On this page and in this section:
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist
Church, was one of the best known figures of the 18th century. For 50
years he tirelessly rode the length of Britain preaching his message of
‘plain truth for plain people.’ He turned aside from a comfortable and
well-provisioned life as a Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford to live and
work among the poor and needy.
Wesley wanted Methodists to be people
with warm hearts, catholic spirits, a whole gospel and an open mind. He
once observed, ‘we may not know much in this life, but we can love
much.’ It was this emphasis on love, love of God and love of others,
love as the end purpose of life and love as the reason for life, love
which was both universal and unconditional, that made the message of
Methodism sound like a new gospel to those oppressed and weighed down by
the forces of privilege, class and power.
Drawing on the best of contemporary and
historical scholarship, James Stuart traces the writers, theologians,
people Wesley met and the key experiences that shaped Wesley's ideas.
Importantly, Stuart then revisits the
enduring themes and other principles of Wesley and the early Methodists,
to see how they might affect our practice, inspire our theology and
renew our lives today.
Dr James Stuart was born in New York City
and received his BA in history from Franklin and Marshall College in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He served as an officer in the US Navy before
pursuing theological studies in the United States, England, Germany and
Switzerland. He holds a doctorate in systematic theology and social
ethics from the University of Zürich, Switzerland.
He has served churches in Pennsylvania,
Kentucky, Illinois and New Zealand, was the John Wesley Lecturer in
Systematic Theology at St John’s Trinity Theological College in
Auckland, and has taught at universities in Illinois and Oregon. While
serving as chaplain at the University of Canterbury, he lectured in
sociology and peace studies. He is the author of two books, The Many
Faces of Christ (1998) and Making Meaning, Finding Health (1999) and has
written numerous articles on religion, theology and ethics.
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction: Finding Wesley in a
Broom Closet 1
- Picturing the World of Wesley 7
- Scenario: A Brand from the Burning 13
Chapter 1: Setting the Context 15
- Wesley’s Genealogy 15
- The Importance of Purpose 17
- That Wonderful Providence 18
Part I: The Guiding Principles of a
Methodist 20
Chapter 2: Consider Expedience 23
- Living the Christian Life 23
- Achieving the End: Itinerancy 26
- The Lollard Tradition 27
- Field Preaching 27
- An Extraordinary Call 28
- Enlarging the Conversation: The
Connexion 28
- Follow the Path of Expediency 31
- Scenario: Aldersgate to Bristol:
Emerging Patterns 34
Chapter 3: Trust Experience 37
- The Cartesian Revolution 37
- Lockean Sensibility 38
- Berkeley’s Idealism 40
- Hume’s Empiricism 41
- Wesley’s Religious Sensibility 42
- Scenario: Having this witness 47
Chapter 4: Seek Consensus 50
- Methodism and the Industrial
Revolution 51
- The Methodist Movement 55
- The Holy Club 56
- The Moravian Connexion 58
- Methodist Polity 59
- Methodist Consensus 61
- Scenario: A Remarkable Conversation 65
Chapter 5: Honour the Vision 69
- Moravian Stillness 70
- Free Grace 74
- Christian Perfection 78
- Ought We to Separate? 80
- Best of All 85
- Scenario: The Methodist Way 86
Part II: The Theological Imperatives
of a Methodist 89
Chapter 6: Learn Compassion 92
- Compassion: The Essential Act 92
- The Wesleyan Paradox 93
- A Rope of Sand 93
- Christianity is a Social Religion 95
- A Great Grace 97
- Compassion and the Community of Goods
99
- Scenario: ‘Should we Shut up our
Compassion?’ 105
Chapter 7: Follow Providence 108
- An Idea in its Time 109
- The Design of Providence 111
- A Hair’s Breadth 112
- Following Providence 117
- The Paradox of Providence 118
- Epiphanies of Providence 119
- Scenario: An Uncommon Train of
Providence 123
Chapter 8: Live by Grace 126
- The Psychology of Original Sin 126
- The Politics of Original Sin 128
- The Impact of the Reformation 130
- The Human Condition Apart from Grace
132
- Wesleyan Arminianism 134
- Scenario: Religion Agreeable to the
Highest Reason 140
Chapter 9: Love Unconditionally 143
- The Wesleyan Renaissance:
- Historical, Doctrinal, Ecclesiastical
Motifs 143
- The Fundamental Theological Motif 147
- The Ways of Love 148
- The Sophie Hopkey Affair 149
- The Native American Fiasco 150
- The Moravian Encounter 150
- The Aldersgate Experience 152
- Love: The Determinative Theological
Imperative 154
- Scenario: The Strongest Evidence 158
Part III: The Character of a Methodist
162
Chapter 10: The People Called
Methodists 164
- A Warm Heart 165
- An Open Mind 168
- A Catholic Spirit 172
- A Whole Gospel 174
- Scenario: A Matter of Absolute Duty
178
Chapter 11: Quo Vadis 181
- Methodist Amnesia 181
- A Way Forward 183
- A Malleable Polity 183
- Theological Flexibility 184
- Communal Integrity 185
- A Final Word From Wesley 185
Appendix 1: Wesley as Apologist for
Methodism 187
- Treatises 187
- Letters 189
Appendix 2: Methodism: A Community of
Common Goods 192
Appendix 3: John Wesley: A Life of
Ambiguity and
- Contradiction, Determination and
Vision 198
- Ambiguities 198
- Wesley and Women 200
- A Clear Vision 202
Selected Bibliography 205
- Primary Sources 205
- For Further Reading 205
- Biographical 205
- Theological 206
- General 207
Index 208
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