The Future Of John Wesley's Theology [Hardcover]

This book approaches the future of John Wesley's theology in terms of a preferred future by looking back to the Apostle Paul. In a comparison of Wesley's theology with the writings of St. Paul, Tex Sample maintains that Wesleyans tend to read Paul through Wesley, but that in the future we need to read Wesley through Paul. Key issues between Wesley and Paul are considered in this book: justification by faith, sanctification, the faith in/of Christ, the powers, the individual/social concept in Wesley that is absent in Paul, and, finally, the issue of a justice of the common good. The conclusion develops the implications of this study for the future of the church and its witness. Scholars have examined the life and thought of John Wesley from many angles. Few, however, have done so with the depth and dexterity of Tex Sample. In accessible and engaging fashion, Sample brings John Wesley into a theological conversation with the first-century world of the Apostle Paul and our own context of the twenty-first century. For those who care about the future of the Wesleyan tradition, this book is a must-read. --Christopher H. Evans Professor of the History of Christianity and Methodist Studies Boston University School of Theology Tex Sample skillfully engages us in a fruitful and spirited dialogue with the Apostle Paul and John Wesley on the meaning and experience of grace and justification. As a careful scholar, the author brings to the conversation a wide range of biblical interpreters, theologians, and critics. The result is a vision of divine grace that transforms the entire cosmos and calls the church toward a new future. --Bishop Kenneth L. Carder Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Professor Emeritus of the Practice of Christian Ministry Duke Divinity School Through an encounter with the 'new' Paul, Tex Sample challenges us to envision a 'new' Wesley. He argues we can enrich Wesley's dynamic understanding of salvation by placing it within the horizon of new creationl“Ä