WB Whitefield vs Wesley
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was wrong. 12 He had been eating with the Gentiles before certain people came from James. But when they came, he began to back out and separate himself, because he was afraid of the people who promoted circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also joined him in this hypocrisy so that even Barnabas got carried away with them in their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they weren’t acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, though you’re a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you require the Gentiles to live like Jews?” Galatians 2:11-14
John Wesley and George Whitefield had been close allies and founders together of the growing Methodist revival. Their similar commitments to an evangelical gospel were strong, but their differences over Calvinism were becoming apparent. After his conversion experience, Whitefield had become convinced of five point Calvinism as core biblical truth. This is usually summed up by the acronym TULIP, which stands for Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints.
In other words, all humans are utterly incapable of doing any good, by God’s sovereign will is anyone saved (seemingly random from human perspective) and all other people not chosen by God are rightfully damned, Christ ONLY died to save the elect few; if God chose you for salvation you have no choice but to accept it, and there’s nothing you can do to save yourself if you’re damned or to lose your salvation if you’re chosen. The trick is, none of us know who is saved and who isn’t, and for Whitefield, this salvation was found through a God-ordained conversion experience following powerful evangelical sermons.
Whitefield also believed that this salvation would invariably lead to holy living, further proof that God had indeed saved you. For Whitefield, Calvinism was simply the biblical truth, a baseline for true assurance of salvation, and the highest estimation of God’s glory. In his eyes, he was not openly promoting Calvinism to the public, it simply seeped through all of his presuppositions in preaching. Of course, he didn’t consider them to be presuppositions because he believed it simply was biblical truth.
But John and Charles Wesley were Arminian, a response to five-point Calvinism emphasizing that the love of God cannot be contradicted by God’s sovereignty. While agreeing to the total depravity of all humanity, Arminianism argues that Christ truly died for all people (not just the elect saved), that the Holy Spirit of God is at work in all people making it possible for us to accept faith and be saved (called Prevenient Grace), and that grace may be strong but it can be resisted (we have a choice to accept it or reject it).
Furthermore, Arminianism leaves a question mark on the once-saved-always-saved idea, suggesting that a person may be able to turn away from their own salvation. For Wesley, Calvinism made God out to be some angry monster who randomly decides who will be eternally tortured based on nothing other than whim. He also argued that Calvinists would always wonder if they were elect or not because there was really no way to know until Judgment Day. For Wesley, Arminianism gave a more accurate portrayal of God as actually loving as humans understand love to work and as revealed through the giving of Christ and of grace for all people. But staunch Calvinists often accuse Arminians of heresy, of elevating human experience over biblical tradition, and elevating human will over God’s will.
While George took Calvinism for granted and didn’t see the need to openly preach limited atonement or double predestination, John decided to very publicly directly oppose Calvinism and promote Arminianism. George begged him not to do so, arguing that it would only cause needless controversy. The movement was going so well as long as they didn’t talk about these things!
But when George left for a preaching tour across America, John published a scathing anti-Calvinist sermon titled “Free Grace.” He knew damn well it was going to cause controversy. He made it clear that his Calvinist friends are also his siblings in Christ, and that he hopes all of them will be side by side in heaven. He asks for anyone who opposes him to please do so “in love, and in the spirit of meekness.” And then with very little meekness himself, he fiercely tore into Calvinism. When I first read this sermon in college, I remember being deeply moved by Wesley’s handling of scripture, especially his argument that while Calvinism may quote bible verses to prove a point, it’s conclusions go against “the whole scope and tenor of Scripture.”
George was devastated. But he was too well-known to keep silent. His followers knew this sermon was a direct attack on his beliefs, so George had to respond with an open letter to Mr. Wesley. Point for point, scripture for scripture, Whitefield tore down Wesley’s argument in a letter that is still revered by Calvinists today, as Wesley’s sermon is revered by Arminians today. Neither man changed his mind, but only became more convinced of his own viewpoint. The Methodist movement split over Calvinism almost as soon as it had begun. Whitefield and Wesley may have gone their separate ways, but they still considered themselves siblings in Christ until the very end. John Wesley even preached George Whitefield’s funeral.
Sometimes the church feels like building the Tower of Babel. We’re really making something happen together, and then we scatter and it’s like we’re suddenly speaking a different language. Sometimes we fall back into communion and recognize the faith of other Christians who think differently from us. Sometimes we fall into isolation and assume we’re the only true Christians left in the world. I have strong opinions about how to interpret the Bible, what holiness looks like, and who is welcome at the table. I have biases and life experiences that inform why I think the way I do. When I express those views, it can be oppositional to people, siblings in Christ, who have come to very different conclusions based on their own biases and experiences. When I share my beliefs, and when they share their opposing beliefs, we find ourselves in controversy, separate camps, and eventually, separate denominations.
I sometimes wonder if these divisions BOTH grieve the Holy Spirit AND are the process by which God has chosen to work in the world? The same Jesus who prayed for God to make all of us one (John 17:21) also declared “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). The same Paul who begged the Ephesians to “make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together” (Eph. 4:3) also opposed Peter “to his face” publicly, and fiercely opposed other Christians who did not share his growing beliefs about the nature of the Law and Grace.
I will make mistakes. I will feel obligated to speak out about a deep conviction and it will upset somebody. I will do it wrong. I will find myself wishing I could put the words back in even as they are spilling out. I will beat my head against the wall when my siblings in Christ express their own deep but different convictions. But at the end of the day, they are still my siblings in Christ. I’ve definitely heard both liberal and conservative Christians lament, “I wonder if they even follow the same God I do.” While we might entertain that notion as a lament, my deep hope is that we refuse to accept that level of division. I may be a gay Christian, but Westboro Baptist Church (who actively hate speech me) are my siblings in Christ and we’re going to be figuring out how to get along one day. I may speak out against the Global Methodist Church, but one day we’re going to be singing “Amazing Grace” in front of the same Lord. That truth doesn’t silence me. It gives me hope.