Politics in the Order of Salvation

Politics in the Order of Salvation
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Politics in the Order of Salvation: New Directions in Wesleyan Political Ethics

Information on Politics in the Order of Salvation from the publisher:

"Was John Wesley the "fanatical Tory" conservative of many political portraits, with his loyalty to the British monarchy, his support of taxation without representation, and his severe criticism of American independence? Or was he an emergent political liberal, condemning slavery, defending the rights and liberties of the British people, and urging government intervention in the economy to relieve hunger and poverty? This historical and theological study of Wesley's political thought concludes that he is understood best neither as Tory nor as liberal (both of which he was, in important respects), but as a staunch champion of limited constitutional government and of the subordination of power to law - in the context of the "Glorious Revolution" and the organic unity of the British community. Wesley's understanding of rights is a mixture of the historical and the natural, but is closer to the adaptive conservatism of Edmund Burke than to natural rights individualism in the following of John Locke." Weber argues further that Wesley's deliberate exclusion of the people from politics can be challenged from within his own theology by recovering and developing his concept of the political image and integrating it with his understanding of the order of salvation. This process of recovery and integration discloses the political vocation for all humankind, and opens the way to an authentically Wesleyan political language. It has significant implications also for rethinking Wesley's theology as such, and not only the Wesleyan language of politics.

Description of Theodore R. Weber, author of Politics in the Order of Salvation:

Where should John Wesley be located on the political spectrum? As a fanatical Tory, politically conservative in his fidelity to the British monarchy, advocation of taxation without representation, and opposition to the American Revolution or as an emerging proponent of political liberalism in his condemnation of slavery, defense of individual rights and liberties, and support of government aid to combat social problems like poverty and hunger? Weber argues for a much more nuanced reading of Wesley's political thought, which labels Wesley as an "organic constitutionalist," standing in the same political tradition as Richard Hooker and Edmund Burke. Weber's historical and theological study also turns constructive, as he challenges Wesley's antidemocratic and antirepublican sentiments by employing Wesley's "political image of God" within the larger context of the ordo salutis (order of salvation). A superb contribution to Wesleyan studies, with implications reaching into the fields of theology, political theory, and social ethics. Weber is Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics at Candler School of Theology, Emory University.