A Study of John Wesley: Inner Grace with Visible Signs:

by Hap Eliason

Overview

If you have been interested in a deeper understanding of the work of John Wesley or wanted to learn about the impact Methodist Societies had on life in 18th Century England or the principles of how Inner Grace leads to Visible Signs of Christian love, this book will be a great read.

This book is the culmination of over 50 years spent studying the writings of John Wesley and 18th Century England. The words of John Wesley allow him to explain his beliefs while Hap provides the context and wider meaning for those words given Wesley's lifetime experiences.

John Wesley was an incredible personality of 18th Century England. As an ordained member of the clergy of the Church of England, he was dismayed with the state of the church. John, along with other members of the Oxford Club, sought to 'methodically' practice outward signs of Christian ministry while also deepening the transformational experience of inner grace.

To fully appreciate how the 1700s shaped John Wesley, his ministry and how his beliefs came about, Part 1 of the book provides the modern reader with a history of his family and life. It was a century when scientific knowledge supplanted the Godly miracles, or curses, that had explained life. In essence, science robbed life of a deeper meaning.

Part 2 examines Wesley's theology. Using Wesley's own words, this book demonstrates how he believed the Visible Church leads to focus upon the Invisible Church of the soul; and how Inner Grace inevitably leads to outer expressions in the Visible Church.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798331434212
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	07/16/2024
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Hap was a long-term planner with a penchant for looking at the ‘vibe’ of the whole and figuring out how, when love was applied, the ‘whole’ would improve. His thinking was usually out-of-the-box with an element of ‘hmm, never thought of it that way!’ He was born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1928 to Norwegian immigrant parents, the eldest of three sons. When growing up, he was not considered a stellar scholar, but he had a love of organizing people, student government and an inner compass of what ‘right’ was.

After high school, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps where he trained in communications, Basic Naval Procedure, and code, CW and MCW. Although raised in a Lutheran home, a Lutheran church was not near the military base, so he went to a Methodist church that was within walking distance. He felt at home, was very comfortable with the theology and never left. When the war ended, he went to Belen, New Mexico and used his communications skills while working for the Santa Fe Railway.

In Belen, he felt the draw of becoming a ‘Professional’ Lay Person, leading a congregation for a living. He worked with the pastor in Belen to establish a Methodist congregation, and though the pastor tried to talk him out of it and showed him that he could, as a lay person, do most of the real work that clergy do, Hap felt compelled to pursue a ministerial career. He went to the ‘Old Jerusalem Conference,’ or Tennessee Conference, to pursue his degrees for ministry, first at Martin Methodist College, then Vanderbilt University for his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Theology and Philosophy. As a first year student at Vanderbilt, he received the Tillett Award in Theology; the first time in the history of the award that a first year student had done so. The Tillett award could be given to any theology student, undergraduate or graduate. Part II of this book is a very polished and somewhat expanded version of his doctoral dissertation.

His vibrant career in the ministry lasted 41 years, serving 4-point charges, county-seat churches and connectionally as a Wesley Foundation Director. He created numerous workshops, slide shows, and spent time synching voiceovers on reel-to-reel tape with those slideshows. His love of photography contributed greatly to those endeavors. He most enjoyed the challenge of working with a group who had found a need in the community, by helping them create an organization, the policies to run the organization and funding opportunities.