Dr. Mark K. Olson

Dr. Olson grew up in the Pacific Northwest and served in pastorates at Vancouver, WA, and Antioch, CA. He and Ruth have five children and twelve grandchildren.

Dr. Olson did his undergraduate work at Taylor University, obtained a Master of Divinity at Nazarene Theological Seminary, and earned a Doctorate in Theology at the University of Manchester, UK. Since 2012 Dr. Olson teaches on bible, theology, and philosophy at Indiana Wesleyan University, Nazarene Bible College, and West Africa Theological Seminary. He also writes courses in historical and systematic theology.

Dr. Olson also serves as research assistant for the Manchester Wesley Research Centre (UK) and as a teaching fellow for One Mission Society (onemissionsociety.org).

Dr. Olson’s interest in John Wesley and early Methodism began in the 1980s and today he specializes in John Wesley’s theology. His first book, John Wesley’s ‘A Plain Account of Christian Perfection’: The Annotated Edition, was published in 2005. Two more volumes on Wesley’s theology of holiness followed in 2007 and 2009.  In 2011 he edited the John Wesley Reader on Eschatology: 1725-1791, and his recent studies include Wesley and Aldersgate: Interpreting Conversion Narratives (2019) and John Wesley’s Doctrine of Justification (2024). Dr. Olson has published numerous articles on the Wesley’s and early Methodism in scholarly journals and as articles on Wesley Scholar.

Dr. Olson is available upon request for speaking engagements. For inquires, contact him by email at mkolson757@gmail.com or by phone at 1 925 350-1247.

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John Wesley’s Doctrine of Justification
Mark K. Olson
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2023. amazon.com
ISBN: 978-1791031268
Available in Paper and Kindle
The doctrine of justification was pivotal to John Wesley’s understanding of a person’s relationship with God. In Wesley’s view, it defined one of the two general parts of salvation, and it touched every aspect of the spiritual journey from birth (general justification) to conversion (present justification) to final judgment and glory (final justification). To properly understand Wesley’s via salutis and theology, one needs to grasp the particulars of his doctrine of justification. The best way to do this is to tell the story of how he came to understand the doctrine over the course of his life. It is a complex story, with many twists and turns, that deserves to be fully told. This study offers a comprehensive treatment of the development and exposition of Wesley’s doctrine of justification and how it changed throughout Wesley’s life, including his early views rooted in Anglican heritage, the significant developments in Wesley’s career, and contributions from notable figures like John Fletcher to his doctrine of general justification.

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John Wesley’s ‘A Plain Account of Christian Perfection’: The Annotated Edition
Edited by Mark K. Olson
Truth in Heart, 2005. Truthinheart.com
ISBN: 978-1932370867
Paperback & Hardback Editions amazon.com
John Wesley’s timeless study on Christian holiness has been reissued many times, but this volume represents for the first time an annotated edition of this classic. The introduction explains the historical and social context behind the Plain Account. The entire text is divided into chapters and verses for detailed study, along with verse-by-verse commentary. Included are over 150 quotations from Wesley’s writings and the best of Wesley scholarship. An exhaustive resource section enables detailed analysis.

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A John Wesley Reader on Eschatology
Edited by Mark K. Olson
Truth in Heart, 2011. amazon.com
ISBN: 978-1932370256
John Wesley is best known as a leader in the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival and as the founder of Methodism. Lesser known are his views on eschatology. Like other evangelicals at the time, Wesley saw the revival as an eschatological movement, called to usher in the “latter-day glory.” In this special Reader edition Wesley’s primary writings on eschatology are brought together for the first time. Included are sermons and commentary notes, plus his commentary on Revelation and Daniel. Wesley’s edition of the New Testament is included, with notes identifying where he altered the King James text. Introductory chapters survey British eschatology from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century and how Wesley’s views evolved. Charts outline his understanding of eschatological fulfillment. A resource section lists the sources that informed Wesley’s views.

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John Wesley’s Theology of Christian Perfection: Developments in Doctrine & Theological System
Mark K. Olson
Truth in Heart, 2007. amazon.com
ISBN: 978-1932370881
In this exhaustive study, Wesley’s theology of holiness is examined from 1725, when Wesley was a student at Oxford, till his passing in 1791. No stone is left upturned exploring how and why his most beloved teaching took the shape that it did. Each period of Wesley’s career is addressed, and the entire Wesley corpus is included: sermons, journals, letters, diaries, and other writings. A four-gospel scheme organizes Wesley’s doctrinal development, along with charts that visually outline Wesley’s theology of holiness. Note: this volume and the Reader are companion volumes.

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The John Wesley Reader on Christian Perfection: 1725-1791
Edited by Mark K. Olson
Truth in Heart, 2008. amazon.com
ISBN: 978-1932370904
From the year 1725, when John Wesley resolved to dedicate his entire life to God, holiness became the DNA of his spiritual temperament. For the next sixty-six years Wesley taught and proclaimed a gospel of holy love. In this volume all the significant writings from Wesley’s pen on the subject of holiness are brought together in a reader format that tells the story how he developed his theology of Christian holiness. All periods of Wesley’s ministry are included—early, middle, and late—and selections from the entire Wesley corpus are included. Introductions offer historical context and informs the reader of major themes and motifs.