John Wesley : Founder Of Methodism

In John Wesley’s early years at Oxford he wrote the sermon “The Almost Christian,” that distinguish differences between the “almost Christian,” which he refers as the “high-minded hypocrite” in comparison to the “altogether Christian,” stating that he doubts there are many (The Almost Christian, p. 61). He implies being almost a Christian: 1) one must display simple heathen honesty; 2) have a form of godliness which is prescribed in the gospel of Christ, the “outside of a real Christian;” and 3) procure sincerity, the real inward principle of religion in which one’s actions come” (The Almost Christian, p. 62-64). Dissimilarly, for Wesley the “altogether Christian,” is one that strives for a faith that glorifies God by loving Him and their

In 1726 Edwards moved to Northampton to help his grandfather as assistant pastor, “he was probably more inclined to agree with the stricter views of his father rather than with his grandfather’s more open policy regarding communicant membership, but for the time being, an agreement to disagree seems to have prevailed” . When Solomon Stoddard died in February 1729, Edwards assumed full responsibility of the congregation. With the inheritance of the congregation came considerable expectations, considering Northampton regarded Solomon as a sort of deity. “New England’s occasional awakenings and other efforts to revive piety were part of an international ‘pietist’ movement” .

George would later attend Oxford to obtain his undergraduate degree. It was at school that George was introduced to John Wesley through his participation in the Holy Club. Mark Noll explained this time by saying, “Whitefield had been an Oxford undergraduate of very modest means when he was recruited into the Holy Club where John Wesley and his brother, the hymn writer Charles, were prominent”. Noll goes on to say that it was through the participation in the club that George was saved. After Whitefield graduated his talent for preaching was almost immediately recognized. He was asked to travel to many churches throughout England preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. Arnold Dallimore explained that during this time that people would simply try to touch George’s garments as he passed them. Though Whitefield had celebrity type success in England he was called to continue his preaching in America.

The Apostle Paul, Saint Augustine, and Martin Luther have been three very important figures in the Christian church. Each went through a unique personal experience that changed the course of their lives. Those experiences were important to them and they should be important to anyone of the Christian faith. In this research paper I will explore these experiences and how they do and do not relate to each other.

Most colonists that came in the early 1600’s were Christians, a religion that has very specific rules and rigid regulations that must be followed to be a “saved” person destined for a paradisiacal after life. Within these restrictions were the directions to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). It seems clear that from the first the Christian religion was telling the colonists to “help” the natives by making them conform to the culture of the colonists and destroying their own. This was always done with a sense of Native American natural inferiority. In most cases, the Native Americans were not told the entire nature of their conversion. A Jesuit described the tactics used in converting Native Americans, “The outward splendor with which we endeavor to surround the Ceremonies of the Church…with a magnificence surpassing anything that the eyes of our savages have ever beheld – all these things produce an impression on their minds” (Le pays reneverse by denys delage 168). For those truly religious souls, coming to the New World meant a chance to bring salvation and Christianity to new

He stresses throughout the essay that the settlers who are willing to be involved in this “mission” must put their whole life into it and come together as one if they want their religion to succeed as a model for other Christian churches throughout the world. Winthrop says that God will help them in their times of need, and bless them in return for their faith in him.

J. S. Woodsworth was born in Etobicoke, Ontario on July 29, 1874 (http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-shaver-woodsworth/). Woodsworth went to Wesley College in Winnipeg, Manitoba after he finished high-school in 1891. In 1896, Woodsworth was ordained as a Methodist Minister, following in his father’s footsteps. Two years later, Wordsworth entered the theological course at Victoria College in Toronto (A Prophet in Politics). He also attended Oxford University in England in 1899. After he returned to Canada, he began working as the minister at Grace Church in Winnipeg. Woodsworth started doing missionary and social work in Winnipeg and Toronto slums, focussing on the poor and immigrant families. In 1904, he married

Martin Luther .  He declared that the Bible alone was the source of God's words.  He started the "Protestant Reformation."

As the Protestant Reformation lead to oppression of outside opinions and beliefs, many peoples took this opportunity to start anew in colonial America. However, each region adopted a slightly different religion. For example, New England became a stable platform for Protestants. As the Church of England underwent radical changes, some Englishmen opposed these changes due to their striking similarities to Catholicism, and therefore sought a new religion, Protestantism (Foner p.64). In order to avoid oppression and discrimination of their new religion in England, many fled to America in hopes of seeking religious tolerance. Some settled in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Protestantism preached about the importance of sermons, equality, and even adopted John Calvin’s idea of pre-determined salvation (Foner p. 65). Winthrop and the first settlers of Massachusetts set up a Commission in which Puritan beliefs governed society. For example,

Before the Great Awakening, Theodorus Frelinghuysen, a German pastor’s son, born on November 6, 1692 in Lingen, Germany answered the call to theology. After Frelinghuysen’s education at the University of Lingen and ordination in 1717, he accepted his first pastoral commitment at Emden, then another one at East-Friesland before accepting a sub-rectorship position./At that time, his doctrine ascribed to living a Godly confessional style of piousness with heart, mind, and soul regarding the law, realizing sin; rebirth, salvation only through Jesus Christ by the grace of God; and receiving the Holy Spirit/

Gloucester, England during 1714. Growing up Whitfield’s education wasn’t stable yet he managed to pull himself through Pembroke and Oxford University. While attending Oxford, Whitefield was introduced to a man by the name of Charles Wesley who was a devout Christian. Within a space of time Charles managed to convince George Whitefield to join the “Holy Club” consisting of men exercising methods to advocate personal holiness otherwise known as “Methodists”. In later years, as a result, Whitefield and Wesley progressed forwards creating the Methodist Movement.

John Wesley argued Christian perfection throughout his ministry. His quest was holy living. Wesley was focused with the life of holiness than with the philosophy concerning holiness and he was engrossed in the experience than in its principles.

John Wesley wrote in his Sermon 16 that the means of grace are understood as “outward signs, words, or actions ordained by God… to be the ordinary channels whereby (God) might convey to men preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace.” Means are what happen outside of oneself and the grace is what does the work inside of ourselves or another way to say this is to say the ways we receive and experience grace. When we speak of the sacraments we refer to them as outward signs of an inward and spiritual grace. The means of grace in the sacraments, means are the bread and cup of communion and the water of the baptism and the liturgy spoken. These act in an outward and physical way, but the real work is that of the invisible grace we receive.

Young adulthood is a period of immense physical, spiritual and intellectual growth, especially for those fortunate enough to attend an institution of higher learning. Despite this growth, college students may decide to turn their back to their spirituality in favor of a logical and temporal existence. 18th century African American writer Phillis Wheatley delivers a positive religious message in her poem titled “To the University of Cambridge, in New England” that as a Christian college student, I appreciate. In this poem, Wheatley urges students to remain dedicated to their studies, but to also to have an appreciation of their own morality and the importance of escaping sins’ eternal presence.

John Winthrop and Jonathan Edwards were both religious leaders that lived centuries before the present time. They shared the same goal in persuading people into Christianity, yet differed greatly in the way they chose to develop their sermons. Winthrop, a Puritan who wrote based on new religious and social ideals, composed the famous sermon “A Model of Christian Charity.”