John Wesley In America: Restoring Primitive Christianity
by Geordan Hammond /
2014 / English / PDF
2.3 MB Download
Why did John Wesley leave the halls of academia at Oxford to become
a Church of England missionary in the newly established colony of
Georgia? Was his ministry in America a success or failure? These
questions--which have engaged numerous biographers of Wesley--have
often been approached from the vantage point of later developments
in Methodism. Geordan Hammond presents the first book-length study
of Wesley's experience in America, providing an innovative
contribution to debates about the significance of a formative
period of Wesley's life.
Why did John Wesley leave the halls of academia at Oxford to become
a Church of England missionary in the newly established colony of
Georgia? Was his ministry in America a success or failure? These
questions--which have engaged numerous biographers of Wesley--have
often been approached from the vantage point of later developments
in Methodism. Geordan Hammond presents the first book-length study
of Wesley's experience in America, providing an innovative
contribution to debates about the significance of a formative
period of Wesley's life.John Wesley in America
John Wesley in America addresses Wesley's Georgia mission
in fresh perspective by interpreting it in its immediate context.
In order to re-evaluate this period of Wesley's life, Hammond
carefully considers Wesley's writings and those of his
contemporaries. A laboratory for implementing his views of
primitive Christianity, the mission served to restore the doctrine,
discipline, and practice of the early church in the pristine
Georgia wilderness. Understanding the centrality of primitive
Christianity to Wesley's thinking and pastoral methods is essential
to comprehending his experience in America. Wesley's conception of
primitive Christianity was rooted in his embrace of patristic
scholarship at Oxford. The most direct influence, however, was the
High Church ecclesiology of the Usager Nonjurors who inspired him
with their commitment to the restoration of the primitive
church.
addresses Wesley's Georgia mission
in fresh perspective by interpreting it in its immediate context.
In order to re-evaluate this period of Wesley's life, Hammond
carefully considers Wesley's writings and those of his
contemporaries. A laboratory for implementing his views of
primitive Christianity, the mission served to restore the doctrine,
discipline, and practice of the early church in the pristine
Georgia wilderness. Understanding the centrality of primitive
Christianity to Wesley's thinking and pastoral methods is essential
to comprehending his experience in America. Wesley's conception of
primitive Christianity was rooted in his embrace of patristic
scholarship at Oxford. The most direct influence, however, was the
High Church ecclesiology of the Usager Nonjurors who inspired him
with their commitment to the restoration of the primitive
church.