Portal:Christianity/Selected biography/April 2009

John Wesley (28 June 1703 – 2 March 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian, and is largely credited with founding the Methodist movement. The Methodist Movement began when Wesley took to open-air preaching in a similar manner as George Whitefield at Hanham Mount, Kingswood, and Bristol.

Wesley was a preacher of righteousness, exalting the holiness of God. This preaching, as Paris Reidhead accounted of Wesley, "wasn't trying to convince good man that he was in trouble with a bad God - it was trying to convince bad man that he was in trouble with a good God."

Methodism was a successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged congregants to repent from sin and believe the Gospel.

Wesley helped to organize and form societies throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, small groups that developed intensive, personal accountability and religious instruction among members. His great contribution was to appoint itinerant, unordained preachers who traveled widely to evangelize and care for people in the societies. Young men who acted as their assistants were called "exhorters". Historically, these exhorters functioned in a similar fashion to the Twelve Apostles after the ascension of Jesus.

Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social justice issues of the day, including prison reform and abolitionism movements. 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 insisted that in this life, the Christian could come to a state where the love of God, or perfect love, reigned supreme in one's heart. 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 transforms the believer.

Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican Church. 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.

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