John Wesley: Optimist of Grace (Cascade Companions)

by III Henry H. Knight

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2018

John Wesley was an Anglican priest and major leader in the eighteenth-century Evangelical awakening whose theology and practice continues to influence the church today. This book tells how his own search for a heart renewed in love ultimately led him to a fresh vision of the way of salvation, one that is centered on sanctification, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and available to all. Transcending the theological dichotomies of his day, Wesley developed a distinctive Protestant tradition that continues to shape Methodist and Holiness Christians, and has had a significant impact on Pentecostalism. It was Wesley’s optimism of grace that gave his Methodists and generations to come a vibrant hope that hearts and lives, churches, and the world at large can all be changed by the power of God’s amazing love.

• Tells how his own search for a heart renewed in love ultimately led him to a fresh vision of the way of salvation
• Transcends the theological dichotomies of his day
• Shows how he developed a distinctive Protestant tradition that continues to shape Methodist and Holiness Christians, and has had a significant impact on Pentecostalism

Hal Knight’s John Wesley: Optimist of Grace is an exceptional introduction to John Wesley’s theology and the key practices that came from this theology. Knight shows the fundamentally hopeful nature of Wesley’s understanding of grace and Wesley’s insistence that God’s grace is willing and able to save us to the ‘uttermost’ in this life. This book makes an important contribution to Wesleyan Studies and deserves a wide reading.

Kevin Watson, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

Is it possible to write a ‘brief’ book about the diverse, multi-faceted, and complex dimensions of John Wesley’s theology and practice? Knight has done exactly that with skill and integrity. Without cutting historical or theological corners, he introduces readers to the whole Wesley and, via him, a holistic vision of Christianity as holiness of heart and life. A very worthwhile and helpful read.

Douglas S. Hardy, Professor of Spiritual Formation, Nazarene Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: John Wesley: Optimist of Grace
• Author: III Henry H. Knight
• Series: Cascade Companions
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Print Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 168
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9781625648389, 1625648383
• Resource ID: LLS:JHNWSLYPTMSTGRC
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-05-30T18:30:45Z

About Henry H. Knight, III

Henry H. Knight III is Donald and Pearl Wright Professor of Wesleyan Studies at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. He has served as a pastor in the United Methodist Church and has published several books and articles on Wesley's theology.