ABSTRACT
John Wesley's place in the evolution of Protestantism has been the subject of debate. He stands between Classic Protestantism and the Liberal Protestantism of the nineteenth century. Wesley's emphasis upon Christian experience, upon holiness, upon "an optimism of grace" gives a distinct character to his theology. The Twenty-Five Articles of Religion are a revision of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. The revision was made by John Wesley and was adopted by the Methodist Conference in Baltimore in 1784. The Twenty-Third Article, which acknowledges the United States as a sovereign and independent nation, was adopted in 1804. "The Scripture Way of Salvation" is not one of the original four volumes of sermons that were given authoritative status in Methodism, but it is an excellent introduction to Wesley's theology, dealing with such important themes as the prevenience of grace, justification, and sanctification.
