Susanna Wesley and the Puritan Tradition in Methodism

Abstract

Susanna Wesley, who made such a profound impression on her son John, was a fascinating and many-sided character in her own right. She was a Puritan, an Anglican, a Methodist - at once a mystic and a superbly practical mother and homebuilder. This study offers a detailed exploration of her Puritan background, sees it as key to her character, and uses it to illuminate Methodism of which she has justly been termed the Mother. Newton discerns in Susanna Wesley central figure in transmission of Puritan tradition to life of Methodism, as well as figure who embodies, without contradiction, three kinds of churchmanship. The author describes Susanna's Puritan home and background, drawing freely on writing of her father and fellow-ministers; examines marital relationship of Susanna and Samuel Wesley; explores way she brought up her children; assesses her own writings and theology; and discusses her reactions to, and influence upon, Methodist revival as a whole. In a new conclusion, Newton offers fresh reflections on Susanna Wesley in light of more recent scholarship.

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