John Wesley: The Founding Father of Methodists
John Wesley: The Founding Father of Methodists
At the tender age of 5, it seemed John Wesley was predestined to preach; when he was saved from a house fire in which he was left behind accidentally in his crib, sleeping. He came from a strong background of Puritan ministers, both on his mother’s side and his fathers, so it was imperative that he should follow in the right footsteps and attend Oxford just as his father and brothers did. His years at Christ Church Oxford proved to be a major turning point in his life, a spiritual awakening where he came to take his faith more seriously than ever before. What happened during this time, shaped his thinking for the rest of his life (Tomkins,2003, p22). In order to understand how the great Methodist movement came about, we must go back to where it started from: the Holy Club. In 1727, Charles Wesley (John’s oldest brother) threw himself into his studies and took communion every week, with John’s encouragement. Soon he recruited a couple of friends; they renounced all outsiders and devoted themselves to weekly communion. The small group became unpopular among the other students, but university authorities shared Charles’ dismay about his fellow students’ lifestyle and they decided that more supervision was needed and they began recalling tutors to oversee the students in person (Tomkins, 2003, p33). John comes on the scene in 1729; he joined his brother’s holy club and soon became the dominant personality. He imposed his own regime on his students, while growing stricter on himself. They were told which books they could read and which they could not, he abandoned such things as cards and dancing and visitors that might take time away from studies (Tomkins, 2003, pg.32). As for himself, he wrote down his daily deeds and motives to see if they were sufficiently directed to the glory of God. The Holy Club started going to the Oxford Castle prison to offer spiritual encouragement to the prisoners, they made it part
At the tender age of 5, it seemed John Wesley was predestined to preach; when he was saved from a house fire in which he was left behind accidentally in his crib, sleeping. He came from a strong background of Puritan ministers, both on his mother’s side and his fathers, so it was imperative that he should follow in the right footsteps and attend Oxford just as his father and brothers did. His years at Christ Church Oxford proved to be a major turning point in his life, a spiritual awakening where he came to take his faith more seriously than ever before. What happened during this time, shaped his thinking for the rest of his life (Tomkins,2003, p22). In order to understand how the great Methodist movement came about, we must go back to where it started from: the Holy Club. In 1727, Charles Wesley (John’s oldest brother) threw himself into his studies and took communion every week, with John’s encouragement. Soon he recruited a couple of friends; they renounced all outsiders and devoted themselves to weekly communion. The small group became unpopular among the other students, but university authorities shared Charles’ dismay about his fellow students’ lifestyle and they decided that more supervision was needed and they began recalling tutors to oversee the students in person (Tomkins, 2003, p33). John comes on the scene in 1729; he joined his brother’s holy club and soon became the dominant personality. He imposed his own regime on his students, while growing stricter on himself. They were told which books they could read and which they could not, he abandoned such things as cards and dancing and visitors that might take time away from studies (Tomkins, 2003, pg.32). As for himself, he wrote down his daily deeds and motives to see if they were sufficiently directed to the glory of God. The Holy Club started going to the Oxford Castle prison to offer spiritual encouragement to the prisoners, they made it part