• “The secret to being a good mom is not being perfect, it’s becoming dependent upon the only One who is…The secret to being a fearless, faith-filled wife and mother does not come through striving, but surrender.” – Leslie Ludy

Methodists 18th ct.

Susanna Wesley (1669-1742)
Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874)

Women and Wesley’s Times

John Wesley received much of his early spiritual and academic training from his mother Susanna Wesley (below), who told him that he was “a brand plucked from the burning” and was to have a special vocation given by God when he grew up. Susannah was referring to his near death from burning when the parsonage home his family was living in went up in flames when he was a little boy.

Susanna Wesley - 7580 Bytes

In that Susanna was a strong, intelligent, spiritually mature woman may also be a reason why Wesley supported such women leaders in the Methodist movement. While John Wesley, for the most part, did not technically allow women to preach (“exhort”), he did recognize and encourage women to be leaders in a variety of ways.

Though we may think of John Wesley as too conservative in his view of women’s leadership, he was attacked from inside and outside of Methodism for his actions. In London, for example, some of Wesley’s followers tried to exclude women from a number of the society’s activities. Their actions infuriated Wesley, who told them that he did “exceedingly disapprove” of excluding women when the society met to pray, sing, and read the Scriptures.1 A clergyman accused Wesley of keeping women in Bristol so busy that they were not giving their families proper attention. “William Fleetwood dismissed the Methodists, or ‘Perfectionists,’ as he called them, as a group of ‘silly Women.’… Such attacks were unfounded but the response of women to Wesley’s liberating message was overwhelming indeed.2

In his book John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life, Charles Yrigoyen, Jr., observes:

Mary Bosanquet - 9828 Bytes

Methodists flourished under the direction of class and band leaders, persons of spiritual strength and insight. Most of them were women! Among them were Sarah Crosby, Dorothy Downes, and Grace Murray, exemplary Christians whose witness persuaded many to accept God’s grace and begin a new life….

In effect, [Sarah Crosby, Mary Bosanquet (right), Hannah Harrison, Eliza BennisJane Cooper, and others]… were engaged in preaching, and many people experienced conversion as a result of their testimony and proclamation of the gospel…. In 1787, despite the objections of some of the male preachers, he officially authorized Sarah Mallet to preach, as long as she proclaimed the doctrines and adhered to the disciplines that all Methodist preachers were expected to accept.[3]

Methodist women of Wesley’s day truly “offered them Christ” in a variety of ways.

Used with Permission John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life

 

Share to Google Plus

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

  • “Let us ask that the Lord Jesus would so perfectly tune our spirits to the keynote of His exceeding great love, that all our unconscious influence may breathe only of that love, and help all with whom we come in contact to obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Frances Ridley Havergal

Copyrighted works are the property of the copyright holders. All works are shown free of charge for educational purposes only in accordance with fair use guidelines. If we have inadvertently included a copyrighted work that the copyright holder does not wish to be displayed, we will remove it within 48 hours upon notification by the owner or the owner’s legal representative.

Verse of the Day

I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. — Psalm 138:2 (NKJV)

Stay Connected

Recent Comments

Return to Homepage