Riding Against the Speckled Monster: Smallpox in the Thought and Ministry of John Wesley

Abstract

The journals of John Wesley reveal encounters with smallpox during his ministry. While the disease claimed the lives of parishioners and posed a threat to preachers, Wesley’s concern for souls seemed to diminish the risk of contagion. While his medical reflections reveal genuine interest in the disease, theological essays attribute disease to the fall, while journals evidence a ministry undeterred by disease and death. Providence, prayer, pastoral responsibility, and medicine construct a theology that justified his continued ministry amid smallpox. With renewed interest about ministry during an epidemic, Wesley’s outlook on the intersection of disease and pastoral commitments is beneficial.