The Life of John Wesley

Summary

This lecture delves into the life of John Wesley and the Methodist movement's emergence within 18th-century evangelicalism. Born in 1703, Wesley was influenced by the theological currents of the time, including his mother's dissenting faith and his father's Anglicanism. His strict upbringing and near-death experience at age five shaped his religious fervor. After a transformative 'heart-warming' experience in 1738, Wesley's focus on sanctification and his missionary endeavors in America, particularly Georgia, led to the Methodist Church's establishment. The lecture also touches on Wesley's interactions with the Moravians and his theological development, contrasting with George Whitfield's views.

Takeaways

• 😀 John Wesley is a central figure in the Methodist movement and 18th-century evangelicalism, yet his life and teachings are often misunderstood outside their historical context.
• 🏛️ Wesley's theological development was significantly influenced by the religious and political landscape of 17th-century England, particularly the reign of Charles II.
• 🌟 Along with his brother Charles and George Whitefield, Wesley was instrumental in shaping the Christian voice in the 18th century, especially in the context of the American colonies.
• 🌐 The Methodist movement, with its emphasis on revival and personal holiness, played a crucial role in the democratization of the Christian life and the formation of American evangelicalism.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Born in 1703, Wesley was one of 19 children to Samuel and Susanna Wesley, with his mother's dissenting background influencing his religious views.
• 🔥 A formative event in Wesley's life was a childhood house fire from which he was dramatically rescued, an experience he later interpreted as a divine call to service.
• 📚 Wesley's time at Christ Church, Oxford, was marked by intense study and a growing interest in the application of God's law to personal holiness.
• 🙏 The 'Holy Club' at Oxford, which Wesley led, was known for its rigorous spiritual practices and social work, earning them the nickname 'Methodists'.
• 🚢 Wesley's missionary journey to the American colony of Georgia was marked by personal and professional challenges, including a failed relationship and conflicts with the community.
• 💔 Wesley's 'conversion' experience at Aldersgate in 1738, where he felt his heart 'strangely warmed', represented a pivotal moment in his spiritual journey, emphasizing the conquest of sin over justification by faith alone.
• 🌱 The Methodist Church that Wesley would eventually lead combined elements of English dissenting theology, German Lutheran Pietism, and a focus on sanctification and personal holiness.

Q & A

Who is John Wesley and why is he significant?

John Wesley is a significant figure in the history of Christianity, known as the founder of the Methodist movement within the 18th-century evangelicalism. He is significant because he, along with his brother Charles and George Whitefield, shaped the Christian voice in the English-speaking world during the 18th century, influencing both colonial America and the post-Revolutionary era.

What was the context of John Wesley's rise within the Methodist movement?

John Wesley's rise within the Methodist movement was influenced by the theological ideas of the 17th century, the reign of Charles II, and the cultural, political, and social changes of the 18th century, including the democratization of the Christian life and the breakdown of old European confessional churches as they moved into the new world.

What were the characteristics of the 'Holy Club' that John Wesley was a part of?

The 'Holy Club,' also known as the Methodists, was a group that met for rigorous spiritual practices, including prayer, reading Psalms, fasting, and social work such as prison ministry. They were known for their serious approach to their Christian faith and were often mocked for being too serious about their religion.

How did John Wesley's upbringing influence his religious views?

John Wesley was born into a religious household; his father, Samuel, was a pastor, and his mother, Susanna, was the daughter of a dissenting pastor. Their strict household rules and emphasis on education, particularly in Greek and Latin, as well as spiritual life, significantly influenced Wesley's religious views and his later commitment to a life of sanctification.

What event during John Wesley's childhood is often cited as a significant moment in his life?

At the age of five, John Wesley was saved from a house fire by neighbors. This event is often cited as significant because Wesley himself later interpreted it as a divine intervention, referring to himself as a 'brand plucked from the fire,' which he saw as a sign of God's plan for him to lead a Reformation and revival in the church.

What was the turning point for John Wesley during his time at Oxford?

While at Oxford, John Wesley's turning point was his immersion in reading about the Christian life and the application of God's law for personal holiness. This led to a nuanced understanding of sanctification and contributed to the origins of the Methodist movement.

Why did John Wesley travel to the new world?

John Wesley traveled to the new world to engage in missionary work, particularly with the intention of ministering to those who were moving to Georgia to start over, as well as to the Native Americans. His passion for social justice and the desire to do good works in a radical way drove this decision.

What were the two major crises John Wesley faced while in Savannah?

The two major crises John Wesley faced in Savannah were his loss of nerve and trust in God during a storm at sea, where he was outdone by the calmness of the Moravians, and his relationship with Sophie Hopkey, which ended with him withholding communion from her and her new husband, leading to his expulsion from Savannah.

What was the significance of John Wesley's experience at Aldersgate on May 24, 1738?

John Wesley's experience at Aldersgate on May 24, 1738, is considered his conversion experience. He described it as a moment when his heart was 'strangely warmed' as he heard the preface to Luther's Romans commentary read aloud. This event marked a significant shift in his understanding of the Christian life, focusing on the eradication and conquering of sin within oneself.

How did John Wesley's views on sanctification differ from the Lutheran perspective?

John Wesley's views on sanctification were distinct from the Lutheran perspective in that he emphasized the importance of conquering sin in one's life, which was more aligned with the dissenting and Baptist traditions focused on holiness. Unlike the Lutheran emphasis on justification by faith alone, Wesley's conversion experience and teachings leaned towards the emotional and experiential aspects of faith, influenced by Pietism.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Introduction to John Wesley and the Methodist Movement

This paragraph introduces John Wesley, a key figure in the 18th-century evangelical movement, and the Methodist movement's rise within it. It discusses the misunderstandings surrounding Wesley and the importance of understanding his historical context. The paragraph also highlights the influence of theological ideas from the reign of Charles II on Wesley's beliefs. It sets the stage for exploring Wesley's role in shaping the Christian voice during the Revolutionary era, especially in America, and mentions the challenges of the time, such as slavery and the democratization of the Christian life.

05:02

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 John Wesley's Family Background and Early Life

The second paragraph delves into John Wesley's family life, emphasizing the strict and religious upbringing he received from his parents, Samuel and Susanna Wesley. It mentions the large number of children in the family and the educational and spiritual focus within the household. The paragraph also recounts a dramatic story from Wesley's childhood, where he was saved from a house fire, an event that he later interpreted as a divine calling to lead a religious reformation.

10:02

📚 John Wesley's Education and the Beginnings of the Methodist Movement

This paragraph discusses Wesley's academic achievements at Christ Church, Oxford, and his early career as a lecturer. It highlights his growing interest in the Christian life and holiness, leading to the formation of a group known as the 'holy club' or 'Methodist Society.' The group's practices, including prayer, fasting, and social work, are described, as well as the public's reaction to their strict and devoted lifestyle, which earned them the nickname 'Methodists.'

15:04

🚢 Wesley's Missionary Journey to Georgia and Challenges

Paragraph four describes John Wesley's missionary venture to Georgia, USA, where he aimed to minister to debtors and Native Americans. It details the hardships he faced during the sea voyage, including a storm that tested his faith, and the subsequent failure of his mission in Savannah due to personal and interpersonal conflicts. This section also touches on Wesley's encounter with the Moravians and the impact of their faith on him during the journey.

20:04

🔥 Wesley's Conversion Experience and the Emergence of Methodism

The final paragraph explores Wesley's 'conversion' experience at a Moravian meeting in London, where he felt his heart was 'strangely warmed.' It discusses the significance of this event in his spiritual journey and how it led to the development of his theology of sanctification. The paragraph also outlines the blending of Wesley's dissenting background with the pietistic influences from the Moravians, which would shape the Methodist Church's distinct approach to Christian life and holiness.

25:05

🌟 The Impact of John Wesley on Protestantism and Holiness

The sixth paragraph reflects on the lasting impact of John Wesley on Protestantism, particularly in the areas of Arminian theology and the focus on sanctification. It contrasts Wesley's views with traditional Lutheran teachings and highlights how his experiences and beliefs reshaped the understanding of the Christian life within the Methodist denomination and beyond.

Keywords

💡John Wesley

John Wesley was an 18th-century Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was a leader in the Great Awakening and the founder of Methodism. In the video, his life and theological contributions are central to understanding the rise of the Methodist movement within the context of 18th-century evangelicalism. Wesley's journey from a strict upbringing to his missionary work and eventual establishment of the Methodist Church is highlighted as a key narrative.

💡Methodist Movement

The Methodist Movement, initiated by John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield, was a religious revival that swept through the 18th-century Anglican Church, leading to the birth of Methodism. The video discusses how this movement shaped the Christian voice in the colonies and post-Revolutionary America, emphasizing revivalist preaching and a focus on personal holiness and social reform.

💡Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a worldwide Christian movement that emphasizes the authority of the Bible, the necessity of a 'born again' experience, and the importance of evangelism. In the video, the rise of the Methodist movement is situated within the broader context of 18th-century evangelicalism, which was characterized by a renewed emphasis on personal faith and the need for revival in the church.

💡Sanctification

Sanctification, in Christian theology, refers to the process of becoming holy or being made pure in heart and life. The video discusses Wesley's focus on sanctification as a central aspect of the Methodist movement, with Wesley advocating for a 'Christian perfection' that involved the eradication and conquering of sin in one's life.

💡Holiness Movements

Holiness Movements are religious movements within Protestant Christianity that emphasize the possibility of a second work of grace, known as entire sanctification, which is distinct from the initial conversion experience. The video connects Wesley's teachings on sanctification with the broader holiness movements, noting his influence on these later developments.

💡Great Awakening

The Great Awakening refers to a series of religious revivals that swept through the Atlantic World in the 18th century. The video places the Methodist movement within this period of heightened religious fervor, highlighting how Wesley and his contemporaries were influenced by and contributed to this broader spiritual revival.

💡Arminianism

Arminianism is a theological stance that emphasizes the freedom of the will, conditional election, and resists the idea of predestination. The video discusses how Wesley's teachings, particularly on sanctification, were influenced by Arminian thought, which had been shaped by earlier dissenting movements within the Church of England.

💡Lutheran Pietism

Lutheran Pietism was a renewal movement within Lutheranism that emphasized personal devotion, the importance of the heart, and the need for a personal experience of faith. The video notes how Wesley's encounter with Moravians, who were part of the Pietist movement, influenced his understanding of conversion and the Christian life.

💡Dissenting Churches

Dissenting Churches were Protestant Christian groups that separated from the Church of England due to disagreements over doctrine, liturgy, or governance. The video discusses how Wesley's mother, Susanna, came from a dissenting pastor's background, which likely influenced Wesley's theological development and the Methodist movement's emphasis on personal faith and conversion.

💡Social Reform

Social Reform refers to changes in society, often driven by religious or moral motivations, aimed at improving social conditions and addressing injustices. The video highlights Wesley's involvement in social reform, such as prison ministry and outreach to the poor, as part of the Methodist movement's holistic approach to Christian discipleship.

Highlights

John Wesley is a central figure in the Methodist movement and 18th-century evangelicalism, yet his context and doctrines are often misunderstood.

Wesley's theological ideas were shaped by the religious and political landscape of the 17th and 18th centuries, including the reign of Charles II.

John Wesley, along with his brother Charles and George Whitefield, were instrumental in defining the Christian voice in the 18th century.

The Methodist movement influenced the cultural, political, and social decisions of the Revolutionary era, including the development of American evangelicalism.

Wesley and Whitefield are considered the first British 'invasion' of a robust Christian life understanding in the American colonies.

John Wesley was born in 1703 and was the 15th of 19 children to a pastor and a mother from a dissenting pastor's family.

Wesley's upbringing was strict, with a focus on education and religious devotion, influenced by his mother Susanna.

A significant event in Wesley's life was a childhood house fire from which he was dramatically rescued, an experience he linked to his divine calling.

Wesley's educational achievements at Christ Church, Oxford, included graduating with a BA and MA and becoming a lecturer.

Wesley's time at Oxford was marked by a deepening interest in the application of God's law to his life and the pursuit of holiness.

The 'Holy Club' at Oxford, which Wesley led, was known for its rigorous spiritual practices and social work, including prison ministry.

The term 'Methodist' was initially a derogatory label due to the group's strict methods and focus on sanctification, but Wesley embraced it.

Wesley's missionary work in the new world, particularly Georgia, was driven by his faith and a desire to help those starting over.

Wesley's relationship with Sophie Hopkey in Savannah ended badly, leading to a scandal that forced him to return to London.

Wesley's 'conversion' experience at Aldersgate in 1738 was a pivotal moment, where he felt his heart was 'strangely warmed'.

Wesley's understanding of conversion was not about justification but about the eradication and conquering of sin in one's life.

Wesley's theology combined elements of Lutheran Pietism, English dissenting traditions, and a focus on holiness and sanctification.

The Methodist movement under Wesley's leadership represented a new era of Arminianism and a distinct perspective on the Christian life.

Transcripts

in this lecture looking at John Wesley

and the rise of the Methodist movement

within the new evangelicalism of the

18th century

John Wesley is a man that is both widely

known and yet often misunderstood it's

not that we don't know much about him

it's that at times those who claim his

name as part of their theological or

denominational heritage or even those

from without who might have trouble with

some of his doctrines don't spend enough

time understanding the context the way

he flows out of the 17th century into

the 18th century in the ways that the

theological ideas of descent coming from

the reign of Charles the second and

Beyond really shapes

Wesley's understanding of the Christian

life and of salvation John Wesley though

and his brother Charles as well as

George Whitfield or three the most

important men to really shape the

Christian voice in the grammar during

the entirety of the 18th century and

given that this is the Revolutionary era

and that there are so many decisions

being made both culturally politically

and socially particularly in the new

world with things like slavery becoming

ingrained as part of the American

identity as well as the democratization

as we call it of the Christian life the

breakdown of the old established ways of

being a confessional church from Europe

as it moves into the new world as there

is this melting pot not only of

ethnicities and languages but also the

melting pot of different denominational

trends and given the Wesleyan and

Whitfield Ian's understanding of revival

really shapes the context of what would

become American evangelicalism the

Wesley's in Whitefield I always say were

really the first British Invasion not so

much like the Beatles but here in this

case more like the invasion of a new

British robust understanding of the

Christian life and of the need for

revival and revival istic preaching

though we are used to discussing

nondenominational movements in the

charismatic movements and

all these things from the 20th century

you really have to understand that the

Methodist movement shaped so much of the

early days of both colonial America and

the post Revolutionary era of what it

meant to be doing Church here in North

America so to begin with we're going to

look in this lecture at who John Wesley

was what was his rise to become a

preacher in a revivalist and an

organizer of the Methodist Church and

then in our next lecture we're going to

look at more of John Wesley's theology

and we're going to contrast that with

the theology of George Whitfield but for

now we look at the man John Wesley

Wesley was born in 1703 just as the 18th

century was dawning in the city of

Epworth it was the 15th of 19 children

to Samuel and Susanna Wesley now know

it's not the case that they had 19

little ones running around

unfortunately the tragic circumstances

of so much of child-rearing during this

day meant that only 9 lived beyond

infancy still though 19 children 9 of

whom live is a pretty staggeringly high

number this is part of the ethos of this

day this is a day before birth control

but also this is a day when so many

infants died that it was not uncommon to

have a significantly large number of

children at least by the standards of

the modern world

Samuel and Susannah are a real powerful

combination as parents for young John

and Charles Samuel himself was a pastor

there in the city of Epworth

and he was a well educated man he had

studied at Oxford

Susannah though gets the lion's share of

the attention I always say Susannah is

one of the great three mothers of the

church no not so much for what she

herself writes or says or does but for

the way that she nurtures her children

the three mothers by the way in my

estimation or Constantine's mom Helena

Agustin's mom Monica who almost

literally chases down Augustine for the

faith and here with Susanna Susanna was

the daughter of a dissenting pastor now

by this point we've carried ourselves

through a lot of that material we've

noticed how from Charles the first on

down to Charles the second after the

restoration you have arised this group

this more or less in a Baptist inspired

or at least the impulses within a

baptism are renewed here this group

called the dissenting group a wide

variety of all different kinds of

stripes theologically and culturally who

took issue with the established church

so right then and there you can see that

Susanna is not something to be trifled

with let's say in terms of her faith she

takes it seriously

both Samuel and Susanna raised their

children in a very very strict household

all kinds of rules and regulations

things that were again somewhat common

in this day and age but Susanna's

application of these rules were pretty

significant some find them to be a bit

harsh but this is a different century

and in this day and age it was not

considered to be too harsh

the children were well educated it was

assumed that they would be tutored by

their parents in both Greek and Latin

Susanna kept charge of their spiritual

life as often as once a day she would

sit down for a little bit of time with

each of her children to assess how they

had been that day and to discuss the

things of God not a whole lot is known

about John's early years there is one

more

apocryphal story it's a true story but

the implication of it is certainly

apocryphal and that is in 1709 at the

age of five some embers fell upon the

roof and the entire house went up in

flames all of the family and the kids

except for John made it out of the house

by the time they noticed that Little

John Wesley was there on the second

floor in a window the staircase to reach

him was itself up in flames and the

house was really in danger of burning

down on top of them some neighbors one

man sitting on the shoulders of another

managed to grab him out of the

second-story window

saving his life and John really does see

this and he actually creates some of the

mythology here as part and parcel to the

serious call God had upon him he

describes himself as the quote brand

plucked from the fire and as the later

years were on and as his ministry grew

he always looked back to moments like

this but this one in particular as

examples of God's unfolding of his plan

that he would lead a Reformation and a

revival or the church not only in

England but in the new world John went

on to Christ Church Oxford in 1720 one

of the preeminent colleges there in the

city of Oxford he was a really

precocious student he graduated with his

BA and his MA and eventually he becomes

a lecturer there in a fellow teaching

Greek and the New Testament one of the

real turning points for him personally

was it was during this time that he

began to read all kinds of things on the

Christian life and on the application of

God's law to himself for the sake of

holiness now it's important to note here

dissenting churches in a Baptist

churches in a number of churches and

theological traditions now in the

English context are not going to have

this Lutheran allergy to discussion of

the law of holiness and the Christian

life Wesley is often credited with

inspiring and starting holiness

movements as they would eventually be

called Wesley himself as we'll see in

our next lecture talked about something

called Christian perfection and even in

the context of what he calls his

conversion

there is this belief that the Christian

life is not really begun until you have

conquered sin now he is at times a bit

ambiguous here does he mean pure

perfection

or does he mean something like Christian

victory over gross sin where we see

sanctification worked out the complexity

of the problem that was so ironclad for

Luther between justification on the one

hand and sanctification on the other as

we said in our lecture on Luther he put

these two as far as the east is from

west as John is studying at Oxford

though he's reading a number of texts

and subjects on the Christian life and

he really begins to nuance his

understanding of how God's law ought to

be applied to his life after some time

in Oxford though he is called to be a

pastor in a neighboring village with his

father so it goes back to the area of

Epworth and he's a pastor for two years

only at the end of that is he called

back to Oxford at the urging and

prompting of one of his connections

there to return to join up and take a

junior fellowship so that he would not

lose his lectureship at Oxford it's

during the second stint in Oxford again

as a junior fellow that the origins of

the Methodist movement really Gunder way

Charles Mosley had moved to Oxford by

this point he was a younger brother and

he had taken up his studies while he was

there though Charles and a couple of

others began to you might say have a

small group together or an

accountability group together they met

in the morning and they would pray and

do all kinds of things together almost

always focusing on the Christian life

and sanctification when he arrives there

again himself John really takes the

reins of this and this movement what

would eventually be called the holy club

takes on a new serious tone on most days

they met from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. to

pray read the Psalms and do a number of

different spiritual devotional practices

it's almost you might say like they're

living a monastic life Wednesday and

Friday they fast there are honest vows

taken that they will ideally not marry

and will commit themselves radically to

the gospel they also began to do social

work this is one of the more

underappreciated things about Wesley

they started going to prisons in doing

prison ministry they really reached out

to the least in their midst over time

though they began to attract he might

say the wrong kind of attention it's not

that people were necessarily opposed to

sanctification in the context of Oxford

rather you might say that people were

relatively unconvinced that this was

even good at all this is again the 18th

century this is what you're starting to

see a malaise and a lack of conviction

about being really serious about your

Christian life however for those who are

Christian overtly Christians there in

Oxford they start to use words that

should be very familiar to us if we know

our 16th and 17th century history they

begin to be called things like the

enthusiasts which is a code word an

enthusiast is exactly the word that

Luther used to describe those who were

reformed now in the context of Luther's

day he's referring to the sacraments by

this point though in the 18th century an

enthusiast was more of one of these

dissenting radicals and so the holy club

and the Wesley brothers and a couple of

others are being mocked and scorned for

not telling the line of traditional

religion they're too serious about their

faith they gain some attention as well

because one in their myths died

prematurely in quite suddenly and people

began to blame the fact that he had

fasted and done all these more excessive

things at least according to the

standards of Oxford in this day and that

that might have hastened his death now

there is no evidence of this

Wesley himself points out that the man

had stopped fasting for a year and a

half before his death there's no way

that that had caused anything but it's

that attention though from the death of

one of the members where the name

Methodist comes from there was a

pamphlet that described these quote

Oxford Methodists and in a letter around

this time

Wesley actually refers to the name

Methodist you might say as a badge of

honor they were being called the

Methodists and something of a play on

words that these were men who thought

that they could through a certain method

through a certain devotional practice

affect their own sanctification

Wesley takes it as a badge of honor he's

saying fine call us the Methodists we

are people who care about the method of

sanctification and about the progress in

the process of the Christian life as

this spiritual experience deepens Wesley

ends up taking up a missionary activity

to the new world again he seems to be

driven by his faith to want to go and do

good works in a more we might say

radical way what was happening about the

same time is there's a very important

member of parliament by the name of

egill Thorpe and Oglethorpe like Wesley

was really committed to the least of

those in their midst

oppan hopes passion was for the

cessation of what was known in this day

as debtors prison those who got into

debt depending on how much could be

thrown into prison and until the debts

were paid back you often would stay in

that prison now obviously you can see

the problem right here if you are in

prison how in the world are you going to

pay back your debts in a manner of

speaking it was essentially a death

knell to someone's life or their career

well Okafor really lobbies hard against

this excessive penalization of falling

into debt a number of debtors prisons

are shut down

however the problem is is you're

spilling all these prisoners out onto

the streets now with no money still in

debt technically speaking and often they

were unhireable well Oglethorpe actually

puts a proposal before Parliament in

which some southern lands in the new

world will be established as a new

colony to rehabilitate those who had

fallen into debt and who needed just

simply from an economic standpoint a new

way of life and so in 1732 the state of

Georgia is founded through the action of

Oglethorpe in order to provide a place

for people to come and start over well

the city of Savannah as it would

eventually be called was one of the

first places where they landed Wesley

decides that he is going to join up with

this group he's going to go and minister

to those who are moving to the new world

to start over and he hoped he was going

to do missionary work amongst Native

Americans no again it need to be noted

not everyone who moves to

during this time is themselves a debtor

in the worst possible sense rather this

is a haven for them others came for

economic reasons etc but the central

purpose of it was to be a place again to

start over and it speaks to Wesley's

passion here he wants to go to where

those who have in part just come out of

prison or maybe those who are starting

over all kinds of reasons that people

are moving to this new area of Georgia

but Wesley decides that he is going to

move there and he is going to become the

pastor of this new fledgling community

unfortunately it all went downhill

pretty fast there are a number of

stories that really provide us evidence

that Wesley's world you might say is

beginning to unravel just a bit on the

boat right over actually and we've noted

this in a few places a trip across the

sea in this day and age was really

pretty chaotic and hectic until the

discovery of instrumentation to be able

to measure longitude it would not be too

extreme to say that you're essentially

sailing blind you know where you are in

terms of latitude based on the horizon

on the Sun and other kinds of things but

you have no idea how far you've made it

across the Atlantic Ocean how much more

time is left and it could be frankly

pretty nerve-racking we noted in our

lecture on the 18th century let a trip

over the Atlantic could take anywhere

from 21 22 days

at its best to a whopping three months

to get all the way across the Atlantic

Ocean depending on currents depending on

the winds the ships during this time

were also not necessarily massive well

what happens during the trip is Wesley

losses frankly some of his nerve his

patience and his trust in God is tested

on the boat with him were a number of

people who we will talk about in a

minute known as the Moravians their

leader this time was made the name of

August Spangenberg Spangenberg is coming

to the new world in part to find a place

for the Moravians to have new land and

new opportunities in the new colonies he

actually heads straight for Pennsylvania

at some point where he founds the first

Moravian Church in America he also is

the man who founds the city of

nazareth in pennsylvania Spangenberg in

other words is vitally important in a

very key figure in this Moravian

movement well the Moravians again coming

out of Lutheran Pietism are

significantly passionate and confident

you might say about their salvation and

about their place should God decide to

take them home at one point there was a

storm that erupted and Wesley losing his

lunch quaking and shaking and fearful

there on the boat was struck by how

peaceful and calm the Moravians were

during this ordeal they were singing the

Psalms together quite patient realizing

that should their life be forfeit that

they rest in Christ meanwhile Wesley

again is just simply shaking like a leaf

that's a real crack in the armor here's

a man who frankly had probably a good

bit of pride he knew he was about his

serious faith and yet here when it was

actually tested when he thought his life

was up he was bested by those from the

Moravian Church the second major crisis

that Wesley comes across while they're

in the city of Savannah is his

relationship with Sophie Hop key Wesley

arrives to the area Savannah and he's

mentoring essentially you might say as a

high churchmen he's big when liturgy

he's big on the Book of Common Prayer at

this point of course he is an anglican

pastor an Anglican priest he follows the

Book of Common Prayer he does all kinds

of different things very much you might

say from the high churchmen perspective

well as you can imagine in the colonial

period there were all kinds of folks

there in the new world who were not

necessarily positive on the state church

or the traditional way that things were

being run he seems in other words to

have chafed relationally with a few

people his relationship was simply

hockey though is a real microcosm of

where Wesley's personality is going he

is attracted to her he even seems to

have a certain amount of love for her

he wants to marry her at some point but

eventually he comes to the conclusion

that they are not meant for each other

and then Sophie aapki almost with a

little bit too much haste marries

someone else there in the community the

issue though is

that Wesley is also their pastor and so

in a real foolish move applying the

strict letter of the law from the

Anglican service and the liturgy Wesley

as the pastor sensing notice sensing

that Sophie's concern for the matters of

the faith had grown a bit dim now that

she was happily married meant that he

should withhold communion from her not

just um her though but also from her new

beau

this is retaliatory obviously the next

service he withholds communion from her

and from her new husband and it sets off

a chain of events that eventually gets

Wesley kicked out of Savannah he has to

flee and he runs with his tail between

his legs back to London so much so for

the missionary going off to do so much

good it's around this time where a real

depressed morose and a beat-down Wesley

remembers the Moravians who had been on

the ship with him heading over to

Savannah when he's back in London and he

actually attends on one evening the 24th

of May 17:38

a Moravian meeting there in the city of

London at a place called Aldersgate now

you recall from a lecture on lutheran

Pietism that there is this movement

towards not works but towards the

emotional life towards the passionate

true christianity as people like Spencer

and others began to talk about in

Germany a century before well they're

Aldersgate there was read aloud the

preface to Luther's Romans commentary

again Luther the great man about the

gospel and Wesley describes this

actually as his conversion and he says

quote my heart was strangely warmed it

is some halfway point between a

pietistic emotional response and

something that Wesley would go on to

describe later as a conversion - he

thinks the actual Christian faith now

there's been all kinds of

head-scratching about this and fights

and debates the biggest problem of all

is how do you understand a man who has

been about the Christian life his entire

life who has been a pastor for years who

has been a missionary to the new world

and who has sought the things of God and

rested on salvation

at least all these years how can you

describe this in 1738 as his conversion

well the answer is in part that Wesley

himself describes it as a conversion the

central problem though is when Wesley

describes what that conversion is it's

very clear he's not talking about

justification or a sinner's prayer he

says in a letter that what he has

converted to and what he believes

conversion is is finally the eradication

and the conquering of sin in your life

he says sin had ward within him and

because of this conversion as he calls

it in 1738 sin no longer dominated him

now again from a Lutheran perspective

from an early Protestant perspective

that sounds suspect that sounds you

might say Pelagian leaning something

like this

but where's Wesley coming from he's

coming from this dissenting in a Baptist

relatively holiness focused

sanctification focused perspective even

though he's been an Anglican all these

years there is certainly almost a DNA

within him that is seeking not so much

the conversion through the sinner's

prayer or through resting alone on the

works of Christ but rather this yearning

for conquering sin in his life well in

1738 he has found this now the question

is is how does pietism link up with this

dissenting movement there in the English

context well in part the answer is that

connection happens you might say

personally in John Wesley's life what do

I mean well I'm often asked to describe

what EV angelical ISM is because Evan

Jellicle ISM in the modern context and

in the historical context is Protestant

but it also has different impulses and

it doesn't at times you might say feel

quite the same well without being too

pejorative or too overly simplistic when

asked what Evan Jellicle ISM is

historically I often say it's the

Protestant understanding of

justification in particular that of

Luther with the Stingley and

understanding of the sacraments

virtually no evangelical in

the context of the Americas particularly

not after Wesley tends to believe in a

pure physical eating of Eucharist

so they trends wing lien and that

combination syncs up with the pietistic

movement of the emotional life of

regeneration small groups and revivalism

how do all those things come together

well in this case in the person of John

Wesley they come together in his life

here's a man who was raised by a mother

of a dissenting pastor he had himself an

Anglican and now he has described his

conversion with these Piatt 'test

from the Moravian Church not only that

but in that same year

Wesley takes a pilgrimage to Haran hoot

where Count von Sansa Dorf had founded

the Moravian Church from the very

beginning Wesley you might say will

combine a number of different

theological and ecclesiastical ament's

within his own self-identity he will not

simply become Moravian again he's going

to go on to establish the Methodist

denomination but he will incorporate all

kinds of ideas about how German Lutheran

Pietism should be shaped in the context

of holiness now as we'll see

particularly when we look at our next

lecture the shift the change in the

person of Wesley is that Wesley is not

Lutheran he has very little concern

frankly for Luther's concern about the

differentiation between justification

and sanctification if anything Wesley is

alter committed to the subject of

sanctification in a way that would make

him fundamentally opposed to the

Lutheran faith that you do not seek

sanctification because to do so would be

to justify or at least appear to be

justifying yourself by works now as

we'll see in our next lecture that's

unfair to describe Wesley as being non

Lutheran however with the coming of John

Wesley and with his conversion here and

with his rise eventually to be head of a

new Methodist Church you see a new day

dawning where the Arminian perspective

as it was known a century before from

the Senate of dort and from the Dutch

regions gets reshaped and remoulded to

come the Weslie and holiness and our

minion perspective on the Christian life