Customer Reviews

Good News to the Poor: John Wesley's Evangelical Economics

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Theodore W. Jennings, Jr. has written a superb reflection on a critical -- and often overlooked -- aspect of John Wesley's driving purpose. The pursuit of living the Holy Life was central to everything that John Wesley sought after. Taking his cue directly from Scripture, Wesley held out the interests of the poor as the measure by which Christian living was to be judged. Jennings challenges us to discover what Wesley held so dear, as he pursued his mission of "spreading Scriptural holiness throughout the land."

Wesley came to the end of his earthly life convinced that he had failed in his purpose -- to make true disciples for Christ. Why did he think this?

Jennings uses Wesley's own writings and comments to show how the poor were central to Wesley's understanding of Scriptural holiness. He shows how by that standard the Wesleyan movements during Wesley's lifetime -- and certainly since! -- have failed to be true to Wesley's vision and method. Indeed, when one comes face-to-face with Wesley's ideas in these pages, one cannot help but note that the actions and inactions of Wesley's followers, then and now, are often more of outright betrayal than fidelity to the purpose.

Jennings presents for us a prophetic call to rediscover Wesley. Not the John Wesley of lore -- but the Wesley of relentless and driving compassion for and with the poor. Like all good prophesy, this book both calls us to face our failings, and challenges us to begin anew!

This book is an excellet review of John Wesley's social and ethical views and actions. The author suggests that Wesley, in many ways, saw injustice as an evil to be combatted by Christians (anticipating more recent Liberation Theology and praxis). Jenning's study should be recommended for any one concerned with social and economic issues of today; he is not just discussing 18th century history.

Theodore Jennings's book "Good News to the Poor" is disappointing at best. Jennings has little or no grasp of the historical person of John Wesley or his context and in an attempt to make Wesley fit within a Liberation theology framework creates a "Wesley" that is not historically accurate. Wesley's Anglican heritage is but a footnote to Jennings's analysis because it does not fit the Liberation model. His use of quotations often takes those quotations so far from their historical context that they loose their meaning.

Jennings attempts to use Wesley's teachings about poverty and the poor to insist that Wesley had a "preferential view of the poor" that became the defining quality of his theology and practice. Such a claim cannot stand up to historical criticism. The cursory reader of Wesley will see that love understood through the biblical witness is Wesley's driving concern. For Wesley, love of God entails love of neighbor, who include the poor. Jennings's attempt to rewrite Wesley within his own Liberationist and even Liberal Protestant model simply doesn't work.

If one wants to look at John Wesley's view of the poor I would recommend Richard Heitzenrater's "The Poor and the People Called Methodists" or Douglas Meeks work on the topic. Jennings provides an evangelical economics but not one that we can honestly ascribe to John Wesley.

This is another book I had to purchase for a class regarding living with the poor. Found it to be very good and knowledgeable.