The Old Wesleys and ‘the New Luther’: Rethinking the Relationship Between their Soteriologies

Abstract

This article explores John and Charles Wesley’s ambiguous relationship with the soteriology of Martin Luther. Their early admiration for Luther’s theology of justification by faith played a significant role in the conversion experience of both men, but subsequently, John wrote that Luther was ‘ignorant of the doctrine of sanctification’ and ‘confused in his conception of it’. The ‘new’ Finnish reading of Luther’s soteriology, pioneered by Tuomo Mannermaa, opens new avenues for soteriological conversation and consensus between Lutherans and Methodists. A few of the old misunderstandings are untangled and more congenial theological trajectories are suggested by this article.