Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christian tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother Charles Wesley were also significant early leaders in the movement. They were named Methodists for "the methodical way in which they carried out their Christian faith". Methodism originated as a revival movement within Anglicanism with roots in the Church of England in the 18th century and became a separate denomination after Wesley's death. The movement spread throughout the British Empire, the United States and beyond because of vigorous missionary work, and today has about 80 million adherents worldwide.
John Wesley was an English cleric, theologian, and evangelist who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Methodist movement that continues to this day.
Charles Wesley was an English Anglican cleric and a principal leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include "And Can It Be", "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing", "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today", "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling", the carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", and "Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending".
The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with the holiness movement teach that the life of a born again Christian should be free of sin. The movement is historically distinguished by its emphasis on the doctrine of a second work of grace, which is called entire sanctification or Christian perfection. The word Holiness refers specifically to this belief in entire sanctification as an instantaneous, definite second work of grace, in which original sin is cleansed, the heart is made perfect in love, and the believer is empowered to serve God. For the Holiness movement, "the term 'perfection' signifies completeness of Christian character; its freedom from all sin, and possession of all the graces of the Spirit, complete in kind." A number of Christian denominations, parachurch organizations, and movements emphasize those Holiness beliefs as central doctrine.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Christian theology:
Patrick Philipp Streiff is bishop of the United Methodist Church of Central and Southern Europe which comprises the countries Albania, Algeria, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Tunisia.
An African-initiated church (AIC) is a Christian church independently started in Africa by Africans rather than chiefly by missionaries from another continent.
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is a large Wesleyan Methodist denomination, with local churches across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini, and a more limited presence in Mozambique. It is a member church of the World Methodist Council.
John Wesley College was the seminary of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa situated at Kilnerton in Pretoria, South Africa. It was most commonly referred to as John Wesley College Kilnerton. It opened at Kilnerton in 1994, and was replaced by the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary, located in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, in January 2009, There is also a John Wesley College in Fiji, South Pacific.
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was the majority Methodist movement in England following its split from the Church of England after the death of John Wesley and the appearance of parallel Methodist movements.
Mark Pretorius is an evangelical theologian, philosopher and metaphysician. He holds the following degrees: a BTh, a BTh Hons, an M.A. in biblical studies, and a PhD in systematic theology. Pretorius was a senior academic at the South African Theological Seminary, and currently a research associate in the department of systematic theology at the University of Pretoria.
Duncan Baillie Forrester was a Scottish theologian and the founder of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at New College, University of Edinburgh. He was latterly honorary fellow and professor emeritus at New College.
Robert Newton Flew (1886–1962) was an English Methodist minister and theologian, and an advocate of ecumenism among the Christian churches.
Daniel Charl Stephanus Oosthuizen was a South African philosopher, and an early Afrikaner voice against Apartheid. The main direction of his philosophical work lay in the field of epistemology and the philosophy of mind. He was more widely known in South Africa for his moral, political and religious essays, and was described by André Brink as a thorn in the flesh of the establishment. He was a confidant of Beyers Naude, who acknowledged him as having been one of the original group whose discussions and thoughts led to the founding of the Christian Institute of Southern Africa, of which he was both a founder member and a member of the Board of Management. He also contributed to the formation of the University Christian Movement.
Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel was a South African pastor and academic. She was the first female minister to be ordained by a Dutch Reformed Church in Southern Africa.
James Mata Dwane, priest and founder of the Order of Ethiopia.
Conrad Johannes Wethmar is a systematic theologian, reformed theologian and emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He is guest editor of Verbum et Ecclesia.
Kenneth Brian Wilson OBE was a British theologian, philosopher and teacher. He was a Minister in the Methodist Church of Great Britain; Principal of Westminster College, Oxford; and wrote extensively in the areas of theology, philosophical theology and ecclesiology.
Anthony G. Reddie is a British theologian and academic, who specialises in black theology. He is a professor of Black Theology at Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford. He is an Extraordinary Professor and Research Fellow of Theological Ethics at the University of South Africa.
