The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace

Easy and solid. Enjoy reading this book.

Here is an engaging text that readers will find helpful not only in obtaining a better grasp of Wesley's theology but also in understanding how that theology is relevant, in a very practical way, to their own lives and culture. The book employs an eighteenth century lens (Wesley's own thought), but then it transitions to the twenty-first century as well. The "Today and Tomorrow" sections at the end of each chapter are outstanding. I especially appreciate the manner in which Collins thoughtfully engages various interpretations of Wesley's theology and the evidence he presents from Wesley's own writings to support his conclusions. While this book is definitely written on a scholarly level, the author's appealing style of writing makes it accessible to readers of many backgrounds. The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace is an excellent resource for anyone who desires to know both the form and substance of Wesley's theology as well as its ongoing significance. Holy love really is at the heart of it all.

This print in this text seems to lack density in places, appearing grey in tone rather than black. This is a disappointment as it makes for uncertain reading. Its clear that this was produced by print on demand. I think it should be clearly indicated if texts are produced via this method so that some choice can be exercised in ordering.Producing books in this way always seems to result in less quality in the text. KC

This book is really well written though it is definitely not a book for beginners in theology or for those unfamiliar with ideas such as Atonement, Pneumatology and more. Wesley was a powerful preacher and this book does a masterful job of researching into so many different aspects of Wesley's life and ministry. If you want to know more about John Wesley, what he believed and even why, this is a great book - assuming of course that you can understand the strongly theological and academic language within.

The problem and importance of creating a Theology of John Wesley is that Wesley left us no Systematic Theology to study. His theology is found in his sermons, letters, notes and various treatises'. The present work succeeds is organizing Wesley's views on various topics in a useful manner. In such an endeavor, the bias of the writer must be viewed and weighed against the source material from which the writer draws his material. Fortunately, Wesley's writings are all readily available and delightful to read such that students will enjoy studying the source material along with this important book.It is important, in my opinion that any student wishing to understand Wesley should not rely on a book such as this regardless of its qualities. Rather, "The Theology of John Wesley" should serve as a guide to Wesley's writings and be read alongside of them rather than in their stead. Wesley's concepts are quite fluid at times and evolved over time and a full understanding of Wesley can only come from reading the material first hand as it developed and evolved and in its historic context.Unlike a systematic theology that seeks to define and answer all if not most theological issues, this is a book about John Wesley's theology which was more focussed and certainly not systematic or comprehensive. It is not, therefore, a substitute for the study of classic systematic theology. Wesley's goal in life was not to produce a systematic theology but to come to a personal understanding of God and our relationship to Him and as important, to save souls through preaching and creating a vehicle for evangelism called Methodism. Therefore, Wesley's theology was living, breathing, theoretical and applied whose singular thrust was for salvation of all.Dr. Collins writes lucidly and I believe he fairly interprets Wesley's viewpoints on the issues raised in the book. There are some areas that are not as clearly presented as we would expect in a systematic theology. An example is God's relationship to man and the Moral Law. The apparent lack of clarity may reflect Wesley more than Dr. Collins. Furthermore, the text does not always bring into discussion other theological views which may be in contrast or augment that of Wesley unless vital to Wesley's argument. An example is the discussion of how sin entered the world. The Augustine view of evil being the privation of good is an example. Wesley's assertion that Satan introduced sin into the world must be read in context of Augustine lest we fall into the trap of making God the author of Sin. The author's conclusion may better be stated: "that Satan and unregenerate man are depraved and the vehicles through which sin is worked out in creation." Satan, as a created being, is part of creation and therefore could not have created sin de novo. Regardless, the reader must remember that these are Wesley's views and should familiarize him/herself with the full repertoire of historical and current lines of thought.I believe that the student wishing to understand Wesley will find this book an excellent teacher and guide, a resource to be read and reread as Wesley's original material is primarily studied.I am glad that a solitary text cannot substitute for reading Wesley. It would be tragic and a great loss for students to miss the joy and blessing of reading Wesley.Finally, Dr. Collins draws much from Wesley's great sermon "The Image of God" which is not available in all collections of Wesley's sermons and, to the best of my knowledge, not available on line. This one sermon, this gem, contains much Wesley was to offer. It is published in the "John Wesley's Sermons: An Anthology" edited by Outler.

Great Read!

This is not an "easy read", but it is a very important read. I could not read this book in "one sitting" I found myself reading, thinking, researching, and reading some more. Having recently become interested in John and Charles Wesley, I first read about their history and times, and realized the are historical giants. John Wesley is to theology what Isaac Newton was to science. He was a genius, and a man of enormous energy any vision. He was honest and totally dedicated to finding spiritual truths, and once convinced that he had found the Holy Spirit, he devised practical methods for others to become saved. It worked, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and he changed the world. We are all the beneficiaries of his hard, relentless work for the Kingdom of God!I do not think you need to be a theologian to benefit from this book, but the novice to Christianity will struggle with many of the concepts presented herein. I think for the experienced Christian, this is an excellent description of Wesley's ideas, and how Wesley synthesized the ideas of scripture into a workable theology that was rational, practicable, and based on the scripture!This can work well as a book used by Christian discussion groups!

Came just went I needed it and it is full of interesting information