Abstract: Wesley’s religious experience at Aldersgate remains the most famous and debated event in his life. Scholars disagree on what the experience meant to Wesley at the time and over his lifetime. This article reviews…
Olson. Mark K.
Mark K. Olson, “Suffering and Becoming Holy: Insights from John Wesley’s Pastoral Counsel”
Abstract: The problem of human suffering has conflicted many people. The eighteenth century was no different, for it was rife with suffering and death, with the average life span a short 37 years. John Wesley…
Mark K. Olson, “The Stillness Controversy of 1740: Tradition Shaping Scripture Reading”
Abstract: The influence of our Christian traditions upon our reading of scripture is deep and profound, even working at a subconscious level. This article demonstrates this truth by examining the role that tradition played in…
Mark K. Olson, “Opening Salvation’s Door: Acts 10:35 and John Wesley’s Inclusivism”
Abstract: This article explores John Wesley’s inclusivism regarding the future salvation of non-Christians, like Jews, Moslems, and other religious people. Reflecting on Acts 10:35, Wesley became convinced that the foundation for future salvation was not…
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Doctrine of the Holy Spirit”
Abstract: This article outlines Wesley’s theology of the Holy Spirit. It is shown that Wesley’s pneumatology was trinitarian in structure and included soteriological, epistemological, and eschatological themes. These four emphases serve to structure this article.…
Mark K. Olson, “Theme of Real Christianity in John Wesley’s Commentary on the Book of Revelation”
Abstract: This is the final installment of a six-part series on John Wesley’s eschatology. The theme of real Christianity is shown to have guided Wesley in his commentary on Revelation. Several insightful lessons come from…
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Order of Eschatological Events”
Abstract: As a postmillennialist Wesley understood the books of Daniel and Revelation to spell out salvation history from the 6th century BCE to the final consummation. The kingdom of God arrives in two phases: at…
Mark K. Olson, “Major Themes in John Wesley’s Eschatology”
Abstract: This fourth installment of a six-part series highlights the central themes in Wesley’s eschatology. First, he believed the Evangelical Revival was preparing the way for the millennial reign of Christ through the conversion of…
Mark K. Olson, “From Heaven Above to New Creation Below”
Abstract: In this third installment, John Wesley’s eschatology is surveyed from his Oxford period in the 1720s to his mature thoughts in the 1780s. It is further shown that the early Wesley was an amillennialist…
Mark K. Olson, “The Revival and Methodist Self-Understanding”
Abstract: This second installment in a six-part series examines how early Methodists understood Methodism as an eschatological movement, called to help usher in the millennium through the proclamation of salvation and holiness. Wesley’s 1739 Journal…
Mark K. Olson, “Early Methodist Christology”
Christmas is a season we celebrate the incarnation. The 18th century saw the rise of anti-Trinitarian theologies that undermined belief in Christ’s deity. Some scholars argue that John Wesley held a deficient view of the…
Mark K. Olson, “Millennial Aspirations and the Problem of Religious Nominalism”
Abstract: This is part one of a five-part study on John Wesley’s eschatology. This opening article recounts the development of eschatology in England from the Protestant Reformation to the Evangelical Revival in the eighteenth century.…
