The History of Methodism Podcast

In this episode, we focus entirely upon John Wesley's sermon, Free Grace, which he preached at the end of his first month in Bristol. This sermon articulates John's distinction between predestinarian thought and Biblical thought (in his mind) and sets the stage for the dispute between John Wesley and George Whitefield that will split the nascent Methodist movement.Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look the first month of John Wesley's participation in the Revival in Bristol, England, in 1739. This period is crucial for Wesley's understanding of revival. It also prepares the way for his split with George Whitefield over Free Grace vs. Predestination. If you are interested in History of Methodism Continuing Education Opportunities, please fill out the brief form at this link. Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the first few months of 1739 in the life of John Wesley and the choices that led him to go to Bristol at the end of March and start preaching in fields.If you are interested in History of Methodism Continuing Education Opportunities, please fill out the brief form at this link. Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the history and geography of Bristol, England, in order to better understand the Methodist Revival that will start there in the Spring of 1739.Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the early life of George Whitefield in order to prepare for the revivals that will take place in 1739.Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we catch up with Charles Wesley while John was on the continent, as well as follow John through the rest of 1738 up until the momentous love feast on January 1, 1739.Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we go back in time to look at the early life of the New England theologian, Jonathan Edwards, whose life doubled John Wesley's in many ways, save for Edwards's Calvinism. The episode culminates in an account of Jonathan Edwards's work, A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton, the book John read in October of 1738 which helped influence the coming Methodist movement.Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

Spiritual autobiographies were essential to the spread of Methodism. In this Bonus episode, we hear about Christian David, a Moravian who preached to John Wesley at Herrnhut and whose life impacted John tremendously.Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at John Wesley's two week visit to the home of the Moravians in Herrnhüt, in what is now Germany. We also discuss how this visit shaped the future movement, and how the stories he decided to share also offered a new medium for John.Please give us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at John Wesley's journey from visiting his mother to visiting the Moravians at Herrnhut, in the heart of Saxony. We also look at his sermon, Salvation by Faith, preached soon after his Aldersgate Experience on this journey.Please give us a five star rating and subscribe.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the days immediately after Aldersgate and the challenges John Wesley faced after his spiritual experience. Please give us a five star rating and subscribe.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we hear John Wesley's full account of Aldersgate, which also serves as a recapitulation of his life up until that point. Please give us a five star rating and subscribe.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we focus in on the day of May 24, 1738, from start finish and read together the scriptures and prayers which John Wesley encountered before his Aldersgate Rd. experience. We also listen to a public domain excerpt from Henry Purcell's setting of Psalm 130, which was sung at evening prayer that Wednesday. Please give us a five star rating and subscribe.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we have an interview with the Rev. John Elford about his book Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm: The American Methodist Church and the Struggle with White Supremacy. You can find more information about John at his website, https://www.johnelford.com, where you can also find links to purchase the book. Please like and subscribe to show your support. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we follow John Wesley during the time between his return to England in February of 1738, up to the moments before his Aldersgate conversion experience on Mary 24, 1738. We also look into Charles's own experience and the influence of Peter Böhler on both Wesley brothers. Please give us a five star rating and subscribe.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we give some context about the England to which John Wesley returns after his stint in Georgia, with a look at the life and reign of King George II. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at some of the theological influences upon John Wesley during his stay in Georgia, especially the Moravians. We also include some background on the Moravians and their leader, Zinzendorf. The episode ends with a critique of John Wesley's theology written by other colonists in Georgia. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we continue the story of John Wesley's relationship with Sophy Hopkey beginning with her engagement to William Williamson up through John Wesley's Trial and final departure from the Colony of Georgia. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we go in-depth into the relationship between John Wesley and Sophy Hopkey in Georgia up until he discovers her marriage to William Williamson. The relationship is much more complex than it is often portrayed and the consequences of their relationship shape the future of the Methodist movement.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we hear John Wesley's Status of the Georgia Colony, written in 1737 after his return to England. Wesley wrote the report for the Trustees of the Colony. It gives us a sense of his understanding of the breadth of the colony, as well as a sense of the wildness of his surroundings. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we arrive in Georgia and follow John to Savannah and Charles to St. Simon's Island as they begin their lives in the new world.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we follow the journey of John and Charles Wesley from England to Georgia, looking at how they lived and grew and changed in the process.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the life of James Oglethrope, the founder of the Georgia Colony, and the events that led up to the 1735 trip the Wesleys took to Georgia.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at John Wesley's vocational transformation from Oxford professor to missionary to the New World.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at Oxford Methodism from the years 1732-1734 and the transformations that took place there among the students and John Wesley himself. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the history of Oxford Methodism from a scholarly perspective, honing in on the time between 1729-32. We discuss the members of the group, what they did, and what they were trying to do. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we hear an account of the Holy Club from John Wesley's own words as he tells it in a letter to the father of his friend, Richard Morgan. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the circumstances which brought John Wesley from his position as a curate in northern England back to Oxford and the early beginnings of the Oxford Holy Club.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the content of John Wesley's early diaries and what his life was like at Oxford and at Epworth before the Holy Club.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we step back from the story of Methodism to discuss the puzzle of John Wesley's diaries and how that puzzle was solved. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at John Wesley's call to ministry after he finished his undergraduate work at Oxford in 1724.  That is, how he didn't take as direct a route into Holy Orders as it is sometimes portrayed.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we follow young John Wesley to Charterhouse and young Charles Wesley to Westminster before we give an overview of what Oxford University was like in the early 18th century. You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Ryan Danker about the Church of England during the reigns of Queen Anne and George I. This episode is longer than usual but the conversation is highly relevant to the History of Methodism.Ryan is the author and editor of many books including Wesley and the Anglicans. Ryan is also the Director of the John Wesley Institute in Washington D.C.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.com.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the reign of the first Hanover king of England, Scotland, and Ireland: George I. Who was he? Where did he come from? And what did John Wesley think of him?You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.comYou can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we take one last look at Epworth, and we have a wonderful host: Susannah Wesley. The episode mostly consists of a letter that Susanna  later wrote John Wesley about what his childhood was like.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.comYou can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

Our first bonus interview takes us on a historical leap from 1703 to 1833. We are talking with Michael McKenzie, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Keuka College, about his new book, A Country Strange and FarThe Methodist Church in the Pacific Northwest, 1834–1918. Our conversation will cover the details of the book and the struggles of the Methodist Church in the Pacific Northwest, as well as connect to the conversation about Epworth we had in Episode 27 and Samuel Wesley's struggles to connect to the wild and rugged Isle of Axholme. As always, you can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism and find us online at historyofmethodism.com.

In this episode, we look at the town where John and Charles Wesley were born: Epworth. We cover the drainage of the swamps, the wildness of the land's character, as well as the Epworth ghost.You can find us online at www.historyofmethodism.comYou can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. Here is Dudley Wright's, The Epworth Phenomena, which collates the different accounts of the Epworth ghost story. 

In this episode, we discuss two works of Samuel Wesley and how they offer John and Charles Wesley a way not to do theology. You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

Because of the denseness of Samuel Wesley's prose (in Latin and English), our episode on his theology has been delayed a month. For now, we have a reading of his anonymous pamphlet, A Letter from a Country Divine..." which goes into his childhood and experience in Dissenter academies. This is a dull work that it is hard to liven up. I wanted to share it not for entertainment, but because exposure to Samuel Wesley's prose can give a sense of the man that helps us understand his character than secondary descriptions could ever reach. A note on the recording, as well. The manuscript I read from was quite difficult to decipher at times and so I can thankfully say that all errors are not my own, but also fall on the shoulders of Mr. Wesley and Robert Clavel, the printer.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we meet Samuel Wesley, learn about his family and various details about his life and poetry.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look in depth at the theology of Susanna Wesley as exhibited through a letter to her daughter Suky. Here is the full letter for those who want to spend a little more time with Susanna's theology.You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we begin our look at the parents of John and Charles Wesley, starting with their mother, Susanna. We look at her family background, as well as some of the significant moments in her life. You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at the political, economic, colonial factors (among others like race and gender) of the world John Wesley was born into. You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we look at some of the important figures in the 17th century study of the early church and how they shaped the thought of Methodism. You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we go back to the continent to cover the rise of German pietism as well as a brief history of the Moravian church and what the word Moravian even means. You can support us online at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. 

In this episode, we discuss pastors and writers who influenced the spirtuality of England during the latter half of the 17th century.

In this episode, we discuss the political struggles inside and outside the Church of England during the Civil War and the reigns of Charles II and James II. Specifically with regards to these two confusing terms: Nonconformist and Nonjuror. As always, you can support us at patreon.com/historyofmethodism.Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, we follow the brief reign of King James II of England from his coronation to his abdication in 1688 following the invasion of William of Orange. This event transformed England and gave stability to the nation after the tumultuous 17th century. As always, you can support us at patreon.com/historyofmethodism.Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, we continue the story right after the death of King Charles I and look at the fallout of the regicide, the rise of Oliver Cromwell, and the restoration of the Stuart Monarchy. As always, you can support us at patreon.com/historyofmethodism.Please rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, we cover the major events of the English Civil War that shaped the England out of which Methodism was born and the major figures like Oliver Cromwell and Prince Rupert. As always, you can support us at patreon.com/historyofmethodism. Please rate and review us wherever you get your podcast.

We are moving into Season 2 as we look at the roots of the English Civil War or the Wars of the Three Nations. It is a complicated period that is often brushed over in American History books, but it is fundamental to understanding the period in which Wesley and Early Methodism was formed. You can support us on Patreon at patreon.com/historyofmethodism.Please rate and review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.