Summary
Highlights
John Wesley, along with his brother Charles and George Whitefield, significantly shaped 18th-century Christianity during the revolutionary era, influencing cultural, political, and social decisions. Their understanding of revival was crucial for American evangelicalism, leading to a 'British invasion' of robust Christian life and revivalistic preaching that impacted colonial and post-revolutionary America. This lecture focuses on Wesley's rise as a preacher, revivalist, and organizer of the Methodist Church.
Born in 1703 in Epworth, John Wesley was the 15th of 19 children to Samuel and Susanna Wesley, though only nine survived infancy. His father, Samuel, was an Oxford-educated pastor, but his mother, Susanna, is celebrated for nurturing her children's spiritual lives. Susanna, daughter of a dissenting pastor, instilled strict rules and an emphasis on spiritual education in her children, including daily individual spiritual discussions. A significant early event was John's rescue from a house fire at age five in 1709, which he saw as a miraculous preservation for a divine purpose, calling himself a 'brand plucked from the fire,' foreshadowing his role in church revival.
John Wesley attended Christ Church Oxford in 1720, excelling as a student and eventually becoming a lecturer in Greek and New Testament. His personal turning point came during this time as he deeply engaged with Christian literature focused on holiness and the application of God's law. He developed the concept of 'Christian perfection,' aiming for victory over sin, which distinguished him from Lutheran theology's emphasis on justification. After a period as a pastor, he returned to Oxford, where his brother Charles had started an accountability group. John took leadership of this group, which became known as the 'Holy Club,' dedicated to intense prayer, scripture reading, fasting, and social work, including prison ministry. They were mocked as 'enthusiasts' and 'Methodists' for their serious devotion, a name Wesley eventually embraced.
Driven by his deepening faith, Wesley joined a missionary endeavor to the new world. Inspired by Member of Parliament Ogulthorp's efforts to rehabilitate debtors, Wesley decided to minister in the newly founded colony of Georgia, established in 1732 as a haven for those seeking a new start. He aimed to serve the colonists and conduct missionary work among Native Americans. However, his mission quickly deteriorated. On the voyage over, a severe storm revealed his fear compared to the calm faith of Moravian passengers, a crack in his spiritual armor. Later, his rigid application of Anglican liturgy and a personal dispute involving withholding communion from Sophie Hopkey, whom he had once pursued, led to his expulsion from Savannah and a disheartened return to London.
Upon his return to London, a 'depressed' John Wesley attended a Moravian meeting at Aldersgate on May 24, 1738. There, he heard Luther's preface to the commentary on Romans being read aloud, and described his heart as being 'strangely warmed.' He interpreted this as his conversion, not necessarily to justification in the Lutheran sense, but as finally conquering sin in his life. This experience linked German Pietism with the English dissenting tradition within Wesley. His background, shaped by a dissenting mother and his Anglican formation, combined with the Moravian influence, formed a unique blend of theological and ecclesiological elements. Wesley would not become fully Moravian but would go on to establish the Methodist denomination, incorporating elements of Pietism and a strong emphasis on sanctification, setting the stage for a new Arminian perspective within Christianity.