Wesley: A Guide for the Perplexed

As anyone familiar with both the stereotypes and the scholarship related to Wesley knows, tricky interpretive questions abound: was Wesley a conservative, high church Tory or a revolutionary protodemocrat or proto-Marxist? Was he a modern rationalist obsessed with the epistemology of religious belief or a late medieval style thinker who believed in demonic possession and supernatural healing? Was Wesley primarily a pragmatic evangelist or a serious theologian committed to the long-haul work of catechesis, initiation, and formation?
Wesley: A Guide for the Perplexed sheds new light on Wesley’s life and teaching, and aims to help students understand this enigmatic figure.

Jason E. Vickers is Associate Professor of Theology and Wesleyan Studies at United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, USA.