John Wesley

The Reverend John Wesley
Portrait (c. 1789) of Wesley by George Romney, at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Born	28 June [O.S. 17 June] 1703 Epworth, Lincolnshire, England
Died	2 March 1791(1791-03-02) (aged 87) London, England
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Occupations	Cleric theologian academic (Lincoln College, Oxford) author
Spouse	Mary Vazeille ​ ​ (m. 1751; sep. 1758)​
Parents	Samuel Wesley (father) Susanna Wesley (mother)
Relatives	Samuel Wesley (brother) Mehetabel Wesley Wright (sister) Charles Wesley (brother)
Religion	Christian (Anglican / Methodist)
Church	Church of England
Ordained	1725
Offices held	President of the Methodist Conference
Theology career
Notable work	Articles of Religion Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament Sermons on Several Occasions
Theological work
Language	English
Tradition or movement	Methodism, Wesleyan–Arminianism
Notable ideas	Imparted righteousness Second work of grace Wesleyan Quadrilateral
Signature

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John Wesley (/ˈwɛsli/ WESS-lee;^[1] 28 June [O.S. 17 June] 1703 – 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, theologian, and evangelist who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Methodist movement that continues to this day.

Educated at Charterhouse and Christ Church, Oxford, Wesley was elected a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, in 1726 and ordained as an Anglican priest two years later. At Oxford, he led the "Holy Club", a society formed for the purpose of the study and the pursuit of a devout Christian life. After an unsuccessful two-year ministry in Savannah, Georgia, he returned to London and joined a religious society led by Moravian Christians. On 24 May 1738, he experienced what has come to be called his evangelical conversion. He subsequently left the Moravians and began his own ministry.

A key step in the development of Wesley's ministry was to travel widely and preach outdoors, embracing Arminian doctrines. Moving across Great Britain and Ireland, he helped form and organise small Christian groups (societies and classes) that developed intensive and personal accountability, discipleship, and religious instruction. He appointed itinerant, unordained evangelists—both women and men—to care for these groups of people. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the abolition of slavery and support for women preachers.

Although he was not a systematic theologian, Wesley argued against Calvinism and for the notion of Christian perfection, which he cited as the reason that he felt God "raised up" Methodists into existence. His evangelicalism, firmly grounded in sacramental theology, maintained that means of grace played a role in sanctification of the believer; however, he taught that it was by faith a believer was transformed into the likeness of Christ. He held that, in this life, Christians could achieve a state where the love of God "reigned supreme in their hearts", giving them not only outward but inward holiness. Wesley's teachings, collectively known as Wesleyan theology, continue to inform the doctrine of Methodist churches.

Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the established Church of England, insisting that the Methodist movement lay well within its tradition.^[2] In his early ministry years, Wesley was barred from preaching in many parish churches and the Methodists were persecuted; he later became widely respected, and by the end of his life, was described as "the best-loved man in England".^[3]