P. Heitzenrater's 'Wesley And The People Called Methodists'

‘Wesley and the People Called Methodists’, by Richard P. Heitzenrater takes an intense and lengthy look at John Wesley and the start of the Methodist movement. The book, with the exception of the English reformation for context, covers the time from Wesley’s birth till his death; however Heitzenrater does not share a lot of intimate details of Wesley’s personal life. The book shares the beginnings of Methodism without assuming any former knowledge that the reader may have about the foundations of the Methodist movement or John Wesley. The author gives detail to Wesley’s role in revival, theology, and mission. There is a lot of historical details as well as religious and revival details for Methodists as well as other Christians. Heitzenrater has a focus to:

“…tell the story of the rise of Methodism as a narrative of unfolding developments, without describing subsequent consequences until they occur. The history of early Methodism is best understood in terms of the emergence and interrelatedness of theological,

There is a focus that is beyond the organization, theology, and mission; it has a focus on the Methodist people. Wesley spent a great deal of time and energy with the Methodist people. His own personal pilgrimage of faith is fused with the Methodist theology and the mission of the Methodist people and organization of the eighteenth century. Therefore, the story of the Wesleyan movement is the story of Wesley and the people called Methodists (37).

The influence of John Wesley’s mother, Susanna Wesley, was tremendous on the Methodist movement. She raised John Wesley and Charles Wesley, who were central to the Methodist movement. John and Charles disagreed on the method of the Methodists movement, a disagreement which nearly devastated their