Students of Wesley focus mostly on Wesley’s writings of theology and salvation. These would include his sermons, journals, commentaries, hymns, and major doctrinal works and correspondence. In these works we find Wesley’s theology spelled out…
History
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Interactions with Africans”
Since there were only about 20,000 black people in England, John Wesley did not have much interaction with Africans. Even though his contact was minimal, he does record some interesting exchanges with Africans during his…
Simon Peter Sutherland, “Calvinistic Determinism Refuted”
There is a doctrine gaining popularity today, known as ‘Calvinistic determinism’ or ‘theological determinism’. This concept claims that every event in the universe is predetermined by a divine will, suggesting that human actions and decisions…
Mark K. Olson, “Early Methodists on the New Birth: George Whitefield, John Wesley, & John Fletcher”
The Evangelical Revival broke out in the 1730s with the central message, “You must be born again” (Jn 3:7). The two most famous evangelists of the new movement were George Whitefield (1714-1770) and John Wesley (1703-1791). They both…
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley on Calvinism”
It is widely known that John Wesley opposed Calvinism, but many don’t know how he came to adopt the Arminian view and why he opposed Calvinism. To begin with, Wesley learned his Arminianism from his…
Christian Levin B. Advincula, “Arminian Baptists Then and Now: An Introduction to the History and Distinctives of the Free Will Baptists”
Please click on the link to view Christian Levin B. Advincula, “Arminian Baptists Then and Now: An Introduction to the History and Distinctives of the Free Will Baptists.”
Video: Dalton Blackman on “What Is Reformed Arminianism?”
In this video, Trevor Miles of The Down South Salvation Podcast interviews SEA member Dalton Blackman to explore the work of Jacob Arminius and answer the question “What is Reformed Arminianism?” The video below can…
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Death Mask”
When John Wesley passed away on March 2, 1791, a death mask was made of his face. Death masks were prevalent before the age of photography. The masks were usually made of wax or plaster…
Kevin Jackson, The Story of the Early Church
At my local church I taught a 7 week Sunday School class about the story of early Christianity. As part of that, I made a video for each week for Youtube. If early church history…
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley on Life after Death”
What happens after physical death and before the future resurrection — often called the intermediate state? Assuming conscious existence after death (the standard view throughout church history), where do the departed go? And, what do…
Roy Ingle, “How Did the Early Methodists Triumph Over Calvinism?”
In our time it is common to hear about the resurgence of Calvinism. It seems with popular Calvinist speakers such as John Piper, Albert Mohler, and others, Calvinism has been enjoying a resurgence especially among…
Mark K. Olson, “The Joy of Conversion”
The Joy of Conversion New life in Christ is exciting and fulfilling. Below, there is a link to early testimonies of conversion gathered by Charles Wesley in the early 1740s. They are fascinating to read.…
Roy Ingle, “Lessons Learned from Alexander Campbell”
I have been reading a book by Richard Cherok entitled, Debating For God, which covers the life of Alexander Campbell’s defense of Christianity during the 19th century against various attackers, but the most famous being Robert…
Mark K. Olson on Wesleyans vs Calvinists: “The Minutes Controversy 1770-1777”
Historical Setting In 1739 theological differences over election and predestination became public between John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield. It led to a sharp breach in 1741, though on a personal level the Wesleys…
How Far Back Does the Concept of Prevenient Grace Go?
On his website, Arminian Perspectives, Ben Henshaw has a questions page at which he answers questions about Arminianism and Calvinism that visitors to his site pose in the comment section of the page. Here is a question…
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley & The Imitation of Christ”
Background The Imitation of Christ is one of the most influential writings on Christian devotion ever written. Both Catholics and Protestants have turned to the Imitation over the centuries for spiritual counsel and direction. Apart from the Bible, the Imitation has…
Animated Video: “The John Wesley Story”
Vision Video has produced a number of church history animated cartoons in a series called The Torchlighters. Episode 13, covering John Wesley, is available in full at Vision Video’s YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/gF4vkrOXw0c From the video…
Early Augustine on Foreknowledge Compared to Memory
[This post first appeared at Gospel Encounter where comments can be made] I do not remember where I first read Augustine’s comparison of foreknowledge to memory, but it stuck in my mind and I continue…
Andrew V. Sullivan, “The Arminian Roots of John and Charles Wesley”
[To view the footnotes on this page, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Clicking on the hyperlinked footnotes will take you off site to the notes in the original article location.] Introduction John…
William Burt Pope on the History of the Doctrine of Regeneration
Please click on the link to view William Burt Pope on the History of the Doctrine of Regeneration from pp. 20-27 of the third volume of his 3-volume systematic theology, A Compendium of Christian Theology. The…
Recent Posts
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Perspective on… Voting, Sunday Observance, Preaching Politics, Culture, Protestantism, Religious Profession”
The Arminian Magazine Spring 1980 Edition
William Burt Pope, “The Moral Attributes of God Part 6: Grace and Its Related Attributes”
Regarding Eternal Security, How Do You Briefly Respond to Calvinist Appeal to Ephesians 1:13-14 (Sealing)?
