THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

Methodism

INTRODUCTION

Although Methodism comes later than Presbyterianism, the fact that it is very close to Episcopalianism leads us to study Methodism before Presbyterianism. In many ways the Methodism is Episcopialism lite. In fact in England there are 2 types of Churches of England: high church and low church. The Episcopalian Church in America corresponds to the high church of the Church of England, while the Methodist Church corresponds more closely to the low church of the Church of England. "Lite" and "Low" may seem to be derogatory terms. In this context they are not. In fact they are improvements upon the Church of England.

ORIGINS OF THE METHODIST CHURCH

Methodism basically emerges from the ashes of the religious civil war in England (1649-1660). Prior to the Civil War Charles I (king of England) had tried to imitiate the dictatorial reigns of the European monarchs. This led to disaster because of the long history of English freedom. The group that rose up against Charles was composed primarily of Puritans, Baptists, and Congregationalists.

Upon defeating and beheading Charles I, this group of religious zealots imposed upon the nation a harsher dictatorship than anything Charles had ever conceived of. This group conceived of freedom, especially religious freedom, in terms of THEIR religion. It was a religion which stressed purity, devotion to God, and abstinence from almost all forms of levity. For example, during the Christmas holidays the Puritan/Baptist army would break into homes and disrupt their Christmas festivities, even stealing the meat roasting over the chimney fires.

In 1660 the dictatorship collapsed when Oliver Cromwell, the leader of this group, passed away. The vast majority of England longed for the days of the monarchy. They wanted God; they just didn't want the God of the Puritans and the Baptists. In 1660 they brought to the throne Charles II, the son of Charles I. This was not just a return to constitutional monarchy, it was a rejection of imposing a strict religion upon the English.

Unfortunately, when a pendulum swings, it goes in the exact opposite direction and to the same height it had fallen from. Strict morals had been observed during the days of the Republic (1649-1660); now the morals of the nation went to the other extreme. Instead of exalting morality, this new generation mocked at morality and even to some degree persecuted it [for example, John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's Progress (1678)]. For the next generation morals are at a low ebb.

It is into this situation that John Wesley (June 17, 1703 – March 2, 1791) appears. John Wesley had been the son of a devout minister of the Church of England. His mother Susannah, though strict, was nevertheless a positive spiritual force in his life. Upon entering Oxford University (he studied at Christ College) he along with his brother Charles (the hymn writer) and George Whitfield formed the "Holy Club," a group meeting weekly for spiritual renewal. After being ordained as a priest in the Church of England, Wesley headed for America to minister among the Indians in South Carolina and Georgia. This mission endeavor was overall a failure.

Upon returning to England Wesley connected with a Moravian fellowship which changed his life. May 24, 1738 Wesley was headed for a Bible study he simply did not wish to attend that night. However, duty compelled him. At that Bible study he and others read Martin Luther's introduction to his commentary on Paul's letter to the Romans. When they dealt with Rom. 1:17 (the same passage which changed Martin Luther) Wesley said: "I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and of death." From this point on Wesley becomes a powerful evangelical force in England.

Now Wesley is an ordained minister in the Church of England. At that time England is divided up into parishes with one church from the Church of England taking care of that one parish. Wesley does not stick to this arrangement. Rather he claims, "The world is my parish," thereby enabling him to preach throughout all of England.

This leads to much conflict between him and the established Church of England. For all practical purposes the established churches refuse to allow Wesley to preach from their pulpits. The result is that he preaches on hillsides, jails, open fields, the ruins of abandoned cathedrals, etc. This brings him into contact with the common man of England. Methodism (which gets its name from the methods Wesley and his followers would use in church function) becomes very much a religion of the common man, while the Church of England becomes the religion of the wealthier segment of the English population. (More on the name Methodism: Wesley divided his religious societies further into classes and bands for intensive accountability and religious instruction.)

The impact of Methodism upon England is impressive. First, because of the revival Methodism brought to England, England was kept out of the great revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries which ravaged Europe. By the end of the 1700's France is in total chaos. Napoleon will spread this chaos throughout the rest of Europe. England though escapes this turmoil, largely due to the spiritual revitalization brought about by Methodism.

Methodism's impact upon America is likewise impressive. Even though Wesley himself did not minister later in the U.S. after his "conversion," one of his proteges, George Whitfield, begins an extensive preaching ministry throughout the 13 colonies. His preaching and the preaching of Jonathan Edwards launch the First Great Awakening in the United States. This spiritual awakening is credited as being one of the major reasons the U.S. unlike France did not spiral out of control after the Revolutionary War.

A final major contribution Methodism has made is in the area of societal progress. Some of the leading politicians in America have come from the ranks either of Methodism (Wm. McKinley and George W. Bush) or Episcopalianism (George Washington, James Madison, Wm. Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Frankin Pierce, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, and George H. Bush).

In England though the list is even more impressive because it is headed by William Wilberforce and John Newton (both members of the Church of England but strongly influenced by Methodism). The efforts of these 2 men eventually led to the abolition of the slave trade throughout the British empire. Moreover, Wilberforce continued to work in the area of improving working conditions for children throughout Britain and of promoting education throughout the general population of Britain.

MAJOR DISTINCTIVES OF METHODISM

It is difficult to pinpoint specific major distinctives of Methodism. Basically it is an evangelical Episcopalian church with its use of liturgy and formal religion. Wesley did not reject the emphasis on the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Rather he did emphasize the need for personal holiness, prayer, and Scripture reading in addition to partaking of liturgy.

In Methodism there the stress between evangelicalism and liturgy continued to permeate the Methodist church. Many of the Methodist churches especially in the southern part of the U.S. continued to be evangelical. Very few people in the 20's and 30's could tell much difference between Baptists and Methodists. One funny scene in Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It has one person commenting: "A Methodist is a Baptist who can read." (Even though I am a Baptist, I thought that was hysterical!)

On the other hand, many Methodist churches in more affluent areas have veered more towards the liturgical and in many ways resembles greatly the Episcopalian church. The Nazarene church to a certain degree is a reaction to this element in the Methodist church. The Church of the Nazarene came out of Methodism and reached down to the lower classes, the group John Wesley had originally reached.

One final emphasis in Methodism is the emphasis on reason in matters of faith and religion. Unlike Roman Catholicism which emphasizes reason apart from Christian truth is allowable, Wesley did believe that God was a rational, logical God and that reason properly used was beneficial in the Christian life. This is understandable in light of the fact that he was a graduate of Oxford University. To the end of his life he remained a devoted scholar.