Please click on the link to view Mark Ellis, Simon Episcopius’ Doctrine of Original Sin (New York: Peter Lang, 2006). Author’s abstract: Simon Episcopius (1583-1643), who began his theological career as the protégé of Jacobus…
History
Roy Ingle, “The Down-Grade Controversy”
It has often been said that when we fail to understand the past, we fail to interpret the future. Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 reminds us that “there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which…
Mark K. Olson, “The New Birth in the Early 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 Studies…
Richard Ellis, Correcting Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary on Arminius
In a previous post I critiqued a video made by Ligonier. In this article I wish to give you my notes on a different video posted by PRC Theological Seminary called “Who was Jacob Arminius.”…
Mark K. Olson, “Luther & Wesley on Justification by Faith Alone”
Abstract: When John Wesley became an evangelical Christian in 1738, his new understanding of justification by faith alone was directly influenced by Martin Luther, passed down to him through the Moravians. This article explores the…
Richard Ellis, Correcting Ligonier on Arminius
Four years ago, Ligonier Ministries uploaded a 1-minute-28-second video to YouTube called “Professor Jacobus Arminius.” Go ahead and watch it but be warned: for how short the clip is, the content is quite bad…
Andrew V. Sullivan, “A Methodist Before Methodism: The Wesleyan Reception of James Arminius”
Please click on the link to view Andrew V. Sullivan, “A Methodist Before Methodism: The Wesleyan Reception of James Arminius.”
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Doctrine of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit: An Exegetical Study – Part Two”
Abstract: After looking at Wesley’s Journal, sermons, and NT commentary in Part One to discern his views on Spirit baptism. In Part Two, we survey Spirit baptism as the standard of spirituality and move on…
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Doctrine of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit: An Exegetical Study – Part One”
Abstract: In this two-part study John Wesley’s understanding of the baptism with the Holy Spirit is examined in detail. The phrase has been linked to a second, post-justification blessing in Holiness and Pentecostal theology. The…
Mark K. Olson, “From the Beginning to the End: John Wesley’s Doctrine of Creation”
Abstract: John Wesley is widely recognized for his contributions to the subject of soteriology (doctrine of salvation). Yet, his doctrine of creation serves as a backdrop and context for his teachings on salvation, sanctification, and…
Mark K. Olson, “Wesley’s ‘Warmed Heart’ at Aldersgate – What Really Happened?”
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…
Julian E. Pace IV, “Pietist Credentials of John Wesley”
Abstract: This article explores how the Pietist impulse, in both its “churchly” and “radical” forms, profoundly shaped the theology and spirituality of John Wesley. Churchly Pietists such as the Moravians, as well as the radical…
Julian E. Pace IV, “John Wesley and the Moravians: 1735-1741”
Abstract: This article documents John Wesley’s earliest interactions with the Moravians. Wesley enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Moravians between 1735-1739. Unfortunately, due to personality clashes and growing theological differences, Wesley’s relationship with the Moravians…
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, “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…
Roy Ingle, “Spurgeon’s Misunderstanding of Arminianism”
“The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth;…
Edward H. Dewart, “The Life & Theology of Arminius” (1875)
[This post first appeared at GospelEncounter.wordpress.com] We deem, it, therefore, not inappropriate, in this first number of our METHODIST MAGAZINE—a part of whose mission will be to expound and defend our Scriptural, Arminian theology—by a…
We are Starting to Post on Our Website Again Starting Monday of This Coming Week!
Back in February of 2022, we stopped adding material to this website for the most part because of problems we were having with the site. We had to do some major work on the site…
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.…
Gregory L. Kiser on Laurens Jacobszoon Reael’s Catechism “The Children’s Doctrine”
This book, as far as I know, is the very first translation into English of an old 1571 document written by a Christian father who, in the midst of the turmoil of war and exile,…