John Wesley: A Theological Journey

by Kenneth J Collins Ph.D.

Overview

John Wesley: A Theological Journey has been nominated for a Wesleyan Theological Society Book Award. Abingdon Press would like to congratulate Kenneth Collins on this honor. John Wesley remains a seminal figure, not only for "the people called Methodist, " but also within the larger Protestant tradition. Understanding his theology is a requirement for understanding the development of the Western Christian tradition in the modern period. In recent years much work has been done to grasp the intricacies of Wesley's theology. However, most of this work has been thematic in organization, studying Wesley's thought according to a topical or systematic outline. The weakness of this approach, argues Kenneth J. Collins, is that it fails to demonstrate the evolution and changes of Wesley's theology. What is called for is a historical presentation—one that examines the development of Wesley's theology across the span of his long and eventful theological career. Collins thus provides a chronological presentation of the development of Wesley's theology. Drawing on an extensive examination of the primary sources, and demonstrating an intimate knowledge of the different contexts and social locations in which Wesley's theology took place, John Wesley: A Theological Journey will be necessary reading for anyone wishing to understand the broad scope of the Methodist leader's theological development and contribution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780687027880
Publisher:	Abingdon Press
Publication date:	06/01/2003
Pages:	355
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

Kenneth J. Collins is Professor of Historical Theology and Wesley Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore Kentucky, and an elder in the Kentucky Conference of The United Methodist Church. He also teaches at the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary in Estonia, and is a member of the Wesleyan Theological Society, Wesley Historical Society, and Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He is the author of A Real Christian: The Life of John Wesley, The Scripture Way of Salvation: The Heart of John Wesley's Theology, co-editor of Conversion in the Wesleyan Tradition, and John Wesley: A Theological Journey.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	9
1.	The Puritan and Anglican Heritage	11
	The Maternal Legacy	13
	The Paternal Legacy	21
	John Wesley's Early Life	25
2.	The End of Religion	29
	A Kempis and Taylor	31
	Wesley's Early Understanding of Faith	36
	Developments at Oxford	38
	William Law	40
	The First Rise of Methodism: Oxford	42
	The Circumcision of the Heart	49
	The Epworth Living	51
3.	Georgia	54
	The Voyage to Georgia	56
	The Fear of Death as a Test of Christian Experience	58
	The Second Rise of Methodism: The Georgia Mission	62
	The Salzburgers	63
	Wesley's Pastoral Style at Savannah and Frederica	67
	The Sophia Hopkey Relationship	70
	The Return Home	74
4.	Aldersgate	77
	Peter Bohler	80
	William Law	85
	Aldersgate	86
	Wesley's Western Theological Orientation	91
	Salvation by Faith	93
	Herrnhut	97
	Back to England	99
	Field Preaching	102
5.	The Form and Power of Methodism	105
	Lay Preaching	108
	The Third Rise of Methodism: Fetter Lane	110
	George Whitefield	114
	The Character and Principles of a Methodist	117
	Susanna's Death	119
	The Methodist Infrastructure	120
	Anglican Opposition	123
	Scriptural Christianity	126
6.	Theological Nuances and Ongoing Standards	129
	Assurance	130
	The Faith of a Servant	133
	The Standards of Redemption	135
	Inward Religion	141
	Religious Dispositions	145
	The Issue of Determinism	147
	The Church Question	151
7.	Strengthening the Foundations	154
	Bishop Lavington and the Nature of Enthusiasm	155
	The Moral Law	157
	A Caution Against Bigotry and the Catholic Spirit	161
	Ecclesiastical Developments	163
	Wesley's Marriage	166
	Predestination	169
	Wesley's Evangelical Friends	172
	A Christian Library and Notes upon the New Testament	173
	Assurance Revisited	176
8.	The Anglican Church and Holiness	178
	Bishop Warburton	180
	James Hervey	181
	Original Sin	183
	The New Birth: Sanctification Begun	186
	Challenges Along the Way	189
	Perfect Love: Sanctification Perfected	193
	The Myth of John Wesley and Eastern Orthodoxy	195
	The Importance of the Anglican and Pietist Traditions	199
	The Witnesses to Perfect Love	201
	The Bell and Maxfield Fiasco	203
9.	A Contentious Decade	205
	Wesley and British Politics	206
	Wesley and American Politics: Slavery	209
	The American Revolution	210
	Domestic Affairs	214
	The Calvinist Controversy	216
	The Theology of the Minutes	221
	The Upshot of It All	227
10.	A Church Established	230
	The American Ordinations	232
	Preparing for a British Church	234
	The Danger of Riches	238
	Loss and Decline	241
	Real Christianity	243
	Wesley's Protestant Spiritual Orientation	247
	Conclusion: "The Best of All"	254
	The Wedding Garment	254
	Inward Religion Revisited	256
	The Ongoing Danger of Riches	258
	The Letters to Wilberforce and Sharp	260
	Wesley's Health	261
	The Enduring Theological Themes	261
	Wesley's Last Days	267
	Notes	270
	Selected Bibliography	328
	Index	338