Don Thorsen, Calvin vs. Wesley: Bringing Belief in Line with Practice. Nashville: Abingdon, 2013.___
On Living More Like Wesley: Over the years, I have met many Christians outside the Wesleyan tradition. Very often they lived in a manner that was more like the way that Wesley described the Christian life than was reflective of their own theological tradition. In particular, I thought this to be true of Christians I met from the Reformed tradition that followed the theological leadership of John Calvin. Although they claimed to be Calvinist, they lived more like Wesley (p. vii).
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Thorsen's Agenda: In this book, I want to emphasize how well Wesley understood and embodied biblical Christianity; I do not intend to put down Calvin. On the contrary, Wesley agreed with Calvin on many matters of Christianity.... Thus, if you-- the reader-- hope to find a methodical attack upon Calvin in this book, then you will be disappointed" (p. xi).
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On Systematics: Those who emphasize systematic theology are heavily invested in arguing propositionally that their beliefs and values are right and that other propositional beliefs and values are wrong, or they at least denounce them as slippery-slope arguments that eventually reveal their wrongness. Systematizers do not readily admit that Christian beliefs, values, and practices may vary from person to person and from church to church. They focus more on what can be rationally proved to be right or wrong, consistent or inconsistent, regardless of commensurability with real-life circumstances, questions, and concerns. However, from Wesley's perspective, system-making and proposition-based apologetics and polemics too often fail to capture the Spirit-led vitality of what he called "religion of the heart"--a concept too categorically unsystematic and Spirit-oriented for Calvinists (p. XV).
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John Calvin (1509-64) was undeniably one of the most influential Christian leaders of all time, not just of the Protestant Reformation. Along with Martin Luther and Uldrich Zwingli, Calvin was one of the towering figures of the spiritual resurgence of Christianity in continental Europe during the sixteenth century (p. xvii).
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John Wesley (1703-91) lived approximately two centuries after Calvin. In many way, their social, political, and church contexts were dramatically different, and these differences must be kept in mind when comparing the two leaders (p. vxiii).
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TULIP: ...the "five points of Calvinism," which in English have been summarized with the acrostic TULIP: The acrostic stands for (1) total depravity, (2) unconditional election, (3) limited atonement, (4) irresistable grace, and (5) perseverance of the saints (pp. xxii-xxiii).
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ACURA: ..."reflective of more ancient Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican theologies.... I created and alternative acrostic: ACURA. It stands for (1) all are sinful, (2) conditional election, (3) unlimited atonement, (4) resistable grace, and (5) assurance of salvation (p. xxiv).
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On the Sovereignty of God: Both Wesley and Calvin believed in the sovereignty, power, and majesty of God. Calvin thought that such beliefs resulted in divine control of all that happens, and that people ought to praise and give thanks to God for all that happens. Wesley thought that such beliefs resulted in divine control, which God limited for the sake of people who might exercise freedom--by the grace of God--to accept God's salvation and to love God in return. Wesley thought that Calvin was mistaken to believe that God's sovereignty so overwhelms he freedom of people as to make it negligible or nonexistent (p. 15).
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On the Authority of Scripture: Both Wesley and Calvin believed in the ultimate authority of God. Both further believed that the Bible is inspired, authoritative, and truthful. In particular, they considered the Bible to be the primary authority to which we should turn in determining matters of Christian life and faith. Calvin as well as Wesley studied and appealed preeminently to the Bible in their theological reflection so much so that Calvin is identified with the Reformation slogan of sola Scriptura-- "Scripture alone" (pp. 27-28).
Although Wesley agreed with the primacy of biblical authority, he was more explicit in appealing to other authorities as being genuine--albeit secondary-- in theological reflection. He saw himself as part of the via media, which steered between the continental Reformation and the theological excesses of Roman Catholicism. Wesley valued the traditions of church history, which canonized the Bible as well as passed on orthodox Christian beliefs. He valued critical thinking and the need for persuasive argumentation and preaching. Finally, Wesley valued relevant experience that confirmed biblical Christianity as well as the ongoing presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people (p. 28).
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On Predestination: Both Wesley and Calvin believed in the sinfulness of humanity, of people's fallenness and alienation from God, and of their impossible situation relative to eternal life. But God did not leave people without hope of salvation. Wesley and Calvin celebrated how God provided salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By grace, Christians are saved through faith; it is a gift that they do not merit or for which they work.
Calvin believed that God unilaterally acted on behalf of human beings, saving them from a totally depraved state of sin. Wesley believed that God initiated salvation, enables it by grace, and completes the salvation of people. According to Wesley, God does not unilaterally save people, God expects people to cooperate in salvation, since it involves a genuine, uncoerced choice to become reconciled to God. The choice is not a natural ability; God makes it possible by graciously permitting people to choose to accept salvation, to have a personal relationship with God, and to love freely. Such freedom continues throughout the lives of Christians, always by God's grace, giving them hope of growing into greater Christlikeness and of expressing love to God and others, individually and socially (pp. 42-43).
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On Grace: Wesley and Calvin prominently placed God's grace at the center of our relationship with God. People are saved by grace through faith; it is not a matter of human work or merit. Both men completely agreed with each other that it is God who initiates, sustains, and completes people's salvation. There is never a hint of natural or human ability to deny God's sovereignty.
They disagreed with regard to how God's grace works in the lives of people. Calvin believed that divine grace works effectively-- that is, that no one can ultimately resist God's will for his or her life. People cannot do anything to aid or contribute to their salvation, indeed to the whole of their lives, since God determines all that happens. Conversely, Wesley believed that God's grace facilitates people's freedom to choose or not to choose to cooperate with divine grace. God preveniently works by grace in the lives of people Such grace neither diminishes the sovereignty of God nor gives people responsibility apart for the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. Yet Wesley believed that prevenient grace best makes sense of the teachings, covenants, and conditions of the Bible. Although one can imagine how simple life would be if all things occurred irresistably by the grace of God, both the Bible and experience confirm that life-- both temporal and eternal-- requires people to think and act in responsible ways, always cognizant that they do so by divine grace (pp. 56-57).
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On Salvation: Wesley and Calvin present strong advocates of the Protestant emphasis upon salvation by grace through faith. It is a gift that Jesus Christ merited on behalf of humanity through his life, death, and resurrection. Through Jesus' atonement, salvation is made available as a substitution on behalf of we who are sinful.
Although Calvin did not claim that Jesus Christ's atonement was limited per se, it is certainly true that Calvin believed that God effectually saves only some people. They are saved because God unconditionally elects (determines or predetermines) those who receive eternal life; God also reprobates those who will receive eternal damnation. Calvin considered God's sovereign control over the eternal states of people to be a great comfort, since no one by himself or herself can earn or merit salvation. However, Wesley considered Calvin's views to be mistaken. Instead, Wesley argued that Jesus Clearly died on behalf of everyone; the atonement was not limited. Not all people will be saved; those who freely choose to reject God's offer of salvation will be judged for their sins. Yet, those who believe--by the grace of God-- will be saved, since faith represents the condition for eternal life. According to Wesley, salvation involves a restored relationship with God, and God intends that people choose to be reconciled (pp. 70-71).
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On Spirituality (Holiness): Both Wesley and Calvin emphasized sanctification in the lives of Christians. Calvin talked about both the mortification and vivification that occurs in believers. God vivifies people through both justification and sanctification. God continues to work in the lives of believers by mortifying them, lest they forget that they are saved by grace through faith and that they are wholly reliant upon God for all aspects of their salvation. They should mortify their lives as well, since God graciously provided laws in the Bible that help them live more moral and orderly lives.
Wesley also emphasized sanctification, but thought that Christians had far greater reason to hope with regard to the lives to which God calls them here and now. Subsequent to conversion, God's Holy Spirit continues to work in and through the lives of believers. In fact, God provides means of grace in the Bible coupled with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to help people partner with God in becoming more spiritual; more holy; more loving; more like Jesus Christ. God wants people to engage actively in spiritual disciplines that contribute to their growth, their victory over trials and temptations-- always by God's grace. Indeed, Wesley was very hopeful about how Christians may become entirely sanctified. Greater Christlikeness in their lives occurs, not for their sake alone, but for the sake of loving God, and for loving their neighbors in ways that benefit them physically, ethically, and socially as well as spiritually (pp. 86-87).
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On the Church: Both Wesley and Calvin dedicated their lives to the church-- to its establishment and to its flourishing theologically, spiritually, and ministerially. Their efforts were successful, and their influence spread far beyond Geneva and Britain. It is undeniable that Calvin's church influence spread throughout the world, aiding many Christians, and not just those within the Reformed tradition. Likewise, Methodism became a worldwide contributor to ministering on behalf of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But Wesley and Calvin differed in at least two ways. First, Wesley thought that there should be far more flexibility among Christians and churches with regard to the degree to which they agreed or disagreed about doctrinal and ecclesiastical issues.... Without sacrificing essential biblical beliefs, values, and practices, Wesley believed that love and not dogmatism should characterize the nature of the church.
Second, Wesley did not think that the civil government should be involved with the juridical and punitive responsibilities of the church. He was not unaware of the complications of the relationship between church and state. After all, he lived in Britain wherein the Church of England was the state church. However, he disagreed with Calvin's union of church and civil authority. The civil authority of the state should provide religious freedom, rather than restrict or prohibit it.... After all, Wesley knew that the alliance between church and state could become unholy, resulting in deplorable methods of unjust persecution for differences in religious opinion that neither the Bible nor civility sanctioned (pp. 102-103).
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On Ministry: Both Wesley and Calvin challenged the status quo, so to speak, in their respective ministries.... Although both contributed to the ministry of churches, Wesley and Calvin went about it in notably different ways. Calvin approached ministry in a more top-down, authoritarian, perhaps even triumphalist way that focused upon maintaining the church by means of a set-apart leadership specifically educated for preaching and administering the sacraments. His concerns had more to do with preserving theological fidelity to the Bible, as understood by the Reformed tradition-- through word and sacrament-- than with creatively ministering to the needs of diverse people. Thus, Calvin spent a large part of his time proclaiming and defending orthodoxy, and polemicizing against those who disagreed with the Reformed interpretation of orthodox Christian tradition. Polemics and apologetics certainly are needed in the church, but their predominance ministerially can be problematic.
Conversely, Wesley approached ministry in a way that was more widely embracing of innovative, yet biblically sound, ways of meeting the needs of people and society. By empowering the laity as well as clergy, including the empowerment of women in leadership, Wesley vastly expanded the ministries through which churches minister, including ministry to those who are impoverished physically as well as spiritually. In all of these ministerial matters, Wesley believed that he was not only faithful to the Bible, but that he also embodied God's mission through openness to the ongoing presence and power of the Holy Spirit (pp. 115-116).
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From the Conclusion: ...how important it is to live realistically as Christians and not just think that we have done enough if we claim to have a right set of biblical and theological beliefs. Wesley thought that biblical and theological beliefs are important, but he also thought that people's beliefs ought to be brought in line with their practices, just as people's practices ought to be brought in line with their beliefs and values. It is not an either-or concern; instead, it is a "both-and" concern that emphasizes the importance of both beliefs and practices, values and their applications. Wesley, I argue was masterful at holding together beliefs and practices that others rejected, since they could not develop a sufficiently systematized understanding, at least, of Christianity.... Wesley integrated Christian beliefs and values in line with practice better than Calvin did... (pp. 125, 126, 127).
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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars*****
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