1. Life of John Wesley and the origin of Methodism

Historical roots of Methodism

From the historical point of view, some authors link Methodism to the practice of the early Christians, who after conversion had to create a habitus, or implicit vision of the world, through discipline. At that time, theology was trying to link the metaphysical reflections on God to their pastoral and salvific implications, with the aim of regulating the Christians’ life in the world. To this end, catechisms and liturgies were produced which, on the one hand, were the result of rigorous theological reflections and, on the other hand, were to answer the simple questions of the first worshippers with regard to the rites they had to observe and practice (Maddox 1988).

From the beginning of the Middle Ages the study of theology became an essentially speculative science, which continued to be studied in the universities that had adopted the Aristotelian model. It was so that a big part of the theological studies were devoted to the preparation of manuals for the training of the ministers of worship as well as to the examination of any issue from a logical point of view, finally becoming detouched from human life. The so-called practical (mystical or spiritual) theology often remained isolated in the convents.
In later centuries two separate theologies emerged: an academic “theoretical theology” and a “practical theology” that dealt with morality, and this made it increasingly difficult for men to understand the relationship between what they believed and what they did (Maddox 1988).

Even if Wesley’s Methodism is linked to the model of the practical theology of the early Christians, it would be reductive to forget its deep Anglican roots and the value attributed to creeds, liturgy and prayers for spiritual development (Wesley wrote the Sunday Service especially for the North American Methodists). The theological dimension of Methodism is also demonstrated by Wesley’s Biblical studies (Wesley 1866), by the hymn texts he wrote with his brother Charles, by the periodic conferences with preachers in which he clarified theological issues and by his other numerous writings.
The published sermons – very different from the oral preaching that contained mainly messages intended to awaken the general public – were aimed at the theological education of the faithful Methodists, and would always consider the repercussions of the speculative doctrine on the practical life of men (Maddox 1988).

Some of John Wesley’s theological ideas are reported in the following paragraphs.
The fundamental premise of Methodism is that all men are sinners, either because they offend God by loving things and creatures more than the creator, or because they offend others, practicing for example hatred, revenge, war, negligence. The Divine Physician can heal them from sin.

The divine grace is God’s love for the world, interpreted by Wesley as a “prevenient” or “preparatory” grace, indicating that God comes to us even before we turn to him. This type of grace, “free in all, and free for all,” is present in every man through the Holy Ghost, and allows him or her to choose the way of sanctification. It is up to the person, however, to extend the hand to receive it. Enlightened by grace, the believer can awaken and look at life with new eyes: he will be more sensitive to God’s presence and will feel a love not only for God but for every soul of creation, including enemies. From this will blossom the need to live a holy life.

People are therefore called to do good works and to practice inner and outer holiness. Interior holiness is complete and absolute abandonment to God’s will, a daily path of growth made possible by God’s grace and therefore by the Holy Ghost. External holiness is the way of showing love for God By loving the next person: Methodism is a social religion, to be lived in relationships with others by showing patience, generosity, kindness, self-sacrifice.

The believer, in the certainty that God’s grace has erased their sins, must change their behavior. Through their “works of piety” and “works of grace” they will pursue perfection, which is the purpose of their journey: with the help of God they could “walk as Jesus walked” (Benecchi 2005).

Wesley’s Methodism, oriented towards Arminianism, rejected the idea of an arbitrary God and thus also the theory of predestination.

Wesley’s interest in medicine arose initially from the fact that Anglican pastors were required to study it as part of their education. It was in fact common, especially in small villages, that religious ministers also offered medical care. In his diary, Wesley reports that he completed reading many medical texts between 1724 and 1732. During his stay in Georgia, he read a book on herbs present on American soil (Tennent 1734) and for all his life continued to be interested in this subject.

In order to summarize the content of his studies for the benefit of the Methodist community, he published a book of medical remedies, titled “Primitive Physic” (Wesley 1747), often interpreted as a collection of “grandmother’s remedies” based on folklore. Nevertheless, according to some scholars, about a third of the advice provided in the book comes from medical texts, including those of famous authors such as Hermann Boerhaave and Thomas Sydenham. In line with the verse “The Most High hath created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them.” (Antonio Martini, Ecclesiastic 38:4). Wesley worked to identify and describe treatments available to all: his book intended to list those remedies that would be affordable, safe, easy-to-know and to find and administrable by simple and illiterate people (Maddox 2007)… Keep reading