John Wesley

John Wesley
Author: John Wesley
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 532
Release: 1964
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780195028102

A major figure in eighteenth-century Christianity, John Wesley sought to combine the essential elements of the Catholic and Evangelical traditions and to restore to the laity a vital role in church life. He began one of the most dynamic movements in the history of modern Protestantism, a movement which eventually produced the Methodist churches. This volume offers a representative selection of theological writings by Wesley and includes historically oriented introductions and footnotes which indicate Wesley's Anglican, patristic, and biblical sources.

Calvin vs. Wesley

Calvin vs. Wesley
Author: Dr. Don Thorsen
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2013-10-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1426775067

Congregations are made up of people with all sorts of theologies. Pastor Mike Slaughter even says that these can stand in the way of the church’s mission of social and personal holiness. But most people do not adopt a theology on purpose, mostly they merely breathe in the prevailing cultural air. The theology "de jour" seems to be Calvinist, with its emphasis on “the elect” and “other worldly salvation.” In fact, there is so much Calvinism saturating the culture, that some do not even know there is an alternative way of thinking about their faith. They don’t know where to go to find a viable option; they don’t even know the key words to search Google. So people are left thinking like Calvinists but living with a desire to change the world, offering grace and hope to hurting people in mission and ministry—loving the least, the last, and the lost. In other words, they are living like Wesleyans. This book shows what Calvinist and Wesleyans actually believe about human responsibility, salvation, the universality of God’s grace, holy living through service, and the benefits of small group accountability--and how that connects to how people can live. Calvinists and Wesleyans are different, and by knowing the difference, people will not only see the other benefits of Wesleyan theology but will be inspired to learn more. By knowing who they are as faithful people of God, they will be motivated to reach out in mission with renewed vigor. And they won’t be obstacles to grace and holiness, but they can be better disciples and advocates for Christ through service in this world.

John Wesley's Pneumatology

John Wesley's Pneumatology
Author: Joseph W. Cunningham
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 159
Release: 2016-05-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317110439

Perceptible inspiration, a term used by John Wesley to describe the complicated relationship between Holy Spirit, religious knowledge, and the nature of spiritual being, is not unlike the term 'Methodist' which was also coined by critics of Methodism during the eighteenth century in Britain. John Wesley's adversaries, especially the pseudonymous John Smith with whom Wesley exchanged letters for a period of three years, frequently challenged the plausibility of direct spiritual sensation, which Wesley defended. What does Wesley mean by perceptible inspiration? What does the teaching reveal about the nature and existence of God in Wesley's thinking? What does it suggest about the spiritual nature of humankind? In John Wesley's Pneumatology, it is argued that 'perceptible inspiration' more than a sidebar of Methodist thought, offers a useful model for considering the various features of Wesley's views on the work of the Spirit in relation to human existence, participatory religious knowledge, and moral theology.

John Wesley's View and Use of Scripture

John Wesley's View and Use of Scripture
Author: Mark L. Weeter
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2007-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1597528765

John Wesley by his own words considered himself a ÒMan of One Book, meaning of course the Scriptures. Yet what does this seemingly declarative statement really mean? What was Wesley's view on the inspiration, authority, and even the infallibility of Scripture? This question is more than a historical curiosity when we recognize the current debate between evangelical groups over their views of the authority of Scripture. Recognizing the debt all Wesleyan movements have to Wesley's teachings and doctrines, this book will attempt to answer some critical questions about Wesley's view and use of the Bible. How did Wesley develop his views? How did he incorporate Scripture into his development of the Methodist movement? What was the position of Scripture in what has become know as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral of reason, experience, tradition, and Scripture? What were his views on inspiration and infallibility and would his principles of interpretation hold up against modern, critical scholarship? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, what influence did Wesley's view and use of the Bible have upon the success of the Wesleyan Revival? Are there lessons we can still learn from Wesley that could impact the world and church of the twenty-first century? This book will attempt to answer these and many other fascinating questions about John Wesley, a ÒMan of One Book.

Methodism

Methodism
Author: William James Abraham
Publisher:
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2019
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0198802315

Methodism began as renewal movement within Anglicanism in the eighteenth century, dominated the Protestant landscape of the USA in the nineteenth, and continues to be one of the most vibrant forms of Christianity worldwide today. William J Abraham traces its history, describes its particular identity and emphases, and looks to its future prospects.

From the Margins

From the Margins
Author: Christian T. Collins Winn
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 459
Release: 2007-07-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1556351356

Recognized as a leading interpreter of major movements in American Christianity such as Evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and the Holiness movement, Donald W. Dayton has produced a body of work spanning four decades and diverse areas of inquiry. In From the Margins, friends and colleagues respond to major essays by Dayton (several published here for the first time) so as to celebrate and reflect on this diverse and rich body of work. The essays highlight the breadth of Dayton's contribution while also revealing a methodological core. The latter could be described as DaytonÕs deconstructive reading of standard scholarly narratives in order to short-circuit their domesticating effects on the more radical aspects of American Christianity. DaytonÕs work has challenged long-held assumptions about the conservative nature of American Christianity by showing that both in their history and in their deeper theological substructures, traditions such as Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism are far more radical and productive of social change than was previously imagined.

The Almost Mystic

The Almost Mystic
Author: Steven P. Tungate
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2024-07-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666781576

John Wesley, eighteenth century Church of England priest and founder of Methodism, was strongly influenced by the works of Roman Catholic mystics early in his ministry. These writings shaped his widely known doctrine of Christian perfection or entire sanctification. The mystics inspired Wesley to advocate for a lofty spiritual goal that he believed to be attainable in this life. In time, however, he developed many contentions with extremes as well as some particulars found in the mystical tradition. Beginning in 1749, Wesley began to publish his Christian Library—a fifty-volume compilation of abridged works that he believed to be among the best writings on practical divinity that had been published in English. Among this vast collection, he incorporated two works originally written in Spanish including a sampling of Letters by Juan de Ávila and the Spiritual Guide by Miguel de Molinos. This book examines Wesley’s editing of these works as a way of evaluating Wesley’s theology in comparison and contrast with Spanish mysticism. In particular, this book serves as a comparative study among these authors on matters of theological authority, self-knowledge and epistemology, soteriology, spiritual growth, suffering and divine withdrawal, prayer, meditation, contemplation, and the spiritual goal.