Pain, Passion and Faith Revisiting the Place of Charles Wesley in Early Methodism

by Cruickshank, Joanna

• ISBN13: 9780810861541
• ISBN10: 0810861542
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-11-25
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Summary

Pain, Passion and Faith: Revisiting the Place of Charles Wesley in Early Methodism is a significant study of the 18th-century poet and preacher Charles Wesley. Wesley was an influential figure in 18th-century English culture and society; he was co-founder of the Methodist revival movement and one of the most prolific hymn-writers in the English language. His hymns depict the Christian life as characterized by a range of intense emotions, from ecstatic joy to profound suffering. With this book, author Joanna Cruickshank examines the theme of suffering in Charles Wesley'¬"s hymns, to help us understand how early Methodist men and women made sense of the physical, emotional and spiritual pains they experienced. Cruickshank uncovers an area of significant disagreement within the Methodist leadership and illuminates Methodist culture more broadly, shedding light on early Methodist responses to contemporary social issues like charity, slavery, and capital punishment.

Author Biography

Joanna Cruickshank is a lecturer in history at Deakin University, Australia.

Table of Contents

Editor's Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Abbreviations	p. xiii
Introduction: Pain, Passion and Christian Faith	p. 1
Revisiting Charles Wesley	p. 7
Revisiting the Hymns of Charles Wesley	p. 21
Sorrow, Sight and Transformation	p. 43
Suffering and the Christian Story	p. 73
Suffering and the Sanctified Self	p. 107
Suffering and the Sympathetic Community	p. 141
Conclusion	p. 169
Bibliography	p. 175
Index	p. 183
About the Author	p. 187
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.