Abraham: The Death of Wesleyan Theology

Wesleyan theology is dead. That is the declaration of William J. Abraham, professor of Wesley Studies and Altshuler distinguished professor at Perkins School of Theology. But true disciples of the movement founded by John Wesley should not mourn its passing.

Abraham said he sees the death of Wesleyan theology as a chance to celebrate a life well lived and find the real historical Wesley. We need to rethink the "background music" of studying Wesley.

By changing the way Wesley is studied, you see the man had a "deep, robust vision of God," Abraham said. By looking at Wesley's doctrine of perfection, we see there is more to salvation than God forgiving us.

Abraham said he thinks that we need to look at Wesley, as a saint, father and great evangelist. He said Wesley enabled people to find God for themselves and come to their own understanding of God.

"We have used Wesley to our own ends and projected into Wesley what we have loved in life," Abraham said.

There is, perhaps, nothing more detrimental to the legacy of a man than the development of a theological system around him. The real, historical Wesley was hardly a radical individualist. He certainly emphasized the personal nature of salvation. But he also emphasized the corporate nature of the Christian faith. Indeed, he insisted that there was no holiness but social holiness, that is, holiness cultivated and nurtured in community.

Abraham's argument is somewhat circular. On the one hand, he encourages a study of Wesley as a man who "enabled people to find God for themselves and come to their own understanding of God." But, on the other hand, he laments that "We have used Wesley for our own ends and projected into Wesley what we have loved in life." If the former were true, the latter would be inevitable; and neither would be preferable from an objective, orthodox point of view.