11 - Wesley’s theological emphases

Summary

To understand and appreciate John Wesley, it is imperative to locate his life and work within the intellectual, social, and political context of England's long eighteenth century. Other essays in this volume deal at length with Wesley's social and political context. This essay will focus primarily on the ways in which Wesley inhabited and deeply enriched a particular theological tradition, namely, English Arminianism. To that end, it is important to begin with a few background considerations. / Background Developments / One of the most intractable disputes within Wesleyan studies has to do with where to locate John Wesley within the wider Christian theological tradition. For example, whereas some scholars insist that Wesley belongs to the magisterial Protestant tradition, others maintain that he was deeply indebted to Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. Among those who associate Wesley primarily with Protestantism, there is a lively debate concerning which of the Protestant traditions he inhabited most deeply. For example, some argue that he was essentially Lutheran in outlook, whereas others suggest that he is best understood within the Reformed tradition. Nor does the debate end there. Thus, some scholars insist that Wesley belongs specifically to the German-Pietist tradition, whereas others contend that he was ultimately a Puritan in outlook