Tag Archives: John Wesley

A Blow at the Root

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A BLOW AT THE ROOT

Or,

CHRIST STABBED IN THE HOUSE OF HIS FRIENDS[1]

by

John Wesley

(b. June 28, 1703 – d. March 2, 1791)

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“Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?” — Luke 22:48.

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1. “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” Nothing under heaven can be more sure than this; “for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. And though heaven and earth pass away, yet His word shall not pass away.” As well therefore might God fall from heaven, as His word fall to the ground [Heb 12:14; Micah 4:4; Matt 5:18]. No, it cannot be; none shall live with God, except those who now live to God; none shall enjoy the glory of God in heaven, except those who bear the image of God on earth; none who are not saved from sin here can be saved from hell hereafter; none can see the kingdom of God above, unless the kingdom of God be in them below. Whosoever will reign with Christ in heaven, must have Christ reigning in them on earth. They must have that mind in them “which was also in Christ Jesus,” enabling them “to walk as Christ also walked” [Phil 2:5; 1 Jn 2:6]. Continue reading A Blow at the Root →

Strong Delusion

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Strong Delusion

In order to complete my M.A. in Church History/Historical Theology, I had to take an Essay Exam, and one of the topics to be written on was that I had to select what I thought were the 3 most important developments in Christianity during the Modern Period (c. 1650-present), explain why I chose those three developments, and explain their emergence, significance, and their lasting impact on Christianity. The article which follows, which I have entitled “Strong Delusion,” is the essence of my answer. It discusses the following three developments in Protestant Evangelical Christianity during the Modern Period: (1) the supposed need for a dramatic, convincing conversion story or a crisis-conversion; (2) the supposed requirement to know without a doubt that you are saved; and (3) the globalization of Easy Believism or Security-in-Sin.

The reason I selected these three developments in Christianity during the Modern Period as being the most important is because of the negative (and potentially deadly) combined or cumulative effect I believe they have had upon Christianity, myself included. Understanding how they developed is helpful in escaping their negative influence. Continue reading Strong Delusion →