John Wesley and Methodism
Victor R. Claveau, MJ John Wesley (1703 – 1791) was the second son of Samuel, a former Nonconformist (dissenter from the Church of England), and Susanna Wesley. After six years of education at the Charterhouse, London, he entered Christ Church, Oxford University, in 1720. Graduating in 1724, he resolved to become ordained a priest; in 1725 he was […]
Distinctive Beliefs and Practices of Methodism
Assurance of faith. John Wesley believed that all Christians have a faith which implies an assurance of God’s forgiving love, and that one would feel that assurance, or the “witness of the Spirit”. Conditional preservation of the saints: The conditional preservation of the saints, is the belief that believers are kept safe by God in their saving relationship with him upon the condition of a persevering faith in […]
Methodism vs. Catholicism
Methodism Catholicism Human Leader: Methodism doesn’t have one human leader similar to the Pope. Methodism doesn’t recognize the Catholic Pope. It affirms that Christ is the head of the church. Human Leader: Catholicism teaches that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ and the head of the Christ’s Church on Earth; an office that finds its origin […]
Searching For Authority
Christopher Dixon For nine years I served the Lord Jesus Christ as a United Methodist pastor in New Jersey; for five of those years, I had no thought of being anything else. I had a growing church, I was happy in my denomination and pleased with my prospects, and I was satisfied. I believed that […]
Did John Wesley’s 1749 Letter to Roman Catholics Seek to Bridge Protestant and Catholic Divides?
Brief Overview Detailed Response Historical Context of the Letter John Wesley penned his Letter to a Roman Catholic on July 18, 1749, in Dublin, Ireland, during a period of heightened religious conflict. Ireland in the mid-18th century was a battleground of Protestant-Catholic tensions, with Catholics facing severe legal restrictions under the Penal Laws. Wesley, an Anglican clergyman […]