J
JustaServant
Guest
Well, would he?
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T
Tablefor9
Guest
I’m sorry I don’t have time to give more than a drive-by yes, I believe so.
G
GLam8833
Guest
Being an Anglican until his death at 88,
John Wesley was a born leader, he alone
bore the load of forming the “Methodist”
movement into a denomination, altho
HE DIDN’T mean to separate from the
Anglican church!! His conversion by a
group of Moravian believers on a storm
tossed voyage to the New World and
his later **confirmation **at a Bible Study
seems to indicate that he had a baptism
of the Holy Spirit experience that affirmed
his group aim to “Be Holy”. He recognized
the need for good works coupled w/ prayer
and fasting. I think **he would have **made
a good Catholic, come to think of it!!
John Wesley was a born leader, he alone
bore the load of forming the “Methodist”
movement into a denomination, altho
HE DIDN’T mean to separate from the
Anglican church!! His conversion by a
group of Moravian believers on a storm
tossed voyage to the New World and
his later **confirmation **at a Bible Study
seems to indicate that he had a baptism
of the Holy Spirit experience that affirmed
his group aim to “Be Holy”. He recognized
the need for good works coupled w/ prayer
and fasting. I think **he would have **made
a good Catholic, come to think of it!!
T
Tommy999
Guest
Of course this is all pure speculation on my part, but I think the New Evangelization would’ve appealed to him, as he and other early Methodists were very interested in deepening their faith in Christ and spreading the good news of Jesus to the multitudes in a real and meaningful way. He and other early Methodist leaders like Francis Asbury did this on horseback as the USA’s population grew and migrated westward, logging thousands of miles.
He practiced a key tenet of the New Evangelization — go where the people are and meet them where they are at.
He practiced a key tenet of the New Evangelization — go where the people are and meet them where they are at.
R
Reuben_J
Guest
Maybe or maybe not. Though I do not think he would. As a Protestant, the issue does not arise for him to become Catholic; it is not as if Protestantism itself is not self-ustaining that he has to become something else. Unless he is already closely associated with Catholicism, it would be irrelevant to him. We see many learned Protestants become Catholics though for the same reason that it would be a natural destination for them because of its history and faithfulness, has maintained close resemblance to the original Church tradition, belief and practices.
i admire his mother, Susanna, though, as a tough holy Christian woman, wife and mother. In today situation, what she did in raising her many children and still faithful to prayers and religion is truly amazing .
i admire his mother, Susanna, though, as a tough holy Christian woman, wife and mother. In today situation, what she did in raising her many children and still faithful to prayers and religion is truly amazing .
A
alwayswill
Guest
Wesley held to faith alone and rejected transubstantiation
B
badnewsbarrett
Guest
Well, he was the son of a rector, which is a type of parish priest for Anglicans. He started the Methodist movement but personally felt that it remained within the Anglican umbrella, although a chief marker of his movement involved appointing non-ordained men to go evangelize and he was really an early adopter of that method. He also played fast and loose with some Anglican doctrine, didn’t make formal training as a theologian (per se) a high personal priority, and did take the sacraments very seriously- although in a decidedly Protestant fashion- despite that his personal conversion entailed a storm-tossed conversation with Moravians rather than a personal moment of reflection while participating in the sacramental life of the Church.
It would be interesting to imagine what would have happened if the shoe was on the other foot, had he been born to a parish priest and then educated at Catholic…oh wait a minute.
Given his personal tendencies, if he were alive today and didn’t start Catholic, I don’t think he would have converted to it, not if he was anywhere within the Anglosphere. If he had started Catholic, I think there’s a good chance he would be something like a modern-day Erasmus or more likely a Waldo (albeit a more tolerated Waldo), perhaps something in between those two. I really don’t know if he would have wanted to leave the Catholic Church, but he most likely would have carved his own path without trying to go out of his way to be formally cast out.
I don’t think he would have chosen to convert and join the Catholic Church, I don’t even know if he would have become a priest if he had started there. I’m not sure exactly what he would have done or how the Catholic Church would react to it today, now, it might even vary depending on which of the recent papacies we imagine he becomes famous during. Whatever he would have done in the modern day, I do think it would have been quite something, and his Catholic identity probably would have come into question. He was quite likable though, and he managed to make the Calvinist/Arminian divide seem like an afterthought and of no real consequence within his own personal experience.
If you ask me though, the only way he would have been Catholic would be if he was baptized that way as an infant. And if I imagine him growing up in something similar to the environment around me, I would tend to think he’d be one of these people who quietly leaves Catholicism as an adolescent or college student and then probably doesn’t come back to it. I don’t think it’s very likely he would have made it to adulthood as a Catholic, and there’s less of a chance that he would have become a priest. But I do think he would have been an early and immediate adopter of any opportunities for Protestants to work with Catholics, finding common ground and achieving common goals together.
C
Cor_ad_Cor
Guest
As a descendant of Wesley, I find this entertaining at the least. 
I think he would have corrected those who tried to separate into the now-Methodist Churches and admonished them to remain Anglican, as he would have, and reformed from within…perhaps drawing the Anglican Church nearer Catholicism, but not necessarily reuniting.
I think he would have corrected those who tried to separate into the now-Methodist Churches and admonished them to remain Anglican, as he would have, and reformed from within…perhaps drawing the Anglican Church nearer Catholicism, but not necessarily reuniting.
L
ltwin
Guest
Well, he sanctioned the separation in reality when he violated English ecclesiastical law by taking upon himself the authority to ordain the first superintendents and elders for the Methodist Episcopal Church in the US (now the United Methodist Church). Wesley had to have known that the movement he began was too dynamic and pietistic for the cold and institutionalized orthodoxy of the CofE.
It got hard for the Methodists in Britain to remain in the Church of England for the simple fact that most Anglicans didn’t want the Methodists stirring things up and most Methodists were tired of being ridiculed and suppressed by the institutions of the CofE. Both sides were probably relieved when the split occurred.
I mean, the Methodists were considered dangerous radicals because they preached outside rather than in church buildings. That’s how silly the entire mess had become.
No, I don’t think he would have been Catholic. He owed a lot to Catholic and Orthodox theologians when it came to his teachings on sanctification and Christian holiness. Wesley was a High Church Anglican, but he was also an evangelical Protestant in the truest sense of the word. I think the only place today that you could find that identity would be in the evangelical wing of the Anglican churches.
So, not surprisingly, if he were alive today he’d be what he always was–an evangelical Anglican.
L
LordHaveMercy
Guest
As a former United Methodist I studied John Wesley most of my life. He was not an anti-Catholic and tried to foster good relationships with Catholics and looked for areas where Catholics and Methodists agreed. Based on that, it seems he knew plenty about the Church, saw much good in it, and made an informed decision not to be Catholic. Much of this was doctrinal, not a political battle with clerics of his time. Wesley wrote very kindly of Catholics, nothing seemed to be stopping him from becoming a Catholic. Based on that, I don’t think he’d be Catholic today either.
J
Jerusha
Guest
I belong to a quilting group run out of a Methodist Church, and find that, at least in this community, Methodists have a very positive attitude towards Catholics. I have read Wesley, and he clearly did not reflect common American prejudices of his time. Maybe a Moravian influence?
J
JustaServant
Guest
At one time there was an offshoot of fundamentalist Methodists called 'Bible Methodists.
But for the most part, the Methodists I have met have never been anti-Catholic.
A
adamhovey1988
Guest
Some of my favourite quotes actually come from John Wesley. I suppose it could be possible.
P
Padres1969
Guest
Indeed. For those reasons alone I find it highly unlikely he be a Catholic today any more than he was 3 centuries ago.
T
Tommy999
Guest
You are probably right on that, Itwin. The Catholic Church existed back in his day and he didn’t convert, although there probably wasn’t the spirit of ecumenism that there is now.Well, he sanctioned the separation in reality when he violated English ecclesiastical law by taking upon himself the authority to ordain the first superintendents and elders for the Methodist Episcopal Church in the US (now the United Methodist Church). Wesley had to have known that the movement he began was too dynamic and pietistic for the cold and institutionalized orthodoxy of the CofE.
It got hard for the Methodists in Britain to remain in the Church of England for the simple fact that most Anglicans didn’t want the Methodists stirring things up and most Methodists were tired of being ridiculed and suppressed by the institutions of the CofE. Both sides were probably relieved when the split occurred.
I mean, the Methodists were considered dangerous radicals because they preached outside rather than in church buildings. That’s how silly the entire mess had become.
No, I don’t think he would have been Catholic. He owed a lot to Catholic and Orthodox theologians when it came to his teachings on sanctification and Christian holiness. Wesley was a High Church Anglican, but he was also an evangelical Protestant in the truest sense of the word. I think the only place today that you could find that identity would be in the evangelical wing of the Anglican churches.
So, not surprisingly, if he were alive today he’d be what he always was–an evangelical Anglican.
I speculate that he would’ve been in favor of the ‘New Evangelism’ and any other outreach (like the Billy Graham Crusades, for example) that brought the Gospel to the multitudes.
His focus on personal piety is much needed in this day and age, although that aspect of the Christian faith was not unique to him. His brother Charles was also a prolific composer of hymns (with John writing a few himself and editing some of Charles’) although I don’t know how widely sung these hymns are in other Christian denominations.
P
Padres1969
Guest
They’re still quite common in Anglican Churches. Many of the Wesley hymns are quite prominent in the Episcopal Church’s current 1982 Hymnal. And both are honored with a feast day (March 3).
T
Tommy999
Guest
Good to know, Padres.
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