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Reasonable Enthusiast: John Wesley and the Rise of Methodism

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Most people who know John Wesley at all, not regarding if they like or dislike him, will know at least about his "conversion" in 1738 as the lift-off of the Methodist movement. But research within the last ten to fifteen years has corrected this image totally. One of the scholars who are to earn merits for this surely is Henry D. Rack. His biography of John Wesley and the rise of Methodism in 18th century is one of the most skilful works on the subject I know. For he avoids all hagiographic tendencys which dominated nearly all biographies of Wesley and still do in popular writings. Therefore he provides a fresh image of Wesley and his companions as well as his counterparts freed from traditional presuppositions. For instance, he considers Wesleys development throughout the whole of his long lasting life where traditional Wesley- hagiographies will always put stress on the 1738 Aldergate experience of "conversion" and are not able to discuss his later development. Also, Rack considers not only Methodist communites of the Wesleyan circuit but embeds Wesley and his followers within the whole Movement of Methodism which had a lot of different aspects and leading figures (e.g. George Whitefield). After all, Wesley apears as a man like you and me, his movement as an often troublesome gathering of people like you and me. Nevertheless Rack shows the historical place and merit of John Wesley and his legacy not only to Methodism but to the English society without exaggeration. "Reasonable Enthusiast" provides not only (as the title hints) a lively image of an in many ways contradictuary man but also of his world which has vanished since a long time. (Reader, please apologize for my teutonic English)

Reasonable Enthusiast is the most comprehensive biography that I have found on John Wesley. It is evident that Rack did his research and knows his subject. It contains a lot of background information and explains much of the historical context for an understanding of John Wesley and his time, as well as a good explanation of the foundation of many Methodist beliefs. I heartily recommend this book for any follower of John Wesley; but the reader may need a good dictionary since some of the terms are not exactly commonplace these days.