of America, after meeting an American serviceman who was a member of that denomination.^[187] The Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia was founded on his work.

The Methodist Church of Australasia merged with the majority of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia in 1977, becoming the Uniting Church. The Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia and some independent congregations chose not to join the union.

From the mid-1980s a number of independent Methodist churches were founded by missionaries and other members from the Methodist Churches of Malaysia and Singapore. Some of these came together to form what is now known as the Chinese Methodist Church in Australia in 1994, electing its first bishop in 2002.

Since the 2000s many independent Methodist churches have been established or grown by Tongan immigrants. Many Pacific Islander immigrants of a Methodist background have also joined Uniting Church congregations.^{[citation needed]}

Wesley Mission in Pitt Street, Sydney, the largest parish in the Uniting Church, remains strongly in the Wesleyan tradition.^[188]

Fiji[edit]

As a result of the early efforts of missionaries, most of the natives of the Fiji Islands were converted to Methodism in the 1840s and 1850s.^[189] Most ethnic Fijians are Methodists today (the others are largely Roman Catholic and further divided into minor denominations such as Baptist, All Nations, Assemblies of God, Christian Mission Fellowship, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Latter Day Saints, Souls to Jesus and a few others), and the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma is an important social force.

New Zealand[edit]

The Methodist Church of New Zealand was the fourth most frequent religious affiliation chosen by those who declared one in the 2006 national census.^[190]

Since the early 1990s, missionaries and Methodist Church members from Malaysia and Singapore established Churches around major centres in New Zealand. These congregations came together to form The Chinese Methodist Church in New Zealand (CMCNZ) in 2003, and constituted as a Provisional Annual Conference to elect its first president in 2018.

Samoan Islands[edit]

In 1868, Piula Theological College was established in Lufilufi on the north coast of Upolu island in Samoa and serves as the main headquarters of the Methodist church in the country.^[191] The college includes the historic Piula Monastery as well as Piula Cave Pool, a natural spring situated beneath the church by the sea. The Methodist Church is the third largest denomination throughout the Samoan Islands, in both Samoa and American Samoa.

Tonga[edit]

Methodism had a particular resonance with the inhabitants of Tonga. As of 2006 somewhat more than a third of Tongans adhered to the Methodist tradition.^[192][193] Methodism is represented on the island by a number of churches including the Free Church of Tonga and the Free Wesleyan Church, which is the largest church in Tonga. The royal family of the country are prominent members, and the late king was a lay preacher.

Ecumenical relations[edit]

Many Methodists have been involved in the ecumenical movement,^[194] which has sought to unite the fractured denominations of Christianity. Because Methodism grew out of the Church of England, a denomination from which neither of the Wesley brothers seceded, some Methodist scholars and historians, such as Rupert E. Davies, have regarded their 'movement' more as a preaching order within wider Christian life than as a church, comparing them with the Franciscans, who formed a religious order within the medieval European church and not a separate denomination.^[195] Certainly, Methodists have been deeply involved in early examples of church union, especially the United Church of Canada and the Church of South India.

Also, a disproportionate number of Methodists take part in inter-faith dialogue. For example, Wesley Ariarajah, a long-serving director of the World Council of Churches' sub-unit on 'Dialogue with People of Living Faiths and Ideologies' is a Methodist.^[196]

In October 1999, an executive committee of the World Methodist Council resolved to explore the possibility of its Member Churches becoming associated with the doctrinal agreement which had been reached by the Catholic Church and Lutheran World Federation (LWF). In May 2006, the International Methodist–Catholic Dialogue Commission completed its most recent report, entitled 'The Grace Given You in Christ: Catholics and Methodists Reflect Further on the Church,' and submitted the text to Methodist and Catholic authorities. In July of the same year, in Seoul, South Korea, the Member Churches of the World Methodist Council (WMC) voted to approve and sign a 'Methodist Statement of Association' with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), the agreement which was reached and officially accepted in 1999 by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation and which proclaimed that:

'Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works... as sinners our new life is solely due to the forgiving and renewing mercy that God imparts as a gift and we receive in faith, and never can merit in any way,' affirming 'fundamental doctrinal agreement' concerning justification between the Catholic Church, the LWF, and the World Methodist Council.^[197]

This is not to say there is perfect agreement between the three denominational traditions; while Catholics and Methodists believe that salvation involves cooperation between God and man, Lutherans believe that God brings about the salvation of individuals without any cooperation on their part.

Commenting on the ongoing dialogues with Catholic Church leaders, Rev. Ken Howcroft, Methodist minister and the Ecumenical Officer for the Methodist Church of Great Britain, noted that 'these conversations have been immensely fruitful.'^[198] Methodists are increasingly recognizing that the 15 centuries prior to the Reformation constitute a shared history with Catholics, and are gaining new appreciation for neglected aspects of the Catholic tradition.^[199] There are, however, important unresolved doctrinal differences separating Roman Catholicism and Methodism, which include 'the nature and validity of the ministry of those who preside at the Eucharist, the precise meaning of the Eucharist as the sacramental 'memorial' of Christ's saving death and resurrection, the particular way in which Christ is present in Holy Communion, and the link between eucharistic communion and ecclesial communion.^[200]

In the 1960s, the Methodist Church of Great Britain made ecumenical overtures to the Church of England, aimed at denominational union. Formally, these failed when they were rejected by the Church of England's General Synod in 1972; conversations and co-operation continued, however, leading in 2003 to the signing of a covenant between the two churches.^[201] From the 1970s onward, the Methodist Church also started several Local Ecumenical Projects (LEPs, later renamed Local Ecumenical Partnerships) with local neighbouring denominations, which involved sharing churches, schools and in some cases ministers. In many towns and villages there are United Churches which are sometimes with Anglican or Baptist churches, but most commonly are Methodist and URC, simply because in terms of belief, practice and churchmanship, many Methodists see themselves as closer to the United Reformed Church than to other denominations such as the Church of England.^{[citation needed]} In the 1990s and early 21st century, the British Methodist Church was involved in the Scottish Church Initiative for Union, seeking greater unity with the established and Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the United Reformed Church in Scotland.^[202]

The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a member of several ecumenical organisations, including the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches, the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, Churches Together in England, Action of Churches Together in Scotland and Cytûn (Wales).

Methodist denominations in the United States have also strengthened ties with other Christian traditions. In April 2005, bishops in the United Methodist Church approved A Proposal for Interim Eucharistic Sharing. This document was the first step toward full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA approved this same document in August 2005.^[203] At the 2008 General Conference, the United Methodist Church approved full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.^[204] The UMC is also in dialogue with the Episcopal Church for full communion by 2012.^[205] The two denominations are working on a document called 'Confessing Our Faith Together.'

See also[edit]

• List of Methodists

Notes[edit]

1. ^As of 2013. This figure is an estimate by the World Methodist Council and includes members of united and uniting churches with Methodist participation. It represents approximately 60 million committed members and a further 20 million adherents.
2. ^ ^abArminianism is named after Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who was trained to preach Calvinism but concluded that some aspects of Calvinism had to be modified in the light of Scripture.^[50] His opposition to some of the teachings of the Belgic Confession was formalized into Five Articles of Remonstrance, published posthumously by his followers in 1610. Arminians as well as Calvinists appeal to various Scriptures and the early Church Fathers to support their respective views, however the differences remain—Arminianism holds to the role free will in salvation and rejects the doctrines of predestination and election.^[51] John Wesley was perhaps the clearest English proponent of Arminian theology.^[52]
3. ^This social analysis is a summary of a wide variety of books on Methodist history, articles in The Methodist Magazine, etc. Most of the Methodist aristocracy were associated with Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, who invited Methodist preachers to gatherings which she hosted. Methodists were leaders among Christians at that time in reaching out to the poorest of the working classes. A number of soldiers were also Methodists.^[9]

References[edit]

1. ^American Methodism. S.S. Scranton & Co. Retrieved 18 October 2007. But the most-noticeable feature of British Methodism is its missionary spirit, and its organized, effective missionary work. It takes the lead of all other denominations in missionary movements. From its origin, Methodism has been characterised for its zeal in propagandism. It has always been missionary.
2. ^'Member Churches'. World Methodist Council. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
3. ^ ^abcStokes, Mack B. (1998). Major United Methodist Beliefs. Abingdon Press. p. 95. ISBN9780687082124.
4. ^ ^abcdefA Catechism for the Use of the People Called Methodists. Peterborough [England]: Methodist Publishing House. 2000. ISBN9781858521824.
5. ^ ^ab'Wesley on Social Holiness'(PDF). The Methodist Church in Britain. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
6. ^Models for Christian Higher Education: Strategies for Survival and Success in the Twenty-First Century. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Retrieved 18 October 2007. Wesleyan institutions, whether hospitals, orphanages, soup kitchens or schools, historically were begun with the spirit to serve all people and to transform society.
7. ^Tucker, Karen B. Westerfield (2001). American Methodist Worship. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN9780198029267.
8. ^A Collection of Hymns, for the use of the people called Methodists. T. Blanshard. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
9. ^J A Clapperton, 'Romance and Heroism in Early Methodism', (1901)
10. ^'What We Believe – Founder of the United Methodist Church'. United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
11. ^An introduction to world Methodism. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
12. ^'Lincoln College, Oxford, Famous Alumni, John Wesley (1703–1791)'. Lincoln College, Oxford University. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
13. ^ ^abFairchild, Mary. 'Methodist Church History: A Brief History of the Methodist Denomination'. About.com:Christianity. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
14. ^'The Holy Club'. The Methodist Church in Britain. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
15. ^Ross, Kathy W.; Stacey, Rosemary. 'John Wesley and Savannah'. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
16. ^John Wesley's Heart Strangely Warmed, www.christianity.com
17. ^Dreyer, Frederick A. (1999). The Genesis of Methodism. Lehigh University Press. p. 27. ISBN0-934223-56-4.
18. ^Burnett, Daniel L. (2006). In the Shadow of Aldersgate: An Introduction to the Heritage and Faith of the Wesleyan Tradition. Wipf and Stock. p. 36. ISBN978-1-59752-573-2.
19. ^ ^abcdefghHylson-Smith, Kenneth (1992). Evangelicals in the Church of England 1734–1984. Bloomsbury. pp. 17–21.
20. ^Richard Bennett, 'Howell Harris and the Dawn of Revival', (1909, Eng. tr. 1962), ISBN1-85049-035-X
21. ^'Methodist Church'. BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
22. ^Stutzman, Paul Fike. Recovering the Love Feast: Broadening Our Eucharistic Celebrations. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 159. ISBN9781498273176. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
23. ^John Wesley, The Works of the Reverend John Wesley, A. M. (1831) 'A short history of Methodism,' II.1. Retrieved on 21 October 2016.
24. ^ ^ab'John Wesley: Methodical pietist'. Christianity Today. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
25. ^'The Wesley Center Online: A Plain Account of Christian Perfection'. wesley.nnu.edu. Northwest Nazarene University. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
26. ^Dallimore. George Whitefield.
27. ^ ^abRobert Glen, 'Methodism, Religious Dissent and Revolution in the English Satiric Prints, 1780–1815,' Consortium on Revolutionary Europe, 1750–1850: Proceedings 19 (1989),173–88
28. ^Charles H. Goodwin, 'Vile or reviled? The causes of the anti-Methodist riots at Wednesbury between May, 1743 and April, 1744 in the light of New England revivalism.' Methodist history 35.1 (1996): 14–28.
29. ^On anti-Methodist literary attacks see Brett C. McInelly, 'Writing the Revival: The Intersections of Methodism and Literature in the Long 18th Century.' Literature Compass 12.1 (2015): 12–21; McInelly, Textual Warfare and the Making of Methodism (Oxford, UP, 2014).
30. ^Prichard, Robert; Prichard, Robert. History of The Episcopal Church (Third Revised Edition).
31. ^Indiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church 'The Christmas Gift: A New Church' [1]
32. ^William J. Abraham (25 August 2016). 'The Birth Pangs of United Methodism as a Unique, Global, Orthodox Denomination'. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
33. ^Davies, Rupert E.; George, A. Raymond; Rupp, Gordon (14 June 2017). A History of the Methodist Church in Great Britain, Volume Three. Wipf & Stock Publishers. p. 225. ISBN9781532630507.
34. ^Gibson, James. 'Wesleyan Heritage Series: Entire Sanctification'. South Georgia Confessing Association. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
35. ^John Cannon and Robert Crowcroft, eds. (2015). The Oxford Companion to British History. Oxford UP. p. 1040. ISBN9780191044816.CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
36. ^Kathryn A. Broyles, 'Mothering, catechesis, and ecclesial leadership: The women of early Methodism and their call to witness to the gospel of Christ.' Methodist History 46.3 (2008): 141–156.
37. ^'A historical perspective on Methodist involvement in school education after Wesley'(PDF). The Methodist Church in Britain. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
38. ^Pritchard, Frank Cyril (1949) Methodist Secondary Education: A History of the Contribution of Methodism to Secondary Education in the United Kingdom. Epworth.
39. ^Vickers, Jason (1 November 2016). A Wesleyan Theology of the Eucharist: The Presence of God for Christian Life and Ministry. BookBaby. p. 350. ISBN9780938162513. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
40. ^Melton, J. Gordon (1 January 2005). Encyclopedia of Protestantism. Infobase Publishing. p. 48. ISBN9780816069835. Among the items deleted by Wesley as unnecessary for Methodists were articles on of Works Before Justification, which in Calvinism are largely discounted, but in Methodism lauded; Of Predestination and Election, which Wesley felt would be understood in a Calvinist manner that the Methodists rejected; and of the Traditions of the Church, which Wesley felt to be no longer at issue.
41. ^'Why do we say creeds?'. The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
42. ^Communications, United Methodist. 'The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church'. United Methodist Communications. The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
43. ^'Methodism History, Beliefs, & Organization'. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
44. ^Tillett, Wilbur Fisk (1907). A Statement of the Faith of World-wide Methodism. Publishing House of the M.E. Church, South. p. 12. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
45. ^See Mark 12:31
46. ^Communications, United Methodist. 'Our Wesleyan Heritage'. The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
47. ^Preface to The Methodist Hymn Book, December 1933
48. ^John Wesley's 'Preface to A collection of Hymns for use of the People called Methodists, 20 October 1779
49. ^Roger E. Olson (2009). Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities. InterVarsity Press. p. 33.
50. ^Edgar Parkyns, 'His Waiting Bride', (1996), pp 169–170, ISBN0-9526800-0-9
51. ^Ashby, Stephen 'Reformed Arminianism' Four Views on Eternal Security (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 137
52. ^John Wesley, Sermons on Several Occasions for further detail.
53. ^Olson, Roger E. (6 September 2002). The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity. InterVarsity Press. p. 281. ISBN9780830826957. Two examples of Christian synergism are the Catholic reformer Erasmus, who was roughly contemporary with Luther, and the 17th-century Dutch theologian Arminius. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist tradition, was also a synergist with regard to salvation.
54. ^Olson, Roger E. (6 September 2002). The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity. InterVarsity Press. p. 281. ISBN9780830826957. About one hundred and twenty-five years later, the English revivalist and Methodist founder Wesley taught the same basic syneristic view of salvation based on belief in God's prevenient grace enabling fallen sinners to respond freely to God's offer of saving grace.
55. ^Gwyn Davies, 'A Light in the Land', (2002), p. 46, ISBN1-85049-181-X
56. ^J. Steven Harper, 'The Way to Heaven: The Gospel According to John Wesley', (1983), ISBN0-310-25260-1
57. ^Joyner, F. Belton (2007). United Methodist Answers. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 80. ISBN9780664230395. Jacob Albright, founder of the movement that led to the Evangelical Church flow in The United Methodist Church, got into trouble with some of his Lutheran, Reformed, and Mennonite neighbors because he insisted that salvation not only involved ritual but meant a change of heart, a different way of living.
58. ^ ^abSawyer, M. James (11 April 2016). The Survivor's Guide to Theology. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 363. ISBN9781498294058.
59. ^ ^abKnight III, Henry H. (9 July 2013). 'Wesley on Faith and Good Works'. AFTE. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
60. ^Tennent, Timothy (9 July 2011). 'Means of Grace: Why I am a Methodist and an Evangelical'. Asbury Theological Seminary. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
61. ^Campbell, Ted A. (1 October 2011). Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials, 2nd Edition. Abingdon Press. pp. 40, 68–69. ISBN9781426753473.
62. ^Kennedy, David J. (22 April 2016). Eucharistic Sacramentality in an Ecumenical Context: The Anglican Epiclesis. Routledge. p. 75. ISBN9781317140115. Retrieved 16 March 2017. Evangelical Anglicans in the main did not follow the sacramental emphasis of the Wesleys but tended to be Cranmerian in their eucharistic theology, rejecting any notion of an objective presence of Christ in the elements.
63. ^Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). 'Methodism' . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
64. ^A Catechism for the use of people called Methodists. Peterborough, England: Methodist Publishing House. 2000. p. 26. ISBN9781858521824.
65. ^'This Holy Mystery'. The United Methodist Church. 2004. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
66. ^'Means of Grace'(PDF). Methodist Church in Ireland. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
67. ^John Wesley, Standard Sermons (1871) 'Sermon 16-The Means of Grace,' II.1. Retrieved on 20 October 2016.
68. ^Phillips, L. Edward (2014). 'The Holy Communion as a Means of Grace and the Question of On-line Communion'(PDF). UMC General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
69. ^Rodes, Stanley J. (25 September 2014). From Faith to Faith: John Wesley’s Covenant Theology and the Way of Salvation. James Clarke & Co. ISBN9780227902202.
70. ^'Wesleyan Quadrilateral, the'. Glossary. United Methodist Church. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
71. ^Dawes, Stephen B. 'The Spirituality of 'Scriptural Holiness''(PDF). The European Methodist Theological Commission. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
72. ^ ^abFirth, Richard. 'Methodist Worship'(PDF). University of Birmingham. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
73. ^Tovey, Phillip (24 February 2016). The Theory and Practice of Extended Communion. Routledge. pp. 40–49. ISBN9781317014201.
74. ^Coe, Bufford W. (1996). John Wesley and Marriage. Lehigh University Press. p. 11. ISBN9780934223393.
75. ^White, with an introduction by James F. (1984). John Wesley's Sunday service of the Methodists in North America. Nashville: Quarterly Review. ISBN978-0687406326.
76. ^'Methodist Publishing: Resources Catalogue'(PDF). Methodist Publishing. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
77. ^Dresser, Thomas (4 May 2015). Martha's Vineyard: A History. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 57. ISBN9781625849045.
78. ^Durand, E. Dana (1910). Religious Bodies: 1906. Government Printing Office. p. 484. access-date= requires url= (help)
79. ^Chilcote, Paul W.; Warner, Laceye C. (13 February 2008). The Study of Evangelism: Exploring a Missional Practice of the Church. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 206. ISBN9780802803917.
80. ^ ^abLyerly, Cynthia Lynn (24 September 1998). Methodism and the Southern Mind, 1770–1810. Oxford University Press. p. 39. ISBN9780195354249. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
81. ^Journals of Wesley, Nehemiah Curnock, ed., London: Epworth Press 1938, p. 468.
82. ^Wesley, John (1999). 'The Wesley Center Online: Sermon 88 – On Dress'. Wesley Center for Applied Theology. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
83. ^The Discipline of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection, of America. Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. 1858. p. 85. access-date= requires url= (help)
84. ^Cartwright, Peter (1857). Autobiography of Peter Cartwright: The Backwoods Preacher. Carlton & Porter. p. 74. access-date= requires url= (help)
85. ^Jones, Scott J. (2002). United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center. Abingdon Press. p. 235. ISBN9780687034857.
86. ^'I. The Church'. Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. Should we insist on plain and modest dress? Certainly. We should not on any account spend what the Lord has put into our hands as stewards, to be used for His glory, in expensive wearing apparel, when thousands are suffering for food and raiment, and millions are perishing for the Word of life. Let the dress of every member of every Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Church be plain and modest. Let the strictest carefulness and economy be used in these respects.
87. ^'Discipline of the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches'(PDF). 2014. pp. 33–34. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
88. ^Tucker, Karen B. Westerfield (27 April 2011). American Methodist Worship. Oxford University Press. p. 46. ISBN9780199774159.
89. ^Abraham, William J.; Kirby, James E. (24 September 2009). The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 253. ISBN9780191607431.
90. ^Cracknell and White (2005), p. 'i' (frontmatter)
91. ^'Korean Methodist Church'. World Council of Churches. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
92. ^'Who We Are'. worldmethodistcouncil.org. World Methodist Council. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
93. ^'Central and Southern Europe'. www.umc-europe.org. United Methodist Church Europe UMC / Evangelisch-Methodistische Kirche Europa. Retrieved 20 January 2017. The United Methodist Church in Central and Southern Europe consists of about 33'500 members and friends living in 16 countries.
94. ^ ^ab'3.7.1 Statistical Reports, details'(Word doc.). The United Methodist Church – Northern Europe & Eurasia. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
95. ^ ^abc'Statistische Zahlen'. Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche (in German). Retrieved 20 January 2017.
96. ^'Deed of Union'(PDF). The Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church. The Methodist Church in Britain. Archived from the original(PDF) on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
97. ^'Methodism in Numbers – Statistics at a Glance'(PDF). methodist.org.uk. The Methodist Conference. July 2015. Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
98. ^H. B. Workman (2012). Methodism. Cambridge UP. p. 97.
99. ^Glen O'Brien; Hilary M. Carey (2016). Methodism in Australia: A History. Routledge. p. 62.
100. ^S. J. D. Green, Religion in the Age of Decline: Organisation and Experience in Industrial Yorkshire, 1870–1920 (1996)
101. ^Charles Yrigoyen Jr (2010). T&T Clark Companion to Methodism. A&C Black. p. 502.
102. ^Phil Carradice. 'The temperance movement in Wales'. BBC. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
103. ^ ^ab'Alcohol'. Views of the Church. The Methodist Church in Britain. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
104. ^'Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches'. Thewru.com. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
105. ^'Welcome to IMCGB – Home page'. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
106. ^'John Wesley in Ireland'. Irish History Links. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
107. ^'Going beyond the church buildings and into the community'. The Irish Times. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
108. ^'Census 2011: Key Statistics for Northern Ireland'(PDF). nisra.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
109. ^Taggart, Norman W. (2004). 'Conflict, controversy and co-operation'. Columba Press. p. 133. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
110. ^'Opera per le Chiese Metodiste in Italia'. Evangelical Methodist Church in Italy. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
111. ^ ^ab'La diaspora Valdese' (in Italian). Chiesa Evangelica Valdese. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
112. ^'Italian fact sheet'(Microsoft Word document). The Methodist Church in Britain. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
113. ^'METHODISTS BUY ROME SITE; Will Build a College in Connection with Mission Work'(PDF). The New York Times. 26 January 1914.
114. ^'World Methodist Council opens new ecumenical office in Rome'. en.radiovaticana.va. Vatican Radio. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
115. ^'About the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome'. Methodist Church in Britain. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
116. ^ ^abHassing, Arne (1991). Religion og makt : metodismen i norsk historie (in Norwegian). Trondheim: Tapir. pp. 35, 56. ISBN82-519-0954-6. ISSN0333-029X.
117. ^'Methodist influences in 19th century in France'. Virtual Museum of Protestantism. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
118. ^ ^ab'France'. www.umc-europe.org. United Methodist Church Europe UMC / Evangelisch-Methodistische Kirche Europa. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
119. ^'France – General Board of Global Ministries'. www.umcmission.org. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
120. ^'History of The United Methodist Church in Europe – The United Methodist Church'. United Methodist Communications.
121. ^'The EMF in Hungary' (in German). United Methodist Church Europe UMC / Evangelisch-Methodistische Kirche Europa. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
122. ^Church site in Hungarian: Retrieved 18 September 2011.
123. ^John Wesley Theological College site: Retrieved 26 March 2012.
124. ^Fellowship site: [2]. College site: 'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link). Both in Hungarian. Retrieved 18 September 2011. 'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2012.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
125. ^Die Welt, 21 March 2012: Retrieved 26 March 2012.
126. ^Opinion on Act CCVI/2011: Retrieved 26 March 2012.Archived 17 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
127. ^Hungarian Salvation Army site: Retrieved 18 September 2011.
128. ^Wesley Kiadó site in Hungarian: Retrieved 26 March 2012.
129. ^ ^abcde'Centennial of Methodism in Russia observed'. United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
130. ^'Develop United Methodist Center in St. Petersburg'. United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
131. ^'Soviets OK New Religious Freedoms'. deseretnews. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
132. ^ ^abcdefBlackman, Francis 'Woodie' John Wesley 300: Pioneers, Preachers and Practitioners (Barbados: Dalkeith Methodist Church, 2003, 89 pp, ISBN976-8080-61-2)
133. ^ ^abcd'Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas'. oikoumene.org. World Council of Churches. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
134. ^'Baxter Memorial'. methodistchurchantigua.org. Methodist Church of Antigua & Barbuda. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
135. ^Blackman, Francis, National heroine of Barbados: Sarah Ann Gill (Barbados: Methodist Church, 1998, 27 pp)
136. ^Clarke, S., Black History Month: Augustus Rawle Parkinson , Nation News (Barbados), 24 February 2014, accessed 17 June 2016
137. ^Blackman, Francis, Methodism: 200 Years in British Virgin Islands (British Virgin Islands: Methodist Church, 1989, 151 pp, ISBN976-8001-36-4)
138. ^Blackman, Francis, Methodism, 200 years in Barbados (Barbados: Caribbean Contact, 1988, 160 pp)
139. ^ ^abc'Methodist Church Nigeria'. World Council of Churches. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
140. ^'Life Coalition International – Jesus Is The Standard'. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
141. ^ ^ab'Methodist Church Ghana'. oikoumene.org. World Council of Churches. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
142. ^F.L.Bartels. The Roots of Ghana Methodism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965, pp. 12–18.
143. ^Millard-Jackson, J 'Who called the tune? Methodist Missionary policy in South Africa during the 19th century' in Forster, D and Bentley, W. Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008:31).
144. ^Forster, D. 'God's mission in our context, healing and transforming responses' in Forster, D and Bentley, W. Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008:79–80)
145. ^Millard-Jackson, J 'Who called the tune? Methodist Missionary policy in South Africa during the 19th century' in Forster, D and Bentley, W. Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008:34–37)
146. ^Forster, D. 'God's mission in our context, healing and transforming responses' in Forster, D and Bentley, W. Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008:80)
147. ^Grassow, P. 'William Shaw' in Forster, D and Bentley, W. Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008:13–25)
148. ^'Official website of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa'. Methodist.org.za. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
149. ^For a discussion of Church membership statistics in South Africa please refer to Forster, D. 'God's mission in our context, healing and transforming responses' in Forster, D. and Bentley, W. Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008:97–98)
150. ^'回眸：当年传教士进羊城-MW悦读室之岭南话廊-凤凰网博客'. Blog.ifeng.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
151. ^'合信的《全体新论》与广东士林-《广东史志》1999年01期-中国知网'. Mall.cnki.net. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
152. ^Rebecca Chan Chung, Deborah Chung and Cecilia Ng Wong, 'Piloted to Serve', 2012
153. ^'Piloted to Serve'. Facebook. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
154. ^Stephen Livingstone Baldwin, Foreign Missions of the Protestant Churches, 1900
155. ^'In commemoration of John Wesley'. The Hindu. Chennai, India. 29 October 2004.
156. ^'The Methodist Church in India: Bangalore Episcopal Area'. Gbgm-umc.org. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
157. ^'uccp.ph'. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
158. ^[3]Archived 11 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
159. ^'Philippines Church of the Nazarene – Mabuhay!'. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
160. ^[4]Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
161. ^[5]Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
162. ^'Manila Episcopal Area'. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
163. ^'AIM Pilipinas Website'. AIM Pilipinas. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
164. ^'Philippine Methodist'. AIM Pilipinas. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
165. ^'AIM Pilipinas Blogsite'. AIM Pilipinas. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
166. ^ ^abcd'Korean Methodist Church'. oikoumene.org. World Council of Churches. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
167. ^Kim, Sebastian C. H.; Kim, Kirsteen. A History of Korean Christianity. Cambridge University Press. p. 100. ISBN9781316123140.
168. ^Yrigoyen, Charles; Warrick, Susan E. (2013). Historical Dictionary of Methodism. Scarecrow Press. p. 219. ISBN9780810878945.
169. ^G. S. French, 'William black'Dictionary of Canadian Biography
170. ^Peppiatt, Liam. 'Chapter 48: The First Methodist Church'. Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto Revisited.
171. ^John Wesley Butler, History of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Mexico (Theclassics Us, 2013).
172. ^Karl M. Schmitt, 'American Protestant Missionaries and the Diaz Regime in Mexico: 1876–1911.' Journal of Church & State 25 (1983): 253.
173. ^'Instituto Mexicano Madero Plantel Centro'. Imm.edu.mx. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
174. ^'Universidad Madero de Puebla'. Umad.edu.mx. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
175. ^Data from Edwin Scott Gaustad, Historical Atlas of Religion in America (2nd ed. 1976) pp 4,4
176. ^U.S. Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States: From: the Colonial Times to the Present (1976) pp 8, 392
177. ^Bratt, James D. (2006). Antirevivalism in Antebellum America: A Collection of Religious Voices. Rutgers UP. p. 15.
178. ^Lewis, James R. (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books, Publishers. p. 356. ISBN9781615927388. The Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee, the Bible Holiness Church, and the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches were formed as a result of the opposition to the merger of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness Church into the Wesleyan Church (1968).
179. ^Jewett, Robert; Wangerin, Ole (2008). Mission and menace: four centuries of American religious zeal. Fortress Press. p. 213.
180. ^[Meyer 200, 354]
181. ^Methodist World Peace Commission administered Civilian Public Service units at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina and Cherokee State (Psychiatric) Hospital in Cherokee, Iowa (list of CPS Camps).
182. ^'World Growth of the United Methodist Church in Comparative Perspective: A Brief Statistical Analysis – Robert'. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
183. ^Garrett, James Leo; Hinson, E. Glenn; Tull, James E. (1983). Are Southern Baptists 'Evangelicals'?. Mercer University Press. p. 47. ISBN9780865540330.
184. ^Crespino, Joseph (2007). In Search of Another Country: Mississippi and the Conservative Counterrevolution. Princeton University Press. p. 169. ISBN9780691122090. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
185. ^'METHODIST CHURCH OF AUSTRALASIA'. The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 1 January 1902. p. 5. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
186. ^Humphreys, Robert; Rowland Ward (1986). Religious Bodies in Australia. Melbourne: Robert Humphreys and Rowland Ward. p. 45. ISBN1-86252-709-1.
187. ^O'Brien, Glen (1996). Kingsley Ridgway: Pioneer with a Passion. Melbourne: Wesleyan Methodist Church.
188. ^Humphreys, Robert; Rowland Ward (1986). Religious Bodies in Australia. Melbourne: Robert Humphreys and Rowland Ward. p. 47. ISBN1-86252-709-1.
189. ^World Council of Churches, Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma. Archived 8 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
190. ^'Table 25 in 2006 Census Data > QuickStats About Culture and Identity – Tables'. Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
191. ^Fairbairn-Dunlop, Peggy (2003). Samoan women: widening choices. University of the South Pacific. p. 127. ISBN982-02-0360-0. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
192. ^(cf. Ernst, Manfred/ Winds of Change. Suva: PCC, 1994, p. 146)
193. ^'government census of 2006 SPC – Tonga religion facts'. Spc.int. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
194. ^Abraham, William J.; Kirby, James E. (2009). The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 394. ISBN9780191607431.
195. ^Davies, Rupert E. (1985). Methodism (2nd rev. ed.). London: Epworth Press. ISBN0-7162-0280-8.
196. ^Wesley Ariarajah. 'S. Wesley Ariarajah'. Drew University. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
197. ^'Methodist Association with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification'. Vatican.va. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
198. ^'Vatican Radio, 2012, Methodist Viewpoint on Ecumenical Dialogue'. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
199. ^Rev. Donald Bolan, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, 'Catholic-Methodist relations: Working for a 'joint living out of the GospelArchived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine' 2007.
200. ^'Joint Commission for Dialogue Between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council, 2006, 'The Grace Given You in Christ: Catholics and Methodists Reflect Further on the Church'. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
201. ^'Anglican-Methodist Covenant'. Anglican-methodist.org.uk. 1 November 2003. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
202. ^The Methodist Church in Britain The Scottish Church Initiative For Union (SCIFU). Methodist.org.uk. Retrieved on 11 December 2011. Archived 18 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
203. ^'Lutheran—United Methodist Dialogue'. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2007.
204. ^'Methodists yes to full communion with Lutherans; no on gay change'. Ecumenical News International. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2007.
205. ^'Council approves interim pacts with Episcopalians, Lutherans'. The United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2007.

Further reading[edit]

• Abraham, William J. and James E. Kirby, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies (2009). 780pp; historiography; excerpt

World[edit]

• Copplestone, J. Tremayne. History of Methodist Missions, vol. 4: Twentieth-Century Perspectives (1973), 1288 pp; comprehensive world coverage for US Methodist missions – online
• Cracknell, Kenneth and White, Susan J. (2005) An Introduction to World Methodism, Cambridge University Press, ISBN0-521-81849-4.
• Forster, DA and Bentley, W (eds.) (2008)What are we thinking? Reflections on Church and Society from Southern African Methodists. Methodist Publishing House, Cape Town. ISBN978-1-919883-52-6
• Forster, DA and Bentley, W (eds.) (2008) Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission AcadSA Publishers, Kempton Park. ISBN978-1-920212-29-2
• Harmon, Nolan B. (ed.) (2 vol. 1974) The Encyclopedia of World Methodism, Nashville: Abingdon Press, ISBN0-687-11784-4. 2640pp
• Heitzenrater, Richard P. (1994) Wesley and the People Called Methodists, Nashville: Abingdon Press, ISBN0-687-01682-7
• Hempton, David (2005) Methodism: Empire of the Spirit, Yale University Press, ISBN0-300-10614-9
• Wilson, Kenneth. Methodist Theology. London, T & T Clark International, 2011 (Doing Theology).
• Yrigoyen Jr, Charles, and Susan E. Warrick. Historical dictionary of Methodism (2nd ed. Scarecrow Press, 2013)

Great Britain[edit]

• Borgen, Ole E. John Wesley on the Sacraments: a Theological Study. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Francis Asbury Press, 1985, cop. 1972. 307 p. ISBN0-310-75191-8
• Brooks, Alan (2010) West End Methodism: The Story of Hinde Street, London: Northway Publications, 400pp.
• Dowson, Jean and Hutchinson, John (2003) John Wesley: His Life, Times and Legacy [CD-ROM], Methodist Publishing House, TB214
• Edwards, Maldwyn. Methodism and England: A study of Methodism in its social and political aspects during the period 1850–1932 (1944)
• Halevy, Elie, and Bernard Semmel. The Birth of Methodism in England (1971)
• Hempton, David (1984) Methodism and Politics in British Society, 1750–1850, Stanford University Press, ISBN0-8047-1269-7
• Jones, David Ceri et al. The Elect Methodists: Calvinistic Methodism in England and Wales, 1735–1811 (2012)
• Kent, John (2002) Wesley and the Wesleyans, Cambridge University Press, ISBN0-521-45532-4
• Madden, Lionel. Methodism in Wales: A Short History of the Wesley Tradition (2003)
• Stigant, P. 'Wesleyan Methodism and working-class radicalism in the north, 1792–1821.' Northern History (1971) 6#1 pp: 98–116.
• Thompson, Edward Palmer. The making of the English working class (1963) a famous classic stressing the role of Methodism.
• Turner, John Munsey. John Wesley: The Evangelical Revival and the Rise of Methodism in England (2003)
• Turner, John M. Modern Methodism in England, 1932–1996 (1997)
• Warner, Wellman J. (1930) The Wesleyan Movement in the Industrial Revolution, London: Longmans, Green.

African Americans[edit]

• Campbell, James T. (1995) Songs of Zion: The African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States and South Africa, Oxford University Press, ISBN0-19-507892-6
• George, Carol V.R. (1973) Segregated Sabbaths: Richard Allen and the Rise of Independent Black Churches, 1760–1840, New York: Oxford University Press, LCCN 73076908
• Montgomery, William G. (1993) Under Their Own Vine and Fig Tree: The African-American Church in the South, 1865–1900, Louisiana State University Press, ISBN0-8071-1745-5
• Walker, Clarence E. (1982) A Rock in a Weary Land: The African Methodist Episcopal Church During the Civil War and Reconstruction, Louisiana State University Press, ISBN0-8071-0883-9
• Wills, David W. and Newman, Richard (eds.) (1982) Black Apostles at Home and Abroad: Afro-American and the Christian Mission from the Revolution to Reconstruction, Boston, MA: G. K. Hall, ISBN0-8161-8482-8

US and Canada[edit]

• Cameron, Richard M. (ed.) (1961) Methodism and Society in Historical Perspective, 4 vol., New York: Abingdon Press
• Lyerly, Cynthia Lynn (1998) Methodism and the Southern Mind, 1770–1810, Religion in America Series, Oxford University Press, ISBN0-19-511429-9
• Meyer, Donald (1988) The Protestant Search for Political Realism, 1919–1941, Wesleyan University Press, ISBN0-8195-5203-8
• Rawlyk, G.A. (1994) The Canada Fire: Radical Evangelicalism in British North America, 1775–1812, Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, ISBN0-7735-1221-7
• Schmidt, Jean Miller (1999) Grace Sufficient: A History of Women in American Methodism, 1760–1939, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press ISBN0-687-15675-0
• Semple, Neil (1996) The Lord's Dominion: The History of Canadian Methodism, Buffalo: McGill-Queen's University Press, ISBN0-7735-1367-1
• Sweet, William Warren (1954) Methodism in American History, Revision of 1953, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 472 p.
• Wigger, John H. (1998) Taking Heaven by Storm: Methodism and the Rise of Popular Christianity in America, Oxford University Press, ISBN0-19-510452-8 – pp. ix & 269 focus on 1770–1910

Primary sources[edit]

• Richey, Russell E., Rowe, Kenneth E. and Schmidt, Jean Miller (eds.) (2000) The Methodist Experience in America: a sourcebook, Nashville: Abingdon Press, ISBN978-0-687-24673-1. 756 p. of original documents
• Sweet, William Warren (ed.) (1946) Religion on the American Frontier: Vol. 4, The Methodists,1783–1840: A Collection of Source Materials, New York: H. Holt & Co., – 800 p. of documents regarding the American frontier
• The Archive of the Methodist Missionary Society is held at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. http://www.soas.ac.uk/library/archives/

External links[edit]

• World Methodist Council (Official Website)