John Wesley Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Ronald H. Stone

Critical Essay by Ronald H. Stone

SOURCE: Stone, Ronald H. “Maturation (1760s-1770s),” and “Slavery.” In John Wesley's Life & Ethics, pp. 145-56; 187-97. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2001.

In the first excerpt below, Stone analyzes the ethical basis of Wesley's views on perfection and predestination. In the second essay, he analyzes Wesley's arguments for the abolition of slavery within the context of the political situation at the time.

Maturation (1760s-1770s),

Theological-ethical Writings

Despite the emergence of Wesley as a social philosopher in this period of political engagement with a king whom he appreciated, his other writings continued to be significant. He took up the issues of Christian perfection and predestination again and published his mature conclusions on these subjects. On both perfection and predestination, he held to the positions he had learned from Susanna. Even on the issues of women preaching and leadership in ministry, the influence of his late mother can be seen. The influence of his father is...
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