The Radical Wesley

In a recent trip to England, I had the opporunity to visit the city of Oxford and to tour a small part of the university. While walking through the campus, we stumbled upon St. Mary's Church where John Wesley often preached as a young man. Needless to say, it was a very moving experience for me as I learned that this was also the place where in August of 1744 the congregation asked Wesley to leave after he dared to preach on the importance of faith and salvation. In his Journal he wrote, "I have preached, I suppose, the last time in St. Mary's. Be it so. I am now clear of the blood of these men. I have fully delivered my soul."


As I sat in the church building (as pictured at right), I tried to imagine what it would have been like for Wesley as he stood to preach to people who refused to truly hear his words. And yet, this would not deter him from continuing to preach the importance of salvation by faith and the forgiveness of sins. As a radical reformer - a man committed to the restoration of God's original intention for His church - Wesley stood strong in the face of all opposition. Like the prophet Isaiah, Wesley could say, "those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagle's. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint" (Is. 40:31, NLT).