Spring 1999 - Quarterly Review

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PERIOD Phase 1: Phase 2: Phase 3: Phase 4:1725-1738 1739-1750 1750-1770 1770-1791Theologi Practical semi- Free grace. The law, Eschatologycal focus Pelagianism. Full and understood inaugurated toWorks of mercy present in light of the nature andto save one's salvation by the gospel the society noown soul. faith alone. promises, less than toLate 1740s: formative persons.Against to the Grace in itsantinomi- Methodist global context.anism. ethos.Soteriolog Salvation of the Salvation of Salvation Universalical pers individual the individ should redemption;pective person. ual person. create fruits increasedof faith emphasis onwhich will the necessity ofbe shown change inin the socialsociety. structures.Theology Individualism. Individualism: Collectivism:in social No social Social chang e through Social changecontext change implied, sanctified Christians. throughlegislation andregulations.Phase 1:1725-1738Wesley's theological reflections started at the time of his firstordination, at which time he devoted himself seriously to Christianliving. These efforts took shape within the context of Anglicanmoralism. Wesley became highly disciplined in his religiousexercises, which included works of piety and works of mercy. Hisnumerous engagements in social relief as well as his desire tobecome a missionary to the Native Americans had one basicmotive, namely, to save himself. 8In this phase, Wesley'ssoteriology was essentially semi-Pelagian; that is, he believed thatif he dedicated all his life to God, God would add the gracenecessary to salvation.60 QUARTERLY REVIEW / SPRING <strong>1999</strong>
Phase 2: 1739-1750In the initial phase of the Methodist movement Wesley's theology wasconstructed on his experience of assurance of salvation, May 24,1738: that salvation is full, free, and present, conditioned by Christ'swork for us. The focus is on the salvation of individual persons.Not long after the revival began, however, Wesley found itnecessary to clarify the differences between his own position and theantinomian interpretation of the Christian religion as professed by theMoravians of the Fetter Lane Society. His focus on Christ's work forus was supplemented with Christ's transforming work in us.Consequently, he laid a heavier emphasis on works of piety (themeans of grace) as well as on works of mercy, understood as goodworks toward the Christian's neighbor as the fruits of salvation. Hisconcern to avoid antinomianism was expressed in many ways: (1) inthe formulation of the General Rules of the Methodist societies, (2) itsplace on the agenda of the first annual conference, 1744, 9(3) hispamphlets on the issue, and (4) his addressing the issue of the law intwo series of sermons around 1750, the 13 discourses on The Sermonon the Mount (1748 and 1750, in which the law was discussed moreor less implicitly), 10and also in three sermons that explicitly dealtwith the issue of the law (1750). 11For this reason it is natural to date anew phase beginning around 1750.Phase 3:1750-1770In this phase Wesley increasingly emphasized the need for faith tobear fruit. God's goal for salvation is not fulfilled with the salvation ofthe Christian as an individual soul, since God's grace embraces theneighbor as well. The faith of sanctified Christians is expected toshow up in their works. He supposed that the evils of society would beremoved as Christian faith expressed itself in action. Obviously, bythis stage his concern for social change had increased. 12But he wasstill operating within an individualistic framework, since he had notyet learned to contextualize grace as he did in the next phase. In thisperiod Wesley, as a good representative of the era of theEnlightenment, engaged in the production of literature for populareducation. 13The Wesleyan position against the antinomians was fully clarifiedby this stage. His positive attitude toward the law as an expression ofGod's will for Christians was apparent as well. 14This third phasebegins with statements at the Methodist annual conferences of 1744SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY AND ETHICS IN THE WESLEYAN TRADITION 61
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Editorial BoardTed A. CampbellWesle
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add to it add to it To add complete
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Thomas E. FrankMinding What We Say:
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ulbs into the bright sunshine. But
Page 15 and 16: and reinforces the individual's ide
Page 17 and 18: question is not whether all persons
Page 19 and 20: marketed to consumers. To achieve t
Page 21 and 22: Kairos is also a word central to Je
Page 23: Notes1. "Large Minutes" of the Meth
Page 26 and 27: You have nothing to do but to save
Page 28 and 29: Jesus promises that those people wh
Page 30 and 31: and living space of others. Others
Page 32 and 33: Son of God which stills the hunger
Page 34 and 35: than just recruiting new church mem
Page 36 and 37: validates our lives, whether we are
Page 38 and 39: eaches out to those who desperately
Page 40 and 41: 7. Coll and Response: Biblical Foun
Page 42 and 43: does in his "Letter to Dr. Middleto
Page 44 and 45: God's will, but because he resists
Page 46 and 47: foundation of liberty and personal
Page 48 and 49: forms of evangelism and revivalism
Page 50 and 51: Christ." 31The topic here is knowle
Page 52 and 53: conclusion: "By this means, on the
Page 54 and 55: Whether we can be happy at all here
Page 56 and 57: idea of "getting saved" that usuall
Page 58 and 59: Anderson, ed., Methodism (Nashville
Page 60 and 61: seemed to me that both projects cal
Page 62 and 63: theological mistake is to confuse t
Page 64 and 65: he applies Christ's words to one li
Page 68 and 69: and 1745 to the effect that works a
Page 70 and 71: tension between the Wesleyan herita
Page 72 and 73: deduction from philosophical a prio
Page 74 and 75: tradition. But theology confined to
Page 76 and 77: methodology is made up by a body of
Page 79 and 80: Douglas W. RuffleHoliness and Happi
Page 81 and 82: holiness and happiness, shall cover
Page 83 and 84: letter that he would send financial
Page 85 and 86: emphasis on a "lifestyle" evangeliz
Page 87 and 88: Wesley saw the need to bring "real"
Page 89 and 90: Kenneth G. DavisStill Gringo after
Page 91 and 92: considered her casual demeanor to b
Page 93 and 94: like to give attention to the lumin
Page 95 and 96: into the light of these luminarias.
Page 97: ecause I cannot be other than what
Page 100 and 101: one might choose to look at the som
Page 102 and 103: Jesus was not, however, a crowd-ple
Page 104 and 105: coming of the kingdom (9:35), they
Page 106 and 107: about Jesus has been forever known
Page 108 and 109: Although the message comes from the
Page 110 and 111: would strike at the very fabric of
Page 112 and 113: these little ones." The parallel an
Page 114 and 115: (16:18-19) was vying for recognitio
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July 18,1999—Eighth Sunday after
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Matthew's "little apocalypse" descr
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Spring 1999 - Quarterly Review

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