The Theology and History of John Wesley - Research Paper Example

? The Theology and History of John Wesley Introduction John Wesley is a key Christian theologian who was not only influential in the 18th century, but even today there are numerous Protestant denominations that associate themselves with the Wesleyan tradition. The Church of England, at this time, was often run by leadership who were comprised of political appointees and even the clergy seemed to fall prey to non - Christian teachings such as rationalism and deism which were influential views during this period. A spiritual transition was needed. Interestingly, he was often not considered a theologian as Rakestraw states he “in the eyes of most non-Wesleyan Christians Wesley is not taken seriously as a theologian of grace; in fact, he is not taken seriously as a theologian at all.”1 This has little to do with his outlook and more to do with his method of promoting his theology. Unlike known theologians such as John Calvin, Wesley did not write out a doctrine of his theology all in one place. His theology was amassed over time as he grew in his faith. Wesley initially began the Methodist movement, with his brother George, in opposition to Calvinism which was also prominent in this same era. The influences of John Wesley are evident today. Though his initial religious society consisted of only 40 to 50 participants, many Protestant denominations still follow the Wesleyan traditions. This association is often considered the first Methodist society in London. Wesley incorporated Arminian doctrines which were already a component of the Methodist in the 18th century Church of England. “Although he never wished to split with the Anglican Church (and was, in fact, among the most devout and High Church of his Oxford contemporaries), he found himself increasingly thought of as a threat to Anglican doctrine, Anglican practice, and Anglican identity.”2 His spiritual journey has developed a theological perspective and tradition that has many followed today proving the influence of teachings. Biography Understanding John Wesley’s biography is important in understanding how his theology developed. His theology is evident in how he lived his life and is not written out in one long doctrine but rather needs to be understood by studying his history as well as his theology. His mother reared her children with a strict Christian morality that greatly influenced John. John Wesley lived in the 18t century from 1703 to 1791 and was educated at Oxford University. Wesley was one the 15th child of his family which eventually had 19 children in total. One of the influential moments of his childhood was being rescued from a rectory fire when he was only 5 years old. His father believed this fire was “an attack from some his more disgruntled parishioners, and it was not the first.”3 This instilled a certainty in him that he was meant to do something important in his life. His mother, Susanna also had this belief and she wrote in her own diary, “’I do intend to be more particularly careful of the soul of this child, that Thou hast so mercifully provided for, that I have ever been.”4 As all of the Wesley children were well educated, they also were exposed to religion. “Both of Wesley's parents were ambitiously involved in the movement against the Puritan resistance and in support of the rightful prominence of the Anglican Church, a religious and political position that was in stark opposition to their family histories”5 They grew up knowing the Bible well and memorizing prayers providing a strong foundation for John Wesley’s Christian education. His training at Oxford followed a typical curriculum “in logic, rhetoric, morals and politics – the Aristotelean disciplines – and focusing on a selection of ancient writers….”6 He continued his studies there and also obtained a Masters degree as well. At Oxford, he was largely influences by The Holy Club and eventually became the leader of the group. At age 32, he sailed to the American colonies with his brother, Charles where he was first introduced to the Moravian tradition. The deeply personal and pious religion of the Moravians had an influence on Wesley ad he admired their strength and devotion to God. “This dissatisfaction grew out of a spiritual crisis that had Wesley's desire to feel God's love and grace as its central issue. Wesley's contact with the Moravians in 1738 offered him an alternative paradigm through the Moravians' emphasis on God's grace, salvation through faith alone, and the infusion of irresistible Christian "dispositions.”7 He eventually returned home but was depressed after a personal struggle in which he lost a suit to a woman who claimed he broke a promise to marry her. He had to escape from the colonies to return home. This depression led him to receive counseling from a Moravian missionary, Peter Boehler. Though it was a disappointing trip as few were enthusiastic about his teachings and his unsuccessful affair brought him negative publicity, the influence from the Moravian missionaries helped restore his spiritual confidence. He was an ordained Anglican minister when he “underwent an intense religious “conversion-type” experience in 1738, at the age of thirty five, while reading Luther’s preface to the Letter to the Romans. Wesley remained an Anglican throughout his life, but the Anglican Church did not allow him to preach that we are justified by faith or that this justification requires both a personal choice to believe and subsequent actions to develop a person’s faith.”8 It was this belief that differentiated his teachings from other theologians. Three authors that shaped his theology the most are Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), a German mystic, wrote the famous The Imitation of Christ; Jeremy Taylor (1613-67) wrote The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and Dying; and William Law (1686-1761), a contemporary of Wesley, wrote two significant works: Christian Perfection and a Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. These writings are evident in his beliefs on holiness involving intention and the initiation of Christ as a model for how to live a holy life.9 Writings and Influences Because Wesley did not write down all his beliefs in one doctrine, one must look to all of his written works such as his sermons, journals and letters to fully comprehend what he believed about each of the Christian doctrines. What is also important to know about his writings is that he remained true to scripture in his writings and theological principles. As Rogal, notes, “In assessing the actual role of and contribution of general knowledge to the advancement of his evangelical mission, John Wesley placed the command of Scripture at the forefront of his list. All knowledge, he consistently maintained, proceeded from Scripture.”10 All of these writings pieced together help develop his theological outlook. “Wesley's Incarnational theology teaches us, that is, to narrate ourselves by experiencing God.”11 The writings and teachings of Wesley were a starting point for Holiness movements across the World. As Thomas Noble notes, “To Wesley must go much of the credit that the majority of evangelical Christians around the world today consider themselves to be ‘Arminians’. Additionally the Pentecostal movement – from which the Charismatic movement has sprung – traces its origin back through the nineteenth-century holiness movement to John Wesley.’12 In fact, he often found himself having to defend the evangelical movement and a number of his writings reflect that defense. “Therefore, between 1743 and 1745, he published his "Appeals": An Earnest Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion (1743); A Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion, Part I (1745); and A Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion, Parts II and III (1745). Wesley really intended two distinct tracts—An Earnest Appeal and A Farther Appeal.”13 His letters often reveal his deepest thoughts reflecting his journey from his earliest theological development. In one such letter after returning from his trip to eh colonies he writes, "’It is now two years and almost four months since I left my native country in order to teach the Georgian Indians the nature of Christianity. But what have I learned myself in the meantime? Why (what I the least of all suspected), that I who went to America to convert others was never myself converted to God.’”14 He developed the Arminian magazine in 1778 designed to explain religious movements and to help Methodists understand their assurance of salvation. One unique aspect of this magazine was that it printed deathbed conversations including his own. It was meant to teach the importance of religious values. “Those engaged in holy dying behaved in ways designed to demonstrate their assurance of salvation to themselves, their families and friends, and to God.”15 This magazine also published many of his sermons which helped spread his messages. The following message Wesley wrote just a few years before his death that summarized his views on holiness and leads into the thread found throughout Wesley’s theological perspective on the inward spiritual experiences one should. This doctrine is the grand depositum which God has lodged with the people called Methodists and for the sake of propagating this chiefly He appears to have raised us up. Holiness is loving God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving my neighbor as myself Simply put, holiness is Christ-likeness. . . . What do you think holiness is? It is purity of heart and life. It is the mind that was in Christ, enabling us to walk as he walked. It is loving God with all our heart; the loving our neighbor, every man, as ourselves, it is the doing good to all men, in every point, as we would they should do unto us. 16 Theological Beliefs and Teachings There is little debate that Wesley’s ideas affirm much of the Puritan ideals of original sin, justification by faith, assurance and final justification. He also used evangelism to teach these concepts to others. His vision also included Anglican thought that focused on the goodness of God, the need to place Christ as the center, and the importance of a holiness in one’s heart as well as how one lives life. “Faith that God can and will erase our sinful indebtedness, Wesley argues, primes the pump for an outpouring of God's grace—a grace that we can physically feel.”17 Wesley is considered a Pentecostal which is important to note as Pentecostal Christians believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The significance of this recognition is “It is a concept directly related to Wesley's doctrine of sanctification and Christian perfection. The believer who accepted Christ and was justified was expected to move on toward perfection. For early Methodists, especially in America, sanctification (or second blessing) was often accompanied by gifts imparted on the day of Pentecost, speaking in tongues, power to heal, and even prophetic visions.”18 His belief system, which mirrored much of the existing Arminian and Methodism, encouraged people to seek a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Most scholars of Wesley distinguish three phases in the development of his theology: (1) His early view of the Christian life emphasizing sincere acts of obedience to the laws of God, (2) His middle view of an initial understanding of salvation by grace, which created tension in his thought and (3) A mature integration of the primacy of grace in Christian holiness.”19 His beliefs merged these two systems of belief and placed emphasis on the Reformed doctrine of justification by faith. He is most prominently considered an evangelist. As Noble notes, “In the sermon he deliberately places first, ‘Salvation by Faith’, preached on Ephesians 2:8, ‘By grace are ye saved through faith.”20 This concept was new for many that people are saved by the grace of God and not by their works, which is the opposite teaching promoted by John Calvin. In this view, Wesley emphasizes a relationship with Jesus Christ because it was his death on the cross that allowed people to be forgiven for their sins by the grace of God, but this can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ. Here, it is essential to understand what Wesley meant by the term grace. “As soon as ever the grace of God in the former sense, his pardoning love, is manifested to our souls, the grace of God in the latter sense, the power of his Spirit, takes place therein. And now we can perform, through God, what to man was impossible.”21 It is just as important to understand how grace is achieved in Wesley’s perspective as this is a foundational principle of his theology. “The means of grace are defined as "outward signs, words, or actions, ordained of God, and appointed for this end, to be the ordinary channels whereby he might convey to men, preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace." the chief means of grace are prayer, searching the Scriptures, and receiving the Lord's supper.”22 Wesley believes that the state of humankind is rooted in the concept of original sin and God’s response to that sin. Humans were created in a perfect state in the image of God but did not remain that way because of sin. This sin creates detachment in the relationship between and individual and God. This fallen nature creates a need for salvation. Salvation is an important emphasis in Wesley’s theology. Salvation is the forgiveness of all sins as well as the guilt that accompanies those sins termed justification. Noble notes, “This doctrine, he claims, strikes at the root of all errors in the church, and, as proved in the time of Martin Luther, the adversary rages when this is preached.”23 Another key point of The Wesleyan theology is sanctification. Justification is the pardoning of sin that allows and individual to be righteous in the eyes of God. “John Wesley views sanctification as our ongoing participation with the Holy Spirit’s work. The Holy Spirit initiates and Christians must act and follow.”24 This is still related to the concept of grace and mercy. Salvation can only happen through justification because it is only possible by an act of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is something God does for people and not something and individual can do for himself of herself. Justification can only happen through faith because it is not earned or attained by any works or deeds. It is only given by the mercies of faith which are determined by God; not by humankind. “Wesley believed that as a result of the fall humans had lost the liberty to exercise or train their tempers. For Wesley, the ultimate purpose of salvation was sanctification, the renewing of the will.”25 Conclusion Often considered the father of Pentecostalism, many in the modern age do realize this to be the case. Simpson notes that, “Methodists and, to a some degree, Nazarenes, Wesleyans, and even members of Pentecostal churches—all tracing their heritage back to Wesley—have tended to become rather sedate in their exercise of faith. Middle-class Methodist worship often resembles its Anglican heritage more than the fervor of Pentecostalism.”26 Methodism did have a significant influence in the English society as this new spiritual focus permeated the masses in a way that the Anglican church has not done. John Wesley’s was contrary to the typical thinking and beliefs in his day. He fully believed that that justification could be known by true believers and followers of Jesus. (Romans 8:16). However, it also essential to recognize that Wesley believed one’s works could not earn one a place in Heaven but this does not mean he believed humans would not be held accountable for their actions. “Wesley asserts, like Jesus we can learn to control our emotions, and we can turn right emotions into right habits. The resulting habitual, rational affections will point God-ward and will bear spiritual fruit.”27 More importantly, his way of life followed his own theology and he truly believed and accepted the principles sanctifying grace which is the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in the daily life of each individual believer. “Wesley's personal conversion, the physical sensation, a sort of concrete manifestation of his metaphorical change of heart, did mark for him an assurance of his salvation: he felt—and thus knew—that he was forgiven .” 28Wesley believed Christians continued to grow in relationship to God as one of his core theological principles. Works Cited Bell, Richard J. 2005. "“Our people die well”: Deathbed scenes in John Wesley's Arminian magazine." Mortality 10, no. 3: 210-223. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 13, 2011). Heady, Emily Walker. 2004. "Flutters, feelings, and fancies: John Wesley's sentimental sermons and the spirit of the age." Christianity and Literature 53, no. 2: 141-162. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 12, 2011). Noble, Thomas A. 2010. "John Wesley as a theologian: an introduction." Evangelical Review of Theology 34, no. 3: 238-257. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 11, 2011). Rakestraw, Robert V. 1984. "John Wesley as a theologian of grace." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 27, no. 2: 193-203. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 13, 2011). Rogal, Samuel J. 2004. "Scripture references, allusions, and echoes in works by Charles and John Wesley." Trinity Journal 25, no. 1: 75-91. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 13, 2011). Shrier, Paul, and Cahleen Shrier. 2009. "Wesley's Sanctification Narrative: A Tool for Understanding the Holy Spirit's Work in a More Physical Soul." Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 31, no. 2: 225-241. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 11, 2011). Simpson, William C, Jr. 2004. "John Wesley and Pentecostal power." Living Pulpit 13, no. 2: 34-35. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 12, 2011). Tomkins, Stephen. John Wesley: A Biography. Grand Rapids, Mich: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2003. Wesley, John. Wesleyana, or, A Complete Review of Wesleyan Theology Selected from the Writings of John Wesley, A.M., and so Arranged As to Form a Miniature Body of Divinity (from a London Publication). [S.l.]: Ten Talents, 2007. Wright, Ronald W., Greg Diamond, and Philip Budd. 2004. "An Experienced Presence: An Intersubjective Perspective on John Wesley's Early Theology." Journal of Psychology & Christianity 23, no. 2: 155-164. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 12, 2011). Read More