We often think of John Wesley as a church reformer, the founder of a denomination, a social activist, a folk theologian, and a voluminous author, but he was preeminently an itinerant preacher who traveled throughout the British Isles doing the work of an evangelist. Although a High Churchman with a great respect for the liturgy of the Church of England, everywhere he preached he called his hearers to experience justifying and sanctifying grace. Wesleyan intended this soteriological theme to characterize the preaching of all his Methodist preachers. This book shows us that evangelism was the center of Wesley's ministry and early Methodism. The breadth of this book is remarkable and is lucidly written. For those who have read widely in Wesley Studies they will find interesting details here that have often been overlooked. For example, this book provides us with the fascinating story of why and how Wesley was led to organize Methodism into societies and class meetings. The formative influence of his father and mother were not insignificant in this regard, just as the Pietists played a significant role. This works shows us that Wesley was a man very much engaged in conversation with his peers and that his opinions as well as his theology were formed out a web of deep intrigue involving numerous religious and political figures.
Although he was an evangelist who considered the whole world his parish and who believed that God had raised up the Methodists to proclaim scriptural holiness across the land, Wesley took ideas seriously and insisted on a right understanding of the gospel as well as a right relationship with Jesus Christ. The last chapter in this book particularly offers a corrective understanding of the relationship between life and doctrine, showing that Wesley's evangelism effectively used Christian apologetics. For those who are newcomers to Wesley Studies, this work is reader-friendly and provides a delightful narrative of the main events in Wesley's life and ministry with the theme of evangelism as the integrating theme