Objectives -
To examine and discuss the reasons Methodism was appealing especially to the lower class;
To examine how Wesley's life shaped the Methodist movement
Open with Prayer
Read: Jn.12:32, 2 Pet. 3:9, Ezek.18:23
Lecture: The Methodist Movement
Key Issues covered: Wesley's early life and education, Wesley's influences, the Holy club, Moravians, Methodist societies,
Questions for Discussion: How was this movement different from others? Why was Wesley troubled by his salvation? Was Methodism appealing or not? Was Wesley reluctant to leave the Anglican Church? How did the Methodist become a denomination?
Hymn: "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" 3 min.
Close with Prayer: For the
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How effective were Lay Preachers in America?
Hymn: "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" 3 min.
Close with Prayer: For the Pursuit of Holiness 10 min.
Session #10- Study Plan
Wesley's Contributions to the Church: Pietism, Evangelism, Circuit System
Pietism: (Personal Devotions and religious experience) o The "Holiness Club":
Emphasis on the pursuit of holiness (godliness)
Daily devotions (private and public)
Scriptural studies, prayers and worship
Outreach and evangelism
• Modern model of the Holy Club: Small Groups, Prayer Meetings and Lesson Studies Small/Community Groups:(meets weekly)
Bible study as a group
Fellowship
Community service Prayer Meetings:
Usually ones a week/every other week
Prayers as a group for each other and the world Lesson Studies:
Bible Studies as a group (Systematic Theology study
Studying a Christian book
Evangelism: Arminianism influence, Lay Preachers, and the Lower Classes o Lay Preachers: Functions, Francis Asbury
I have always been interested in the life and times of John Wesley. How his personality and convictions affected the Methodist Church and the world of Christianity in general. I grew up in a Methodist church, but at no point was I ever interested in learning about the founding fathers of the Church. All this changed when I got to Tyndale and took History of Christianity. I found out that the man behind the Methodist was very interested in Christian leadership; this is a very huge passion of mine. Hence my study of the life of John Wesley in this paper and how he changed the face of Christianity in England and ultimately the world.
Let us now examine the time of the Reformation, beginning proper in 1519 with Luther’s quarrels with the Roman Catholic church and ending in the eighteenth century with Wesleyanism, the reformation of theology that occurred within the Church of England.
As one who came to the Methodist tradition later in her journey, I am very appreciative as to the origins of John Wesley’s practices and beliefs. I am proud of the fact that “we” have been the first tradition to ordain women in the ministry as well as the first to focus on assisting everyday people and those on the margins. But even more importantly, just as the Methodists of old spoke viscerally against slavery the still intact systematic racism needs to be addressed by the church as well. As we read the above text, it states to go out and train everyone, not just some or those who are all white. Again, it is important we learn from our past to create a healthier future.
Charles Chauncey became Jonathan Edward’s opponent and opposed the Great Awakening’s New Light ideals of revivalism and emotional sermons that he referred to as Enthusiasm, and became the defender of the old way of the Puritan ways of preaching and serving God. “His greatest contemporary fame came as a leading ‘’Old Light’’ opponent of the massive religious revivals that swept through the colonies in the late 1730s and early 1740s, a position in his mind motivated by an earnest desire to conserve the Puritan way from the “New Lights” dangerous engagement of excessive displays of emotions.” These excessive displays of emotions he explained that they were, “nothing better than Enthusiasts... [and] have no good reason to believe such a thing.” He believed that
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.
After this experience, Wesley began to emphasize “the importance of the experiential element of faith.” While meeting women who had also felt their hearts “strangely warmed,” his mind was opened to the idea of Methodist women preachers. When asked why he would allow women to preach, he replied, “Because God owns them in the saving of souls, and who am I to withstand God?” Wesley eventually died in London at the age of 88 on March 2, 1791. As he died, he cried out, “The best of all is, God is with
The two groups who were especially important to this era were the women and followers of the Social Gospel Movement. A group Protestant ministers who later became known as the Social Gospel Movement fought for justice in society and ending prostitution and poverty encouraged middle class citizens to join the fight for Progressive reform. The middle-class women of the late nineteenth century who were first generation college graduates who worked outside the home in the few professional jobs available for women. Most of these men and women were brought up in deeply religious families so they had a zeal for pursuing social reform.
Catherine was largely influenced by Charles Finney and the Wesley brothers because of her years as a child on bedrest. The foundation of her Christianity was in Methodism so, while in her early years she agreed with the Methodist theology, as she grew in her own relationship with God and established her own convictions, many of her beliefs began to part ways with those of the methodists. However this was largely due to the negative change in Methodism, not the original teachings of the Wesley brothers. The Salvation Army revival was quite different than revivals of the past in a few crucial ways. In fact, it is safe to safe it was the first revival of its kind. The main difference lies in the focus of the revival. For example, the Wesleyan revival, in which both Catherine and William had their roots, focused only on the salvation of souls and reaching the lost with the gospel. While that was a major focus of the Salvation Army Revival, William and particularly
development of Sunday school and new denominations like Methodism’s, Christian Church, The Salvation Army, and Pentecostalism etc. In addition, there is the contribution of Theologians to the praxis of Christian living.
The 152nd Annual Conference of the Grand Ole North Carolina Conference convened at one of the Conference’s historical churches, Clinton Chapel AME Zion in New Bern, NC. Reverend Dr. M. Luther Hill, its gifted pastor, and his great congregation were very gracious hosts and made everyone feel welcomed. They opened their doors on Sunday and ministers, adorned in their priestly, white robes, marched in to open this great Conference in High Church Methodist fashion. The service, filled with high spiritual elements intertwining the liturgical elements, connected our hearts to the ancient tradition of the Anglican Church; however, with an African American twist. Presiding Elder Lester Jacobs, of the Washington District, delivered a soul-stirring
Besides being known as the Father of the Reformed Church in America, the resolver of the Coetus vs. Conferentie dispute, the instituter of the Union of Articles to provide education for colonial clergy, and the founder of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, John Henry Livingston is also known as the father of the modern missionary movement (By Grace Alone, 81). Livingston helped a young RCA denomination establish itself and wade through some challenging theological positions (The Dutch Reformed Church in the American Colonies, 207-209). During Livingston’s time, it was the middle of the Second Great Awakening and an evangelical pietism was filling the churches across the colonial seafront (Word and World, 16-17). Livingston, too, resonated with this individualism since he found
Weapons, such as guns or knives, are not innately evil, but rather serve whatever purpose a person chooses for one. This remains true for more than just physical tools. Ideals and beliefs have been used throughout the ages to justify actions, good and bad alike. For example, Christianity was used commonly during the crusades as a justification to slaughter thousands of people for the purpose of reclaiming the ‘holy land.’ Though this one belief has been used broadly for negative actions such as that extreme example or even something is frivolous as the picketing of funerals by Westboro Baptist Church, it has also been used to better the world. The church I belonged to, Pine Grove Free Methodist Church, made its best efforts to assist its surrounding community by volunteering at the local homeless shelter and running charity events for starving children in Africa. Furthermore, interpretation and practice truly differentiates the diverse groups within Christianity from their stereotypes. However, to better understand Christianity and Free Methodist denomination I belonged to, one must understand their foundations and common practices within.
Breaking from Protestant tradition, in which church services tended to be muted and formal, Methodist services often included “crying, moaning, and shouting”8. For Methodists, this expression of true rapturous love for God was an outgrowth of the great personal love each person had for his or her creator; for Methodists, loudly and passionately expressing your religious feelings was to embrace God with all of one’s being. This was a common thread among many reformers during the time period: the idea that the church services being practiced by the mainstream Protestant church were too far removed from the passionate love of God that many believers felt from within their hearts. Methodism and its focus on personal relationships and contact with God would prove very popular among disaffected Protestants, and would eventually become among the most well-known and populous Protestant
In assessing theology and culture, as an African American woman recently thrust into the role of full time ministry, the theologians that spoke most intensely to me were James Cone and John Wesley. Cone brings tenacity that far exceeds that of other theologians I have studied. His approach is very direct, and relevant to my theological studies in relationship to the black church. His writings though applied to generations prior, his antiquities are yet still quite applicable. While, Wesley is also relatable, his methods differ greatly from those of James Cone.
Charles Wesley is mostly known as a Methodist hymn writer. However, he made many more contributions to the Methodist movement than just hymns. He was the co-creator of the movement with his brother John. He was also a preacher, a leader, and a theologian, in addition to a hymn writer. He is rarely considered separately from his brother, except concerning his hymns.