A Theology of Love - The Dynamic of Wesleyanism

382 Pages·1972·10.629 MB·English

by  Mildred bangs wynkoop

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About the book...
What is Wesleyanism? What, pre­
cisely, was Wesley’s interpretation of
holiness? Here is a comprehensive
study of the basic insights of this great
preacher concerning the doctrine and
experience of entire sanctification. His
key emphasis will be found to be that
holiness is fundamentally a right per­
sonal relationship with God and man,
and that the basis of this relationship
is love.
This treatment is not a theology
in the pure meaning of the term. But
then neither could Wesleyanism be
called a theology. It is more a spirit, an
insight, an approach. It is dynamic,
and this volume endeavors to break
up the pervading static concepts
which have restricted the impact of
the message of holiness on our world.
The author quotes copiously from
Wesley's own writings in an effort to
capture the full import of his message.
She examines with infinite care the
scriptures which he uses in support of
his conclusions. Yet this is more than
a simple collating of Wesley's theolog­
ical concepts, a systematizing of his
views, or a “proof-texting" of his posi­
tion by marshaling selected passages
from his works. It is, rather, an effort
to catch the spirit of Wesley and Wes­
leyan teaching —that the essence of
holiness is love and that the evidence
of love is utter commitment.
A Theology of Love

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The Dynamic of Wesleyanism
by
MILDRED BANGS WYNKOOP
BEACON HILL PRESS OF KANSAS CITY
Kansas City, Missouri
Copyright 1972
By Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City
Printed in the
United States of America
Quotations from The New English Bible, © 1961 by the Delegates of the
Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University
Press; and from The Amplified Bible, copyright 1958 and 1964 by the
Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. Used by permission.
Contents
Preface 9
I. The Clue- 15
II. Toward a Theology of Love 21
An Existential Glossary (23), Holiness (23), Persons (25),
Dynamic (25); The Dynamic of Love (25); Implications
of a Theology of Love (27); Love and Fellowship (31);
Agape and Sin (35)
III. The Credibility Gap 39
The Problem of Words (41); A Word About Words (42);
The Semantic Credibility Gap (46); The Questions (46);
The Source of the Gap (47)
IV. What Is Wesleyanism? 53
Wesley’s Approach (55); Approaching Wesley (56);
A Man Among Men (58), His Semantics (58), His
Searching Spirit (60), His Social Concerns (61), A Man
of His Time (63); Wesley as a Scholar (64), In Contro­
versy (64), “Open-ended” Thinking (65), His Critical
Approach (66), His “Foresight” (67), His Teleology
(69); Depth, the Wesleyan Dimension (71)
V. A Hermeneutical Approach to Wesley 76
The Methodological Problem (76); Wesley’s Contribu­
tion (77); Man (79), Historical (80), Personal (80),
Dynamic (81), Social (86); Religion as Personal Rela­
tionship (87); Wesley’s Interpretation of Christian Grace
(91); The Wesleyan Position (92); The Calvinistic Posi­
tion (94); Prevenient Grace (98); Holiness as Personal
Relationship (99); John Wesley’s Dynamic—Love (101)
VI. Man, Made in the Image of God 102
What Is Man? (102); “Christian” Man (105); Wesley’s
Understanding of Man (106); Man as Distinguished
from Nature (106); Man as a Religious Creature (107);
The “Lost Image” (107); Image of God as Love and
Righteousness (108); Image of God and Sanctification
(109); Image of God as Love (109); Man of Dust (111);
Image and Likeness (116); Hebrew Word Study (117);
Septuagint Word Study (118); Greek Word Study (119);
Biblical Words for Man (121); Non-biblical Concepts
(122); Christ as the Image of God (124)
6 / Contents
VII. New Testament Man
Jesus’ Estimate of Human Nature (125); Paul’s Concept
of Human Nature (128); Word Study (132); Life and
Death (135); Love and the Self (140); Summary Ob­
servations (145)
VIII. Sin and Holiness
“Sin” in Wesley’s Teaching (150); Christ and Sin (153);
Prevenient Grace (154); Sin, a Religious Problem (155);
Holiness and Sin as Related to Love (157); Holiness—
the New Affection (158); “Old Man” Versus “New
Man” (160)
IX. The Meaning of Moral
The Meaning of “Moral” (173), “Moral” Is Personal
(173), The Personal Is Moral (174), “Ought” (175),
Multiple-Foci Relationship (175), Structured by Love
(179), Crisis-Decision Tensions (180), Moral Integrity
(181); Summary Observations (182)
X. The Psychology of Holiness
A Problem of Language (186); Psychology of the Moral
Life (190); “States of Grace” (197); Human Personality
(199); Grace and Human Freedom (201)
XI. The Divine-Human Interaction
The Essential Value of Man (211); The Meaning of
Supernatural (213), Supernatural Versus Nature (213),
Mysticism (214), Christian Conflict and the Super­
natural (215), The Subconscious (216); Idealisms (217);
Riblical Supernaturalism (218)
XII. The Function of Faith
The Priority of Faith (226); Faith and Man (227);
Faith’s Relation to Grace (227); to Works (229); Wes-
leyanism’s Interpretation of Faith (231); Faith and the
Moral Life (232); What Is Faith? (234); Grace Actual­
ized by Faith (235); Faith-Works Syndrome (236);
Faith or Works? (237); Works—Moralism (237); Faith—
Moral (238); Faith and Works (239); Love, the Dynamic
of Faith (240); Faith/Obedience/Love Syndrome (242);
The Heart and Faith (243); Maintaining Faith (245);
Faith and the Walk of Sanctification (246)
XIII. The Clean Heart
Cleansing in Holiness Theology (250); Wesley’s Con­
cept of Purity (252); New Testament Word Study (253);
Summary Observations (263)
Contents / 7
XIV. Christian Perfection 268
Wesley and Christian Perfection (269); Christian Per­
fection and the Church (272); Christian Perfection Ver­
sus Perfectionism (273); History of “Perfection” (274);
Perfectionism Versus Subjectivism (276); Contemporary
Evangelical Perfection Theories (277); Biblical Survey
of “Perfection” (283); Summary Observations (294)
XV. Sanctification—the Substance 302
Reductionism in Terminology (303); Sanctification, the
Substance (306); Wesley and Sanctification (309); You
in Christ and Christ in You (311); Sanctification in the
Old Testament (314); New Testament Use of Sanctifi­
cation (316); Observations Regarding Sanctification
(329)
XVI. Sanctification—the Circumstance 337
Six Basic Elements Summarized (338); Antithetical
Views of Sanctification (341); Quality Versus Quantity
Values (342); Why Two Moments? (346); Entire Sanc­
tification and “The Circumstance” (347); Experience
(350); Crisis and Second Crisis (351); Summary (352);
What’s in a Name? (354); My Controversy with Christ
(361)
Reference Notes 362
Alphabetical Index 366
Index of Names 372
Bibliography 373