The Burning Heart, John Wesley: Evangelist

by Arthur Skevington Wood

Christianity Today says this book is one of the "top 5 books on Church History" (December 2007 issue). British Wesley scholars typically excel in their historical of John Wesley, and they do so for obvious reasons considering that Wesley was himself British. Living in the midst of Wesley's environment gives them an advantage in this regard. American Wesley scholars are famous for their theologies of John Wesley, but as one recent Wesley scholar has noted, you have as many "Wesleys" as you do contemporary Wesley scholars, each one mirroring Wesley in their own image and reconstructing him according to their own agendas. Here in this classic work A. Skevington Wood has the advantage of the British perspective and yet he provides a reliable interpretation of Wesley's own theological thinking. Wood also rightly notes that the key to understanding Wesley is to see him as an evangelist. This interpretative theme is the prism for seeing the whole Wesley. Wood's profound appreciation for Wesley allows him to penetrate insightfully into the central concerns and contributions of Wesley. The decisive contribution of this book is that it gives the reader a clear and straightforward account of the ancestry, life, and theology of John Wesley and it does so all in one volume.

Genres: Biography, History, Church History, Christian

378 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1978

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read on a very unique man whose legacy is not only denominational as demonstrated by Methodism but also doctrinal. The influence of second blessing soteriology (or “the doctrine of subsequence” per Ed Stetzer) can be traced from Wesley to the Holiness Movement, to First Wave Pentecostalism, to Second Wave Charismatics, to Third Wave Signs & Wonders, and on to various other “ripples” of continuationists (or “continualists” per Stetzer) which can be more or less extreme in doctrine and practice.

Wesley is worthy of study and his burning heart will warm your own. But the fall-out from his doctrinal deviations has had lasting consequences.

Nevertheless, we can still benefit from Wesley’s life and ministry like his theological rival, George Whitefield, did. Here is what Whitefield wrote to Wesley in 1740:

I love and honor you for His sake; and when I come to judgment, will thank you before men and angels, for what you have, under God, done for my soul.

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent theological biography of John Wesley qua evangelist. The writing is engaging and the content well researched. The author is free with well-reasoned opinion.

[Albert Meier · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author admits that he is not attempting a thorough biography of Wesley; too many already exist to believe another will be a meaningful addition. He instead chooses to focus on evangelistic work that defined Wesley's life.

The style is humdrum. While the consistently ten-page chapters make for bite size reading, the contents of the chapters can be repetitious, as the author focuses on the different venues of Wesley in one chapter, different things he stood on in another, and so on. It does familiarize the reader with Wesley's methods and message, but analyse and application to modern settings are few and passing.

The author approaches the topic as a Methodist. While this has some benefit, do not expect any criticism of Wesley, his method's or his teaching. He obviously was right and everyone not having had a conversion experience like him is not a "genuine" Christian.

[John Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time in 1981 for my Theology of John Wesley seminary course. I noticed he mentioned the primitive church and the influence of the eastern church fathers upon Wesley's theology of sanctification.

Other books about Wesley develop the theme of the influence of the primitive church and the eastern fathers in greater depth and detail.

[Zach Waldis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dated and perhaps overly conservative portrait of Wesley the evangelist, but the reader still cannot help but be impressed by what Wesley did in the power of the Spirit.