The Sermons of Charles Wesley

The Sermons of Charles Wesley
Author: Charles Wesley
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2001
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0198269498

Charles Wesley (1707-1788) is widely recognized as one of the greatest writers of the English hymn. The importance of Charles, however, extends well beyond his undoubted poetic abilities, for he is a figure of central importance in the context of the birth and early growth of Methodism, amovement which today has a worldwide presence. It was Charles and not John who first started the Oxford 'Holy Club' from which the ethos and structures of organised Methodism were eventually to emerge. It was Charles rather than John who first experienced the 'strange warming of the heart' thatcharacterised the experience of many eighteenth-century evangelicals; and in the early years it was Charles no less than John who sought to spread, mainly through his preaching, the evangelical message across England, Wales, and Ireland. Eye witness testimony suggests that Charles was a powerfuland effective preacher whose homiletic work and skill did much to establish and further the early Methodist cause.In this book this other side of Charles Wesley is brought clearly into focus through the publication, for the first time, of all of the known Charles Wesley sermon texts. In the four substantial introductory chapters a case is made for the inclusion of the 23 sermons here presented and there isdiscussion also of the significant text-critical problems that have been negotiated in the production of this volume. Other chapters present a summary of Charles's life and preaching career and seek to show by example how the sermons, no less than the hymns, are significant vehicles for thetransmission of Charles's message. This book hence makes a plea for a reassessment of the place of Charles Wesley in English Church history and argues that he deserves to be recognised as more than just 'The Sweet Singer of Methodism'.

A Protestant Purgatory

A Protestant Purgatory
Author: Laurie Throness
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2016-12-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1351961993

How did the penitentiary get its name? Why did the English impose long prison sentences? Did class and economic conflict really lie at the heart of their correctional system? In a groundbreaking study that challenges the assumptions of modern criminal justice scholarship, Laurie Throness answers many questions like these by exposing the deep theological roots of the judicial institutions of eighteenth-century Britain. The book offers a scholarly account of the passage of the Penitentiary Act of 1779, combining meticulous attention to detail with a sweeping theological overview of the century prior to the Act. But it is not just an intellectual history. It tells a fascinating story of a broader religious movement, and the people and beliefs that motivated them to create a new institution. The work is original because it relies so completely on original sources. It is mystical because it mingles heavenly with earthly justice. It is authoritative because of its explanatory power. Its anecdotes and insights, poetry and song, provide intriguing glimpses into another era strangely familiar to our own. Of special interest to social and legal historians, criminologists, and theologians, this work will also appeal to a wider audience of those who are interested in Christianity's impact on Western culture and institutions.

The Journal Letters and Related Biographical Items of the Reverend Charles Wesley, M.A.

The Journal Letters and Related Biographical Items of the Reverend Charles Wesley, M.A.
Author: Prof. Richard P. Heitzenrater
Publisher: Kingswood Books
Total Pages: 493
Release: 2018-03-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1501854976

As a primary record of one of the founders of the Wesleyan/Methodist movement, Charles Wesley’s Journal is crucial to an understanding of the beginnings of that movement. It is an indispensable interpretive companion to John Wesley’s Journal, diaries, and letters. Since it provides important background to the context of Charles Wesley’s own lyrical theology expressed in sacred poetry, it is likewise absolutely essential for anyone who wants to understand the context out of which Wesleyan theology, worship, spirituality, hymnody, and conferencing emerged. For a church or movement which avers that “it sings its theology,” Charles Wesley’s Journal is an imperative. This volume is part of a series dedicated to providing a complete and accurate published collection of Charles Wesley manuscript items beyond his sermons and verse. The various items included in the series constitute crucial primary texts for study of Wesley’s life, his ministry, and his increasingly contentious position within Methodism in his later years. The first two volumes of the series were devoted to Charles Wesley’s Manuscript Journal, a single bound item held at the Methodist Archives and Research Centre. The present volume gathers a number of scattered items (the majority also held at MARC), many of which are earlier—and more complete—drafts of material in the Manuscript Journal. The third major component of the series is publication of all of Charles Wesley’s surviving personal correspondence, which are replete with material of biographical and larger historical interest.