Sermons of Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley is widely recognized as one of the greatest writers of the English hymn. Wesley is a figure of central importance in the context of the birth and early growth of Methodism. It was Wesley who first started the Oxford "Holy Club" from which the ethos and structures of organized Methodism were eventually to emerge. Wesley sought to spread, mainly through his preaching, the evangelical message across England, Wales, and Ireland. Eye witness testimony suggests that he was a powerful and effective preacher whose homiletic work and skill did much to establish and further the early Methodist cause. A case is made for the inclusion of the 23 sermons here presented and there is discussion also of the significant text - critical problems that have been negotiated in the production of this volume. Other chapters present a summary of Wesley's life and preaching career and seek to show by example how the sermons, no less than the hymns, are significant vehicles for the transmission of Charles's message.

In a meticulous piece of scholarship, Kenneth Newport edits the sermons with a clear survey of Charles Wesley's life and theology. Wesley 'buffs' will fall on it with delight ... a hearty welcome to this splendidly produced book., Kenneth Newport's first, and exemplary, critical edition of Charles's sermons is particularly welcome ... although fuller reassessment of Charles's career and significance must await further work on the sources, this edition of the sermons and accompanying commentary is a significant step forward and sets a formidable standard for editions of his other writings., This is a major contribution to Wesley studies by (for once) a British academic, demonstrating that an interest in such studies is alive and able to challenge and extend the findings of American scholars, such as Albin, Langford, and Tyson, who have worked in this field., Dr Newport's work is the outcome of careful and scholarly research using all the critical textual apparatus available. This book will be a vital tool for all those who wishing to trace the development of the Methodist movement and the impact of its theological ideas., Scholars of Methodist history and theology are greatly in debt to Dr Newport for the published outcome of his research project as are those who seek to assess the contribution of the Wesley brothers to the Evangelical Revival of the eighteenth century.

Kenneth Newport is a graduate of the University of Oxford where he studied under E.P. Sanders. After teaching for three years in Hong Kong, he returned to the UK in 1991 and taught at the University of St Andrews and then at the University of Manchester. While at Manchester he was appointed Research Fellow at the John Rylands Research Institute where he has conducted extensive research into the Methodist Archives, which are on permanent deposit at the John RylandsUniversity Library. In 1999 he was appointed Reader in Christian Thought at Liverpool Hope University College, where he currently teaches and conducts research. He is an ordained Anglican minister. He lives in Bury, Lancashire with his wife Rose-Marie and threechildren.