Podcast: Was John Wesley an Inerrantist?
More to the Story Podcast Was John Wesley an Inerrantist? YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9lFjurIl9Y Did John Wesley believe the Bible is without error? Some argue that calling Wesley a supporter of...
Lecture: Aldersgate in the Life of John Wesley
Aldersgate in the Life of John Wesley Dr. Mark K. Olson “The Living Room” Forum, KZN District, South Africa May 25, 2026 John Wesley’s evangelical conversion at a religious meeting...
Wesley & Aldersgate – Part 1: Background & Context
By Mark K. Olson. This is the first of several articles that will explore how Wesley understood his “warmed heart” at Aldersgate over the course of his life. The articles...
Podcast: The Faith of a Servant in John Wesley’s Theology
My Journey Back to God Podcast: Joe Welch and Mark K. Olson Discuss “The Faith of a Servant” in John Wesley’s Theology “The faith of a servant” has been one...
Podcast: Charles G. Finney – His Life and Theology
Lucas Curcio and Mark K. Olson Charles G. Finney His Life & Theology Method Ministries Podcast YouTube: Charles Finney: His Life & Theology | W/Dr. Mark Olson. Join the Methodist...
Podcast: John Wesley vs John Calvin
Lucas Curcio and Mark K. Olson Method Ministries Podcast YouTube: Wesley vs. Calvin | Compared & Contrasted | W/ Mark Olson. Join the Methodist Ministries podcast as Lucas and I...
The Roots of John Wesley’s Servant Theology
By Mark K. Olson Introduction In my previous article—Is the Servant Justified?—I answered the question regarding the soteriological standing of the faith of a servant in John Wesley’s theology. This...
Is the ‘Servant’ Justified?
By Mark K. Olson Introduction Over the last thirty years one of the more heated areas of debate in John Wesley studies has been over the soteriological standing of the...
The Arminian Roots of John and Charles Wesley
By Andrew V. Sullivan (M.A., Th. M.) Introduction John Wesley was the greatest Arminian theologian in church history. In many respects, while his writings do not surpass the philosophical sophistication...
Podcast: John Wesley’s Eschatology
Lucas Curcio and Mark K. Olson on a Method Ministries Podcast YouTube Link: John Wesley’s Eschatology | Dr. Mark Olson. – YouTube Join the Methodist Ministries podcast as Lucas and...
Podcast: John Wesley’s Doctrine of Justification
Join Method Ministries podcast as Lucas Curcio and Mark K. Olson discuss at length John Wesley’s Doctrine of Justification YouTube link: John Wesley’s Theology of Justification | Dr. Mark Olson....
Penal Substitution in John Wesley’s Atonement Theology
By Mark K. Olson Introduction In his classic study of John Wesley’s theology of holiness, Harald Lindström makes the insightful observation that Wesley’s evangelical conversion at Aldersgate was made possible...
The Trinitarian Theology of Charles Wesley’s Hymnody
By Tyler Walker. Wesleyans are a singing people. In good times and bad, we turn to the songs of our faith. The Wesleyan movement has distinguished itself with its historical...
Podcast: John Wesley & Justification
Join More to the Story as Andy and I discuss my recent book on John Wesley’s Doctrine of Justification (Abingdon 2023). As a high church Anglican, Wesley’s full understanding of...
John Wesley as Spiritual Father, Part Two
By Mark K. Olson. Introduction: in this two-part study we are looking at Wesley’s spiritual counsel to seekers of heart holiness. In Part One we examine Wesley’s understanding of two...
Podcast: Justification-A Foundational Doctrine
John Wesley considered justification to be a fundamental truth of the Christian life. In his later sermons he listed justification, along with sanctification, as the two general parts of gospel...
John Wesley as Spiritual Father, Part One
By Mark K. Olson. This is a two-part study of Wesley’s spiritual counsel in his letters to seekers of perfect love. Many insights into Wesley’s doctrine of Christian perfection can...
Spotlight TV Interview – Logan Crawford & Mark K. Olson
In this informative interview Logan and I discuss my new book John Wesley’s Doctrine of Justification (Abingdon Press, 2023). We talk about Wesley’s life and several aspects of Wesley’s teachings...
George Whitefield’s Doctrine of Conversion, 1735-1740
By Mark K. Olson. This article was a paper presented at the George Whitefield 300 Conference, Pembroke College, Oxford, in 2014. Introduction When the Reverend George Whitefield ‘startled the nation’[1]...
Podcast: John Wesley and Aldersgate – What Happened?
Andy Miller III Podcast “More To The Story” May 24, 1738, is a sacred day in Methodist History. It’s the day that John Wesley had his ‘heart warming’ experience on...
Songs of the Faithful: The Wesleyan Hymns as Border for the People Called Methodists
By Isaac N. Hopper Introduction Every denominational expression of the Church of Jesus Christ has a set of doctrinal standards upon which beliefs and practices are built and against which...
The Doctrine of the Trinity in John Wesley’s Prose and Poetic Works
By Seng-Kong Tan Dr. Seng-Kong Tan serves at Biblical Graduate School of Theology. This article was previously published in the Journal for Christian Theological Research 7 (2002). Introduction There is...
“No Room For Mirth Or Trifling Here”
By Randall McElwain. Theological and Spiritual Instruction in Charles Wesley’s Hymns for Children. Introduction In The Barber of Seville, Figaro sings, “If a thing is too silly to be said,...
Clement of Alexandria: An Early Church Wesleyan?
By Mark K. Olson Introduction When the Evangelical Revival gained national attention in Great Britain during the year of 1739 a public outcry arose over a new sect called “Methodist.”[1]...
Strange Bedfellows: A Reappraisal of Mildred Wynkoop’s “A Theology of Love”
By Mark K. Olson Introduction Mildred Bangs Wynkoop (1905-1997) was a missionary and educator in The Church of the Nazarene and an influential holiness theologian. She advocated for the renewed...
Early Methodist Christology
Mark K. Olson. This article is an extract of my chapter “Early Methodist Christology After the Wesleys” in Methodist Christology: From the Wesleys to the Twenty-First Century, eds. Jason E....
The New Birth in the Early Wesley
By Mark K. Olson Introduction Studies on John Wesley’s doctrine of the new birth usually address the post-1738 Wesley.[1] The reason is simple: in 1738 Wesley became an evangelical by...
John Wesley on Sin and Holiness
By Mark K. Olson. Cowman Lectures, 2021. Seoul Theological University. Introduction In the study of Christian holiness, no matter which tradition is being examined, the definition of sin becomes central....
Luther & Wesley on Justification by Faith Alone
By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: When John Wesley became an evangelical Christian in 1738, his new understanding of justification by faith alone was directly influenced by Martin Luther, passed down...
The Doctrine of Justification in the Early Wesley
Cowman Lecture, 2021 Seoul Theological University, South Korea By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: The doctrine of justification is usually associated with John Wesley after his evangelical conversion in 1738. Few...
John Wesley’s Doctrine of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit: An Exegetical Study – Part Two
By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: After looking at Wesley’s Journal, sermons, and NT commentary in Part One to discern his views on Spirit baptism. In Part Two, we survey Spirit...
John Wesley’s Doctrine of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit: An Exegetical Study – Part One
By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: In this two-part study John Wesleys understanding of the baptism with the Holy Spirit is examined in detail. The phrase has been linked to a...
From the Beginning to the End: John Wesley’s Doctrine of Creation
By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: John Wesley is widely recognized for his contributions to the subject of soteriology (doctrine of salvation). Yet, his doctrine of creation serves as a backdrop...
Wesley’s ‘Warmed Heart’ at Aldersgate – What Really Happened?
By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: Wesley’s religious experience at Aldersgate remains the most famous and debated event in his life. Scholars disagree on what the experience meant to Wesley at...
Pietist Credentials of John Wesley
By Julian E. Pace IV. Abstract: This article explores how the Pietist impulse, in both its’ “churchly” and “radical” forms, profoundly shaped the theology and spirituality of John Wesley. Churchly...
Suffering and Becoming Holy: Insights from John Wesley’s Pastoral Counsel
By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: The problem of human suffering has conflicted many people. The eighteenth century was no different, for it was rife with suffering and death, with the...
John Wesley and the Moravians: 1735-1741
By Julian E. Pace IV. Abstract: This article documents John Wesley’s earliest interactions with the Moravians. Wesley enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Moravians between 1735-1739. Unfortunately, due to personality...
The Stillness Controversy of 1740: Tradition Shaping Scripture Reading
By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: The influence of our Christian traditions upon our reading of scripture is deep and profound, even working at a subconscious level. This article demonstrates this...
Opening Salvation’s Door: Acts 10:35 and John Wesley’s Inclusivism
By Mark K. Olson. Abstract: This article explores John Wesley’s inclusivism regarding the future salvation of non-Christians, like Jews, Moslems, and other religious people. Reflecting on Acts 10:35, Wesley became...
John Wesley’s Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
By Mark K. Olson Abstract: This article outlines Wesley’s theology of the Holy Spirit. It is shown that Wesley’s pneumatology was trinitarian in structure and included soteriological, epistemological, and eschatological...
Theme of Real Christianity in John Wesley’s Commentary on the Book of Revelation
By Mark K. Olson Abstract: This is the final installment of a six-part series on John Wesley’s eschatology. The theme of real Christianity is shown to have guided Wesley in...
John Wesley’s Order of Eschatological Events
By Mark K. Olson Abstract: As a postmillennialist Wesley understood the books of Daniel and Revelation to spell out salvation history from the 6th century BCE to the final consummation....
Major Themes in John Wesley’s Eschatology
By Mark K. Olson Abstract: This fourth installment of a six-part series highlights the central themes in Wesley’s eschatology. First, he believed the Evangelical Revival was preparing the way for...
From Heaven Above to New Creation Below
By Mark K. Olson Abstract: In this third installment, John Wesley’s eschatology is surveyed from his Oxford period in the 1720s to his mature thoughts in the 1780s. It is...
The Revival and Methodist Self-Understanding
By Mark K. Olson Abstract: This second installment in a six-part series examines how early Methodists understood Methodism as an eschatological movement, called to help usher in the millennium through...
Millennial Aspirations and the Problem of Religious Nominalism
By Mark K. Olson Abstract: This is part one of a six-part study on John Wesley’s eschatology. This opening article recounts the development of eschatology in England from the Protestant...