1st Edition

Wesley and Aldersgate Interpreting Conversion Narratives

By Mark K. Olson Copyright 2019
210 Pages
by Routledge

210 Pages
by Routledge

210 Pages
by Routledge

Despite being widely recognized as John Wesley’s key moment of Christian conversion, Aldersgate has continued to mystify regarding its exact meaning and significance to Wesley personally. This book brings clarity to the impact this event had on Wesley over the course of his lifetime by closely examining all of Wesley’s writings pertaining to Aldersgate and framing them within the wider context of... Read more

Introduction: Interpreting Conversion Narratives  1 The Riddle of Aldersgate  2 The Sources of Aldersgate  3 The ‘Official’ Version: Part One  4 The ‘Official’ Version: Part Two  5 The ‘Unofficial’ Versions  6 The Corroborating Witnesses  7 The Legacy of Aldersgate  Conclusion: Wesley and Aldersgate  Appendix 1: References to Wesley’s Conversion  Appendix 2: John Wesley’s Conversion in Parallel Accounts

Biography

Mark K. Olson is Adjunct Faculty at Indiana Wesleyan University and Nazarene Bible College, both in the USA. He has published several books on Wesley including A John Wesley Reader on Eschatology (2011) and John Wesley’s Theology of Christian Perfection (2007) and multiple articles.

"Wesley and Aldersgate is a useful book for Methodist Studies scholars, as well as to Religion scholars and laypeople interested in conversion—for the latter—with the aid of some of the historical and theological works upon which Olson draws to fill in context."

- Natalya Cherry, Brite Divinity School, Reading Religion

 

"One of the persistent questions in Methodist Studies is how best to in­terpret Wesley's Aldersgate experience and its significance for those in the Wesleyan tradition. Olson's Wesley and Aldersgate (revised from his doc­toral dissertation [University of Manchester]) provides a welcome addition to the body of literature addressing these questions."

- Elaine A. Robinson, Oklahoma City University

 

"This is a persuasive study, based on painstaking research. Olson has made a significant contribution to the literature of the founding narrative of methodism, and has helpfully  located John Wesley's experience within the wider setting of eighteen century evangelicalism."

- Martin Wellings, Wesley and Methodist Studies