Chapter 1: Spirituality, Religion, and John Wesley
Chapter One
Spirituality, Religion, and John Wesley
“I’m a very spiritual person—I just don’t see any point in organized religion. What happens in church seems to get in the way of relating to God and finding my way in the world,” Laura said seriously. She spent time regularly in meditation and reflection, read C.S. Lewis and other writers on the spiritual life, and felt good about what she saw as the integration of her life. She just didn’t see any reason for going to church. Why bother with worship that didn’t always make sense, or deal with people who were at a different place in their lives than she was? Laura felt she was a good Christian without going to church.
Sam attended Sunday School part of the time. One Sunday, in a discussion about Christianity and other world religions, Sam blurted out, “Hey, I don’t see anything wrong with being a Buddhist or following the Tao. They’re all paths to the same goal. We all want to connect with God. So what’s wrong with finding your spirituality in something besides Christianity? What, you think God can’t handle that?”
Cynthia and Jeff loved nature. Most Sundays they were in the woods, or out on a hiking trail, or in a canoe on the river. Cynthia put it like this, “We find God in nature. Out here, it’s peaceful, and no one is trying to tell someone else what to believe or how they should live. We spend the day on the river, or hiking in the forest, and we find peace. We connect with God through the natural world. Church? That seems so old-fashioned. They say the same thing every Sunday about what they believe, they pray the same prayer (which I can pray on the river) and they don’t even try to get along. Why should I give up this peace I feel here—and the connection with God—to spend time in church with people I don’t even know?”
“Relationships, not Religion.” That’s what the billboard said. It was advertising an independent congregation in the area. The message seemed to be that we can have relationships with God and with each other without having any kind of organized religion. Does that really make sense?
Was it Important for Wesley That We Be in Church?
For Wesley, being a Christian was all about loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. And, for him, loving God and loving our neighbors meant that we banded together with other Christians to help each other live out that love. Spirituality is about loving God, which is the topic of this chapter. Loving our neighbors, also a part of our understanding of spirituality, is about making a difference in the world, which we’ll discuss in chapters 3 and 5. And, yes, it was important for Wesley that his followers be in church.
When Wesley said that the New Testament knows no solitary religion, he was drawing on hundreds of years of tradition and his own experience about how we grow in the Christian life. Some people, like Cynthia and Jeff, may be able to “find God” in nature. But the God they find there does not challenge them to grow, work for justice, or to love their neighbors. Wesley knew that being in a Christian community on a regular basis was important for his spiritual life. He needed the sense of community, the sense of being part of something more than just “me and Jesus.” He needed the call to accountability the church provides—how was he doing in terms of living up to his faith commitment? We need that, too. Let’s see how that worked for the first Methodists, and then take a look at how it might work for us.
The genius of the Wesleyan Revival was organization. There were other great preachers in Wesley’s day, among them Jonathan Edwards in America and George Whitefield in both England and America. While all the preachers won converts to Christ through their preaching, what Wesley did differently from the others was to organize his followers into groups to both support each other and to hold each other accountable in their walk with God. That is, he put them in small groups, called classes, which were part of the society in their village or neighborhood. The society functioned like a church—for worship, preaching, the administration of the sacraments (when an ordained minister was present), and fellowship. The classes functioned as small groups that provided fellowship, opportunities for support and caring, and a time for mutual calling to accountability for the Christian life. This organization—and commitment to the community of faith—meant the Wesleyan Revival had a permanent effect on the lives of people, and on the communities in which they lived. The permanence was directly related to the common life in the community of faith, to “being in church.”
Let’s be clear—when we discuss spirituality in this book, we are not talking about “new age” spirituality. We are talking about a specific kind of relationship with God, with definite content. Christian spirituality is focused on God in Christ. It practices clearly defined spiritual disciplines, with the goal of a closer relationship with God in Christ. Spirituality is also not the same as discipleship, though they may have certain practices in common. The specific spiritual disciplines that Wesley practiced were what he called “works of piety” and “works of mercy.”
Works of Piety
Wesley made it clear to his followers that being a Christian meant being actively engaged in the church. In the General Rules, he made it clear that anyone who was serious about her or his relationship with God would
“[attend] upon all the ordinances of God; such are:
The public worship of God. The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.
The Supper of the Lord.
Family and private prayer.
Searching the Scriptures.
Fasting or abstinence.
Wesley referred to these practices as works of piety, or means of grace, what we might call spiritual disciplines. And here are some points about works of piety Wesley might make to Laura and Sam, Cynthia and Jeff. The heart of works of piety lies in the way we relate to the Christian community—public worship, listening to the word, and participating in Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist). Wesley was clear that growing in faith could be done only in the community of faith, that is, the church. He expected his people to be in public worship every Sunday, and to participate in the Lord’s Supper. In actual practice, many of his followers did not attend the services of the Church of England, because they were poor and illiterate, and they felt uncomfortable, if not unwelcome, in the church. But they attended regularly the preaching services when the Methodist preachers came by on their rounds, and took communion from them. They also met weekly with the class meeting, which helped them grow in their faith. In the class meeting, Wesley’s followers shared their pain and struggles, helped support each other in their struggles, prayed for each other, and called each other to accountability. One of the elements of the class meeting was confession, and the members of the class would remind each other of the ways they were falling down in their commitment. The practice of accountability in Christian disciplines worked much the same way that small groups help people to stop smoking, or lose ten pounds, or exercise regularly works for us today. When we tell a group of friends that we’re going to make a change in our lives and take on a new discipline, we find that it’s easier to be faithful to that discipline if we know that others will hold us accountable for it.
The General Rules (see page 27) are a statement about what it means to be a Methodist Christian. They were written by John Wesley himself. In addition to a brief statement about how the Methodist societies began, there is a statement about how one is admitted to the societies. The only requirement is “a desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins.” Then comes a list of social and economic actions that are to be avoided by Wesley’s followers, a list of ways to do good to others (to love one’s neighbor as oneself), and, finally, the intention to attend upon all the ordinances of God.
The General Rules still remain as a part of the teaching standards of The United Methodist Church.
We need to say a word about fasting as a spiritual discipline. Wesley was not interested in fasting as a way to lose weight. Fasting was a spiritual discipline, a way one might grow in holiness (see chapter 4). Wesley saw fasting as an expression of sorrow for sin, particularly for the sin of gluttony (which is not limited to food). He also saw it as a help to prayer, since the time not spent in eating could be spent in prayer. He also warned his followers not to fast if they were in poor health. Sometimes today we find youth groups engaged in a twenty-four-hour fast as a group. Going without food is intended as a way of identifying with the poor, and often involves giving money that would otherwise have been spent on food to a local food bank. This kind of fasting is done under careful supervision, with peer support, for a definite purpose, and as a way of growing in spirituality.
So Wesley might say to Laura, “You’re doing a wonderful thing in your search for God and wholeness. What you lack is participation in the congregation and its life of worship, fellowship, service, and learning.” He might say to Cynthia and Jeff that their quest for God was a good thing. Why didn’t they share what they found with others in the church? Or, he might say to Sam that, while all faiths have the search for God at their heart, there is something unique about relating to God through Jesus Christ. We learn about that uniqueness in and through the church.
To all four, Wesley would suggest they take a look at what he called “the grand scheme of salvation,” and see where they might find new ways to relate to God through Christ.
The Grand Scheme of Salvation
Spirituality, for Wesley, was rooted deeply in what he called “the grand scheme of salvation.” He was not interested in spirituality for its own sake, but spirituality rooted in God’s saving acts in Christ. We can outline this “scheme” as including the doctrines of Creation, Sin, Prevenient Grace, Repentance, Justification, New Birth, and Sanctification.
Other doctrines were important to Wesley (such as the Trinity, Incarnation, Faith and Works), but these seven were the heart of his preaching and teaching. They continue as the heart of United Methodist teaching today. Other books explain these doctrines fully, a task we cannot even begin here. What we can, and will, do here is mention briefly why each of the doctrines is so important for our spirituality and our relationship with God.
CREATION
The key to the doctrine of creation for Wesley was not a literal creation in seven days, but the reality that humanity is created in the image of God. That doesn’t mean we “look like” God, but that we are capable of thought, love, compassion, as well as a host of negative capabilities. We are created by the grace of God, and are called to respond to that grace. For our own spirituality, that emphasis on creation suggests that we need to remember who we are, that we are important to God, because we are created in God’s own image.
SIN
We believe that we were created good (in the image of God) but our nature, at its very center, is marred and corrupted by sin. We don’t like to talk about sin so much these days, but it is a present reality. Wesley believed in original sin, which means that human beings, created in the image of God, lost that image because we wanted to be the center of own lives, and to go our own way. Wesley also believed in actual sin, by which he meant a voluntary breaking of God’s commandments. Sin is universal. It shows itself in our inner lives, our relationships with others, and in the social, political, and economic structures of our world. Sin, the corruption of the image of God, and the sins that result from that corruption, separate us from God and distort all parts of our lives. For us, a key part of spirituality is recognizing our sinfulness and need for God. We become more aware of this in worship, when we participate in prayers of confession, listen to the Scripture being read and preached, and search our own hearts.
PREVENIENT GRACE
Grace is a shorthand way of speaking of the incredible love of God. Wesley understood it as God’s mercy that comes to us, even though we do not deserve it. It is that love that makes us right with God, gives us new life and leads us on to growth and change. Since grace is a term about relationships, it takes different forms at different stages in our walk with God. It is all one grace, one love, but it does different things, depending on our need at any particular time. Wesley (and we United Methodists) talk about those different forms of grace as prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying.
Prevenient grace is a way of talking about the reality that God loves us, even before we are aware of our need for God. “Prevenient” comes from two Latin words meaning “to go before,” and describes God’s love going before us, calling us, seeking us out. Sometimes prevenient grace comes to us as bad news, calling us to the awareness of our sin. Wesley sometimes referred to the bad news part of prevenient grace as convincing grace; that is, the grace that convinces us of our sin and need for God. For us spiritually, prevenient grace reminds us that sin is not the final word on human nature. We are created in God’s image, we sin and turn away from God, but God always calls to us to return. We are able to face the reality of sin and confession because grace reminds us that we are already loved and forgiven by God. Now we only have to accept that grace, to say “yes” to God, and learn to forgive ourselves.
REPENTANCE
Repentance is knowing our own spiritual state, knowing that we are sinners, that we need God, that things aren’t right between us and God, between us and our neighbors, and that we need God’s help to make them right. Repentance is admitting we are in spiritual trouble and need help.
Both the knowing and the admitting are ways God works on us through prevenient grace. The awareness of both sin and grace leads us to repentance. This is a fresh start in our spiritual lives.
JUSTIFICATION
Justification is a legal term used in the Bible to talk about how God through Christ makes us right with God. Justification is about salvation and freedom from the guilt of sin and from the fear of God’s punishment. In justification, God accepts us just as we are and changes the basic nature of our relationship with God. God’s grace gives us new life and hope. This is the justifying grace that we talked about earlier.
NEW BIRTH
One of the most confusing terms in modern Christian language is “being born again.” It is often used to describe a momentary, dated, experience in which we come to know that our lives have been changed by God. But not all persons have this kind of experience. So what does new birth mean for us? And does it mean that we aren’t really Christians because we haven’t been “born again?” Wesley says that new birth is something God does in us (in addition to justification, where God does something for us). The marks of the new birth are faith, hope, and love. We may experience new birth in many different ways, but each way is an awareness of God’s grace working in and through us. A fresh start is important for our spirituality.
SANCTIFICATION
In justification, God accepts us just as we are. In sanctification, God doesn’t leave us where we are. Instead, God calls us to closer and closer relationships. Sanctification (also called holiness, or Christian perfection) does not mean we never sin again, never make mistakes, or never have any more problems. Rather, in sanctification, we begin to grow toward the point where the image of God is restored in us. In sanctification, all our actions are motivated by love. Most of us will not reach this state in this life, but it is always before us as a goal, calling us to be more (in God) than we are now. In a sense, the United States Army slogan, “Be all that you can be” describes what God calls us to become. Sanctification is a fulfillment of our potential, given to us by God. Like justification, sanctification is also an act of grace. It is not something we do by ourselves, pulling ourselves up by our own spiritual bootstraps, as it were. Rather is it something God does in us, giving us grace to grow into the likeness of Christ.
Sanctification is also called holiness, the holiness of heart and life, in Wesleyan language. It is all about the life we live in front of God, growing more and more into what God calls us to become. So sanctification/holiness is the heart of our spirituality.
Living in God’s House
In “The Principles of a Methodist Farther Explained,” [sic] (Works 9:227) Wesley presents a metaphor in which he compares the life of faith to a house. Repentance, he says, is the porch of the house, justification is the door to the house, and sanctification is the whole house. The goal is being in the house, living in it, exploring all the nooks and crannies, letting it shape our lives. But in order to live in the house we have to cross the porch (repent) and enter the door (be justified, accept God’s saving grace).
Picture a house in your mind, and think about how quickly you get through the door. Then think about how long you have to live in the house before you find all its hidden crannies, discover what furniture fits where, and know how you want to arrange your dishes in the cabinet, your books on the shelves, your clothes in the closet. As you begin to be comfortable in the house, you also discover that the house is making a difference in you. Who you are, how you relate to the house, and to others in it, are all changing. So it is in the life of faith.
In fact, we might push Wesley’s metaphor a bit and suggest that the house is really the church. Not the building on the corner, but the community of faith. As you live in the community, and begin to find comfort in it, you discover that you are changing. You relate to God differently, you relate to others differently, you are even different yourself. This is all a part of your spirituality, which you begin to discover is not personal but shared with others.
And So?
We often think of spirituality as something we do, out on our own, and then bring to church. Laura, Sam, Cynthia, and Jeff all had something of that mindset. Wesley reminds us that spirituality happens in church. It happens in church because there we intentionally encounter God with the community of faith. It is in church that we hear God’s word read and proclaimed. It is there that we learn of grace. It is in church that we catch the vision of the upward call of God, the call to deeper spirituality, to service, and to holiness.
Questions for Reflection
For Further Reading
Gregory S. Clapper, As If The Heart Mattered (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1997).
Scott J. Jones, United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002). A readable survey of United Methodist teaching, which opens up both an historical perspective and ways in which that teaching affects our lives.
C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. While this book has nothing to do with John Wesley, it does teach us a great deal about new birth and the role of Christian community in the Christian life.
Charles Yrigoyen, Jr., John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996). This was a study book for United Methodist Women in the 1990s, and can probably be found in many church libraries. It is a summary of Wesley’s teachings of holiness and their importance for the Christian life today.