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Introduction to Authentic Holiness
for Ordinary Christians
by Captain Geoff Webb
book excerpt
Introduction
In reflecting upon who we are and where we are going, we
are helped by discovering who we were and from whence we came.
Why study the Wesleyan holiness tradition? In a time when
Christianity in the West is often in decline, discussions
about holiness are often muted because of the impact of
secularism, post-Freudian and post-Marxist thinking, and post-
(or hyper-) modernity. Yet, there is a growing trend to search
for answers with which we can engage our future, by returning
to ancient (or at least older) patterns of thought. The
increased interest in pre-Chalcedonian Christianity is one
example of this trend. In other areas, Christians have
attempted to “return to their roots” to rediscover vitality
and translate it into an uncertain future. The Wesleyan
holiness tradition is one such example, where we “attempt to
understand who we are as human beings, as we try to live with
authenticity in the present and to move with identity and
purpose into the future to create a better world for all of
us.”[1]
The phenomenon of the Wesleyan holiness tradition is actually
one of the growth of multiple traditions, with varying
histories, theological emphases, patterns of worship and
systems of praxis. John Wesley would probably have been
surprised to see such a variety that ranges from the
Pentecostal movement, to the Church of the Nazarene, to the
United Methodists in the US, to the Keswick movement, to The
Salvation Army.
A brief sketch of Wesley’s life is necessary at this point, so
far as it is possible to ascertain through the window of a
colourful history. Because Wesley was a controversial figure
in his own time, and his biographers have tended to create a
mythology around him, it is not always easy to evaluate who
was the “real” Wesley. Born in 1704 into the home of an
Anglican clergyman, the young John grew up in an atmosphere
that was both strict and methodical. The influence of his
Puritan mother was especially formative, and her concern for
discipline, good order and moral principle caused Wesley to be
exacting in his own moral integrity. In his youth, however,
Wesley appeared fairly carefree in his early days at Oxford.
It was only later, after considering taking Holy Orders, and
with the influence of reading the works of some of the
Puritans (such as Taylor and Law) and the Caroline divines
(such as Thomas à Kempis), that he would evidence the degree
of seriousness and austerity that would characterize much of
his life.
The first rise of Methodism began after Wesley’s ordination in
1728. Many of Wesley’s views on the crucial nature of holiness
and the importance of inward religion were articulated in this
period, and remained throughout his life. His decision in 1735
to engage in a mission to America resulted in a second phase
in Methodism, and in his own life: it saw a largely
unsuccessful mission, but a significant contact – in this case
with the Moravian Pietist Christians – which he would maintain
on his return to London. On May 24, 1738, Wesley had a
momentous experience at a religious society meeting in
Aldersgate, in which he “felt [his] heart strangely warmed.”[2]
This event provided him with two aspects of experience that
would become key elements of his theology: freedom from the
power of sin in conjunction with assurance of salvation. But
Wesley found, in the course of time, that his views became
increasingly polarized from the Moravians, especially during
several incidents associated with the society at Fetter Lane.
By 1741 the breach with the Pietists was complete, yet this
period was crucial for clarification and adjustment in
Wesley’s theology. Concurrently, Wesley was also
distinguishing Methodism from Calvinism. The strained
relationship with George Whitfield – a fellow Methodist with
strong Calvinist sympathy – was evidence of this controversy.
The key issues of contention related to free grace, election,
and “sinless perfection” – whether a justified Christian can
expect to be perfected in love before death.
By this time then, Wesley had established Methodism as a
disciplined society in which his theology was continuing to
clarify. Yet his personal life was also marked by controversy.
His marriage to the widow Mary Vazeille in 1751 was followed
shortly thereafter by his single-minded (though unwise)
comment to her that “ ‘if I thought I should [preach] one
sermon or travel one mile the less on that account] my dear,
as well as I love you, I would never see your face [any]more’”[3]
Wesley’s lack of wisdom in his marriage became further evident
in his comparative neglect of his wife, and in his
correspondence with several women. The nature of some of these
letters suggests that Wesley sometimes developed deep
emotional ties to other women, especially in the case of Sarah
Ryan. Mary left him on several occasions before they
irrevocably separated in 1774.
Wesley’s actions often contributed significantly to the
problems he faced, whether with the controversies with
Calvinists, or in his actions that led almost inevitably to
the breach with the Anglican Church. The establishment of a
sophisticated Methodist infrastructure was accompanied by
ordinations even in Britain itself. Even so, Wesley was able
to create classes, bands and societies, to develop disciplined
spirituality within his people, and to establish theological
distinctives that would shape a stream of Christianity that
continues to the present. Still engaged in refining and
reformulating until well into his eighties, Wesley died in
March 1791 having lived a long and exemplary life as one of
England’s great saints.
Wesley has often been treated with some disdain by mainstream
theologians. His work has often been seen as non-academic and
non-systematic. Yet part of the genius of Wesley – and his
value as a theologian – was his capacity to synthesize the
essential teachings of different theological strands, and then
communicate the result with simplicity to the laity.
In due course, we will trace Wesley’s own thinking – so far as
we are able to discern it through different periods of his
life – through subsequent developments in 19th century
theology and to current interpreters. Part of the difficulty
of interpreting Wesley relates to changes in his own thinking,
and also to the problems inherent in discovering the “real
Wesley” behind the hagiographies of the past. In relation to
the first problem, Tuttle[4]
has helpfully divided Wesley’s thought into three periods:
prior to 1738, a “thesis” period in which there was a strong
influence from the puritan emphases of his childhood;
1738-1764, the “antithesis” period in which he was strongly
influenced by the Moravians; and post 1764 when Wesley
appeared to develop a synthesis of both “early” and “middle”
periods. Heitzenrater[5]
has made an invaluable contribution to discovering the true
Wesley through deciphering Wesley’s coded notebooks (since
1969). Heitzenrater considers it important to recognise that
throughout Wesley’s life there was growth and change, yet
there was also a fundamental continuity despite the most
apparently radical change. He also suggests that there are
more differences between the mature Wesley and the elderly
Wesley than are often considered, and therefore calls for
Wesley to be viewed in terms of the entirety of his life and
thought.
Even so, it is inevitable that some scholars would privilege
some aspects of Wesley’s thought over others, or consider a
particular influence (eg Eastern Orthodoxy) as an
interpretative lens, or interpret some concepts in light of
others, or in terms of stages in Wesley’s life. Thus,
controversy continues to rage between those who see Wesley’s
Aldersgate experience as a “conversion” experience giving rise
to a gradual process of holiness, and those who view it in
terms of some kind of “second blessing” theology. Sometimes
these controversies are based on asking the wrong kind of
question, or at least asking questions in ways that are less
helpful. In the case of the Aldersgate experience, the
question should perhaps be “What part did Wesley’s Aldersgate
experience play in his own developing self-perception (at the
time and later) and in his lifelong theological and spiritual
development?”[6]
While some might be inclined to dismiss such issues of history
without examination, it is only from a working understanding
of such issues that a full appreciation of the Wesleyan
holiness tradition can be gained.
[1]Heitzenrater, Mirror and memory, 218.
[2]W. Reginald Ward & Richard P. Heitzenrater, The works of
John Wesley, vols 18-23, Journals and diaries, Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1988-95, 18:250
[3]Ward & Heitzenrater, Journals and diaries, 20:378, n51, as
quoted in Kenneth J Collins, John Wesley: a theological
journey, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003, 168.
[4]Robert G Tuttle, John Wesley: his life and theology, Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1978.
[5]Heitzenrater, Mirror and memory.
[6]Heitzenrater, Mirror and memory, 60.
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