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Commentary
WESLEYAN WISDOM: Reclaim Arminian heritage! Donald W. Haynes, Jun 12, 2008
Donald W. Haynes
By Donald W. Haynes UMR Columnist
We Methodists are Arminian, not Calvinist or Pelagian.
Methodism rejects the Reformed theology of Swiss reformer John Calvin, whose concept of God’s total sovereignty is summed up with the acronym TULIP: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints.
We believe instead that depravity never makes us beyond the reach of God’s grace, that “election” is conditional upon our free will, that Jesus’ atonement is unlimited, that we can resist God’s love and that we can backslide.
While at Oxford in 1725, Wesley questioned Calvinism in a letter to his mother: “What shall I say then of predestination? Is it merciful to ordain a creature to everlasting misery?”
Susanna responded that the doctrine was “very shocking” because it “directly charges the Most High God with being the author of sin.” She added: “I think you reason well and justly against it; it is certainly inconsistent with the justice and goodness of God to lay any man under either a physical or moral necessity of committing sin, and then to punish him for doing it.”
Wesley went on to become history’s most avid advocate of Arminianism.
James Arminius taught that God permits evil through God’s gift of human liberty, but does not ordain it. Armimius and Wesley insisted that salvation begins with the universal gracious gift of a loving God—prevenient grace.
God’s grace convicts us of our sin, calling us to repentance and saving grace. From the moment we repent and accept God’s gracious salvation through faith, we grow in grace—perfecting grace. But this grace is resistable at every point: We can always say “no” to God.
On the other hand, Pelagius, a contemporary of Augustine, believed that human will, not God’s grace, initiates salvation. Pelagius denied original sin and elevated humankind to possessing natural moral ability: having “free will” to choose right or wrong. His teachings were condemned in 431 A.D. by the third Ecumenical Council because they affirmed human ability to do God’s will apart from the prevenience of divine grace.
Wesley was repeatedly accused of being Pelagian. The distinction was that for Pelagius, human free will is inherent; for Wesley, human free will is a gift of God’s grace. Consequently, we are not saved by our faith; we are saved by God’s grace through our responsive faith!
Scriptural insights can be seen in the parable of the Prodigal Son who “came to himself.” Somewhere in his psyche he knew himself to be a son, not the degenerated human keeper of a pigsty!
Wesley considered conscience as one dimension of this prevenient grace. As Paul writes in Romans 2: “Do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Methodism does not see God’s essential nature as wrath, but love.
I am saddened today when I see the term “grace” appearing in book after book without the author even knowing that the shaper of grace theology was John Wesley! The challenge of United Methodism is to re-dig our old wells. We are children of God, corroded and corrupted by a culture of sin.
We have an unprecedented number of superb books today by United Methodists and other Wesleyan scholars—Randy Maddox, Kenneth Collins, Charles Yrigoyen, Roger Olsen, Ted Campbell, Bishop Scott Jones, William Abraham and Andy Langford, to mention a few.
We have the Works of John Wesley, begun by Albert Outler and continued by Richard Heitzenrater, Reginald Ward and Jean Schmidt.
We have recent books (some out of print) by Robert Cushman, Colin Williams, Mildred Bangs Wynkoop and Thomas A. Langford. We have superb historical work done by Richard Heitzenrater, Russell Richey, Kenneth Rowe, Robert Chiles, Peter Murray and David Hempton.
Perhaps we need a reprint of Bishop Edwin Mouzon’s Fundamentals of Methodism (1923).
This is the core of our new “Methodist Library.” Pastors might have to get the word out as our circuit riders once did!
Every local church should have an annual seminar on the doctrine, history or discipline of our Wesleyan heritage. Where are those who will lead us in lifting high the voice of Methodism?
Dr. Haynes is a retired clergy member of the Western North Carolina Conference. e-mail:dhaynes11@triad.rr.com.
Donald W. Haynes
