John Wesley, Founder Of The Methodist Church: A Study Of His Social Ethics

John Wesley who had transformed the spiritual nature of England as effectively as the Industrial Revolution had changed its physical aspect during a transitional period was of necessity the most influential person of his day.Few individuals could have been more responsible for upheaval in church and society than him.Thus,it is valuable to study on the social ethics of one whose impact even on present society far outreaches of most of his contemporaries.The present study is concerned with working out some of essential elements of the interdependence between Wesley' s social activity and his theory of social ethics,interpreting these elements in their own terms,and making critical inquiry into them.In that a combination of historical, theological,sociological,ethical and systematic method appears best suited to the topic as proposed.In the first part of the work,the background of Wesley' s social ethics is presented.In the second part,some exemplary areas of social work are analyzed,including aid to the poor,economic ethics, the educational and training work,battle against slavery,concern for prisoners and prison reform.In the third part,the implicit theological foundation underlying them is traced out.In the end,a conclusion is drawn out that John Wesley had successfully reconstructed the protestant ethics by the commandment "love of god and neighbor".