Theologian · Early modern
John Wesley
1703–1791 · Methodism (Arminian evangelicalism)
Anglican priest all his life; the Methodist movement he founded separated from the Church of England after his death. He read the Eastern Fathers and the Catholic mystics and was accused by his own side of “popery.”
An Oxford don and Anglican priest whose heart was “strangely warmed” in 1738 and who then preached for fifty years to miners and the poor. He held justification by faith with Luther but insisted, against Calvin, on free will restored by prevenient grace, on sanctification as a real transformation, and on “Christian perfection” as perfect love in this life; he fasted, kept the hours, honored the Fathers and the sacraments, and governed his societies with a Jesuit's discipline.
Why he matters: Of all the Reformers' heirs he stands nearest the Catholic doctrine of grace: cooperation, growth in holiness, the possibility of perfection, the means of grace. A Methodist who takes this test will find the distance to Rome shorter than Luther's, and mostly about authority and the sacraments.
Where to be careful
Sola fide and sola scriptura remain, with the rejection of the papacy and of Trent's teaching on the sacraments and the Mass; his “assurance” of salvation is not the Catholic doctrine (Trent, Session 6, ch. 9). On grace, perfection and holiness he is a friend.
Reading
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A Plain Account of Christian PerfectionJohn Wesley · His doctrine of perfect love; compare St. Francis de Sales.
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Sermons on Several OccasionsJohn Wesley · The standard sermons, especially “The Scripture Way of Salvation.”
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Decree on Justification (Trent, Session 6)Council of Trent · Chapters 7–16: how close Wesley came, and where the difference remains.
Documented positions
Where this thinker stands on each dispute the test covers.