239
See also: Living in harmony 38 ■ Let kindness and compassion rule 146–47
■ The Sikh code of conduct 296–301T
he Industrial Revolution
posed a new challenge for
Christianity. While a select
few enjoyed unprecedented wealth,
thousands of people in towns and
cities endured perilous working
conditions and suffered ill health
and extreme poverty. In Britain,
brothers John and Charles Wesley,
both Anglican priests, responded to
the needs of a changing society with
a message of social holiness. John
Wesley described social holiness as
a faith that was not just private and
internal, but publicly engaged with
the social issues of the day.The Christian message
In May 1738 the Wesleys were
deeply moved by reading the
works of Martin Luther and came
to a new understanding of the
necessity of faith for salvation.
The experience had a profound
effect on their ministry and caused
them to join a growing number of
evangelicals who took the Christian
message out of churches, preaching
in marketplaces, fields, and homes.
Evangelicals fervently believedthat experience of Christianity
could transform individuals and
society. They were at the forefront
of important movements, such as
the abolition of the slave trade,
the trade union movement, and
the provision of free education
for working-class children. The
Wesleys’ followers became
known as Methodists, after
the methodical, practical way
in which they applied their faith
to meet the needs of others. ■CHRISTIANITY
THE BODY NEEDS
SAVING AS WELL
AS THE SOUL
SOCIAL HOLINESS AND EVANGELICALISM
IN CONTEXT
KEY FIGURE
John Wesley
WHEN AND WHERE
18th century, UK
BEFORE
1st century CE Jesus preaches
to open-air gatherings, which
anyone may attend. He
reportedly urges his followers
to feed the hungry, clothe the
naked, and care for the sick.
Late 17th century
The Pietist movement in
Continental Europe stresses
practical Christian living.
AFTER
19th century In the US, the
Wesleyan and Free Methodists
are active in the anti-slavery
abolitionist movement.
1865 William Booth, a
Methodist minister, founds
the Salvation Army with the
mission of saving bodies
as well as souls.
By salvation I mean not barely
deliverance from hell or going
to heaven, but a present
deliverance from sin.
John Wesley