Yesterday I attended the Wesley Studies Symposium at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. I was quite intrigued by Amy Caswell Bratton's presentation, "Witnesses of Perfect Love: Narratives of Christian Perfection in Early Methodism."
Amy's research on these early Methodist narratives suggested that there was no 'set' use of terms to identify what has, perhaps simplistically, been labelled as the experience of "Christian perfection." John Wesley never claimed this experience for himself, but always wanted to hear of, and speak with, those who might have experienced this. Interestingly, those whom he interviewed or corresponded with, never seemed to use the terminology of Christian perfection, but rather a multiplicity of terms and language that were more descriptive than prescriptive, and certainly not dogmatic.
In the course of her research, Amy identified 4 themes that emerged from the language of these narratives (testimonies): love, salvation, God's presence and transformation. One word that kept coming up was 'fullness' -- full of love, full salvation, full of joy. Expressed as a fullness of the presence of God's love, that crowded out sin, that countered the anxiety surrounding besetting sins; this fullness likewise had a cleansing, freeing, action.
When Wesley spoke of this experience he started with biblical exegesis, never suggested that a person could become 'sinless', spoke of both gradual and instanteous experience, that the fruit of the Spirit was evidence of the experience, and that it was a goal/a direction (telios) not a terminal destination.
At the close of her presentation, Amy asked, somewhat rhetorically, do we still believe this is possible? Do we teach it any longer?
I would like to answer 'yes' to both questions. That's why I identify myself with the Wesleyan Way. The challenge is that some of us are much more comfortable with John Wesley's parameters and the descriptive language referred to in Amy's paper, than with the terminology and prescriptive/dogmatic environment that emerged from the Holiness movement of the 19th century.
Thanks for this synopsis Dan. 'Fullness' really speaks voluminously, and accomplishes a lot practically speaking.
Posted by: Jeff | March 14, 2013 at 11:26 AM