John Wesley

John Wesley 

1-John Wesley (1703 – 1791) was a Church of England’s cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother  Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching .

2-In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England. Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally.

3-Wesley's writing and preachings provided the seeds for both the modern Methodist movement and the Holiness movement, which encompass numerous denominations across the world. In addition, he refined Arminianism with a strong evangelical emphasis on the Reformed doctrine of justification by faith.

4-Wesley helped to organise and form societies of Christians throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Ireland as small groups that developed intensive, personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction among members.

5-His great contribution was to appoint itinerant, unordained preachers who travelled widely to evangelise and care for people in the societies. Young men who acted as their assistants were called "exhorters" who functioned in a similar fashion to the twelve apostles after the ascension of Jesus.

6-Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the prison reform  andabolitionism  movements .

7-Wesley's contribution as a theologian was to propose a system of opposing theological stances. His greatest theological achievement was his promotion of what he termed "Christian Perfection", or holiness of heart and life. Wesley held that, in this life, Christians could come to a state in which the love of God, or perfect love, reigned supreme in their hearts.

8-His evangelical theology, especially his understanding of Christian perfection, was firmly grounded in his sacramental theology. He continually insisted on the general use of the means of grace (prayer, scripture, meditation, Holy Communion, etc.) as the means by which God sanctifies and transforms the believer.

9-John Wesley was among the first to preach for slaves rights, attracting significant opposition.

10-Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican tradition. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England, though toward the end of his life he was widely respected and referred to as "the best loved man in England.