John Wesley: The Man, his Mission and his Message

by David Malcolm Bennett

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a great evangelist. He toured the British Isles for fifty years in the eighteenth century, preaching in churches, tiny chapels, village squares and in vast open areas, where he attracted enormous crowds. By the 1770s he was probably the most recognisable man in Britain, so much did he travel.He was also a sensitive counsellor, a concerned pastor, a thoughtful theologian and a brilliant organiser. There are some who believe that his influence was so great that he and his associates saved England from the ravages of a revolution similar to that which occurred in France at the end of that century. John The Man, his Mission and his Message paints a picture of Wesley that is vivid and enduring. He appears in these pages as a real man, not a plastic saint, with all his astonishing talents, his clever sense of humour and his tragic weaknesses.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2015

Reviews

[David Holford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy read that gives a good general outline of John Wesley’s life. The author, David Bennett, has written a series of biographies of notable Christian figures over the centuries. I had previously read his book about Spurgeon, and this story of Wesley’s life is in the same vein. It is a good book to read for anyone wanting a quick introduction to Wesley, but it is in no way a deep exploration of this man who had such a profound influence on the church in Britain and America in the eighteenth century. My main frustration was that I didn’t feel I had a better understanding of Methodism by the end of the book. What were the things that marked out the movement. What was it in Wesley’s message that so polarized people? What made some people so angry, while others felt that they could reconnect with their creator? What was the attraction in the social and spiritual context of the 1700s? What difference did it make to society? Although there is a chapter at the end about the legacy of the Wesley brothers, it is mainly expressed in numeric terms - how many churches the movement produced and how far it spread. But I suspect that answering such questions was not the author’s aim. He aimed to give a brief historical overview, and he has succeeded in that.

[miri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading more and more about the Wesley brothers as I look into Methodism and how it links to the Salvation Army. I found this book really interesting as it takes you through John Wesley's life, especially helpful if you're needing the basic and most important information about him and what he did. It can appear a bit all over the place at times as the author preferred to link parts of Wesley's mission to a specific topic or impact, rather than going through his life chronologically. I really enjoyed this book.