depa rtment of religion and cultural studies, · evangelicalism and founder of methodism. and to...

Ogbonna Nkiru

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UKAOHA, EUGENE IKECHUKWU (PG/MA/12/64004)

Ogbonna Nkiru

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FACULTY OF ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES,

THE TENETS OF WESLEYAN EVANGELICAL REVIVAL IMAINLINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN NIGERIA

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a, Nsukka

RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES,

F WESLEYAN EVANGELICAL REVIVAL IN MAINLINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN NIGERIA

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THE TENETS OF WESLEYAN EVANGELICAL REVIVAL IN MAINLINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN NIGERIA

BY

UKAOHA, EUGENE IKECHUKWU (PG/MA/12/64004)

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT TO THE REQUIREMENT

FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF ARTS IN RELIGION

AREA OF SPECIALIZATION: CHURCH HISTORY

SUPERVISOR: VEN. DR. B.C.D. DIARA

JULY, 2014

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APPROVAL PAGE

This Thesis written by Ukaoha, Eugene Ikechukwu (PG/MA/12/64004), has been approved for the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

By ______________________ __________________ Ven. Dr. B.C.D. Diara Prof. H.C. Achunike Supervisor HOD ______________________ _______________________ Professor I.A. Madu External Examiner Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to the loving memory of John Wesley, the father of Modern Evangelicalism and founder of Methodism.

AND

To West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos For her excellent contributions in theological training in Nigeria, a non-denominational

community called to prepare Holy Spirit- anointed leaders to be Scripturally equipped for spiritual awakening and holy living so that God’s Mission can be accomplished by the Body

of Christ.

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ACKNOWLEGMENTS My unqualified thanks go to the Almighty God, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit for

seeing me through this research work and this program. My deep gratitude also goes to my supervisor, Ven. Dr. B.C.D. Diara for not only his professional guidance and assistance but for opening the door of his office and library for me to use.

I thank immensely the Head of Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, UNN Rev. Fr. Prof. Hilary C. Achunike for his erudite and visionary leadership. My deep appreciation goes to the immediate past HOD, the indefatigable Rev. Dr. Ituma Ezichi Anya for his encouragement to continue in this program. I also thank my amiable friend, Prof. C.O.T. Ugwu, the immediate past Dean Faculty of Social Sciences. I am also grateful to all the lecturers in the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, especially Rev. Dr. Omaka Ngele, Rev. Dr. David Ononogbu and Ven.. Dr. Collins Ike Ugwu for granting me audience, including helping with some personal books.

My utmost thanks go to my sponsoring institution, West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos, especially the astute leadership of the Provost, Dr. William Udotong, Mrs. Charity Ajayi and the other members of the Leadership Team and the entire staff and students of WATS, for their financial and moral support. My appreciation and thanks go to the Academic Dean, Dr. Ugo, Ikechukwu (namesake) for his friendly and purposeful leadership. Also, I thank the HOD, Practical Theology, WATS, Rev. Dr. Julius Adegbola for his fatherly care and love.

My gratitude also goes to the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Ipaja, Rev. M.A. Abodunrin, the Diaconate, especially Dn. Biodun Oloyede, the Youth President, Brother Tunde Alao, and entire members of FBCI. I say a big thank you to Dr. Mrs. Esther Ayandokun, Academic Dean of Baptist College, Isolo, Lagos and Dr. Joseph Akpovbovbo, for their wonderful contributions to the interview questions.

Also, I thank my A6 Odili Hall friends and roommates, namely, Dr. Elias Chukwuemeka Ugwu (alias) Facilitator, Maximus, Victor, Frank, Tunde, Edwin, Omiyi, Prince O, Wakili, Tony, CY, Aji, Mike, the merchant, including Paul Haaga, Odili Hall Governor, Dr. Aja, Okpani, Godwin Oti alias “I-COGOM,” Ebube John Ugwu (our young PG roommate) and Divine Mercy Canteen, Odili Hall. I appreciate the family ties, friendship, fellowship, cooperation, collegiality and espirit de corps we enjoyed. Deserving special mention is the Graduate Student Fellowship (GSF), UNN, a wonderful family of God.

Finally, my profound gratitude goes to my beloved wife, Lilian and our children Samuel and Favour for their wonderful family/moral support and for bearing my long absence from home during the course of this program. My mother-in-law and elder sister, I thank them very much for their prayers! May the good Lord bless you all! To God be the glory!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page………………………………………………………………………………………….i Approval Page…………………………………………………………………………………….ii Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………..iii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………iv Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………v List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………viii List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………ix Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………..x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………..…1

1.1Background of Study…………….…………………………………………………………….1 1.2 Statement of Problem………………….……………………………………………………...4

1.3 Purpose of Study……………………………………………………………………………..6

1.4 Significance of Study….…………………………………………..……..…………………...6

1.5 Scope of Study………..…………………………………………………………..…………..7

1.6 Methodology………………………………………………………………………………….7

1.7 Definition of Terms……………………………………………………………..……………..8

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………13 2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..….…...13

2.2 The Meaning of Missions, Revival, Evangelicalism and Church History ……….…….……14

2.3 The Meaning of Wesleyan Evangelical Revival………………………………………….….19

2.4 The Rise of Pietism in Europe……………………………...……………………….…….....20

2.5 From Pietism to Moravianism…..…………………………………..…………………….…22

2.6 From Anglicanism to Methodism …………………………………………………..…….…24

2.7 From Methodism to Evangelicalism…………………………………………………………25

2.8 Summary of Literature Review………………………………………………………………26

CHAPER THREE: THE SOCIO-RELGIOUS BACKGROUND OF WESLEYAN EVANGELICAL REVIVAL IN ENGLAND………………..……………………………........28

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3.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………….28 3.2 A Short Biography of John Wesley………………….……………………………………....30 3.3 The Brain behind 18th Century Evangelical Revival in England…………………..………..35 3.4 Wesley and the Rise of Methodism in England……………………………………………..37 3.6 Biography of George Whitefield…………………………………………………………….39 3.7 Biography of Charles Wesley………………………………………………………………..41 3.8 The Method they used……………………………………………………………………….43 3.9 The Evangelicals……………………………………………………………………………..45 3.10 The Clapham Sect……………………………………………………………………….…45 3.11 The Church Missionary Society……………………………………………………………45 CHAPTER FOUR: THE TENETS OF WESLEYAN EVANGELICAL REVIVAL…………..48 4.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..48 4.2 Holiness………………………………………………………………………………………48 4.3 Sanctification………………………………………………………………………………...49 4.4 Entire Sanctification…………………………………………………………………………50 4.5 Christian Perfection………………………………………………………………………….51 4.5.1 The Sense Christians Are Not Perfect …………………………………………………….52 4.5.2 The Sense Christians Are Perfect………………………………………………………….52 4.5.3 Summary of Wesley’s View on Christian Perfection…………………………………...…54 4.6 Wesley’s Concept of Sin……..…………………………………………………………….54 CHAPTER FIVE: THE TENETS OF WESLEYAN REVIVAL IN MAINLINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN NIGERIA………………………………………………………………………56 5.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..56 5.2 An Overview of the Tenets of Wesleyan Revival in Mainline Protestant Churches in Nigeria………………………………………………………………………………………..….64

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5.3 Anglican Church in Nigeria: A Brief History..………………………………………………65 5.3.1 Evangelical Fellowship in Anglican Communion…………………………………………67 5.4 The Methodist Church in Nigeria………………………………………………………..…..69 5.5 The Presbyterian Church in Nigeria…………………………………………………………70 5.6 The Baptist Church in Nigeria……………………………………………………………….70 5.7 Implications of the Wesleyan Evangelical Revival………………………………………….72 5.7.1 Tenets of Wesleyan Evangelical Revival…………..……………………………………...72 5.7.2 The Main Doctrinal Emphases of the Mainline Protestant Churches……………………..73 5.7.3 Evangelicalism in Mainline Protestant Churches in Nigeria………………………………74 5.7.4 How the Churches in Nigerian can align themselves with the Tenets of Evangelicalism....77 5.8 Implications of Lack of Revival in the Church Today…………….………………………...78 5.8.1 Lack of Genuine Conversion………………………………………………………………79 5.8.2 Nominalism and Unbelief………………………………………………………………….80 5.8.3 The Problem of Syncretism and Occultism………………………………………………..81 5.8.4 The Prosperity Gospel/Quest for Materialism……………………………………………..82 5.8.5 Absence of the Holy Spirit/Revival Fire…………………………………………………..83 5.8.6 Quest for Knowledge without Power………………………………………………………84 5.8.7 Love of Titles, Position & Politics in the Church …………………………………………84 6.0 SUMMARY, LIMITATION OF STUDTY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………………………………...86 6.1 Summary……………………………………………………………………………………..86 6.2 Limitations of Study…………………………………………………………………………88 6.3 Recommendations……………………..…………………………………………………….88 6.4 Conclusions……………..……………………………………………………………………90 References…………………………………………………………………………………...92

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Appendix 1: Profile of Interviewees………………………………………………………...96 Appendix 2: Interview Questions…………………………………………………………...97 Appendix 3/Fig. 1: John Wesley…………………………………………………………….99 Appendix 4/Fig. 2: Charles Wesley………………………………………………………..100 Appendix 5/Fig. 3: George Whitefield…………………………………………………….101

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List of Tables Table 1: Showing Church Denominations and their Doctrinal Emphases/Understanding of the Tenets of the Wesleyan Revival…………………………………...………………………………………………………57

List of Figures Appendix 3/fig. 1: John Wesley………………………………………………………………….99 Appendix 4/fig. 2: Charles Wesley……………………………………………………………..100 Appendix 5/fig. 3: George Whitefield………………………………………………………….101

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ABSTRACT

Contemporary works of scholarship on Evangelical Revivals had focused mainly on tracing the roots of Evangelicalism back to German Pietism, Moravianism and Methodism. This present work attempts to focus on the Wesleyan Evangelical revival and the Protestant Missions and their subsequent advent in Nigeria, specifically to examine the main tenets of the Wesleyan revival and to assess the extent to which the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria align themselves with or deviate from these tenets. The study therefore employed the historical and phenomenological approach as well as primary and secondary sources of data collection. Personal communications or oral interviews and participant observation were the instruments used. The main findings of this study among others show that: The main doctrinal emphases of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival are new birth/ conversion experience and sanctification/holiness of heart and life, including evangelism by social action; The four mainline Protestant churches, namely, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian and Baptist have aligned themselves with the tenets of Evangelicalism; The churches understand and emphasize the scriptural doctrine of salvation and holiness. The study however noted that there are divergent views about the meaning of the term “Christian perfection” as taught by John Wesley. It therefore noted the need for harmonization of views on this central tenet of the Wesleyan revival. It then recommended among other things that in order to adequately align itself with the scriptural doctrine of salvation and holiness, the Church in Nigeria should be intentional in prayer, Bible study, teaching, practice and mentoring on salvation/ holiness. In conclusion therefore there is need for harmonization of views and consistent teaching/preaching on these central and crucial tenets of the Wesleyan revival. The Church in Nigeria needs to go back to God and cry out to Him in repentance to have mercy on us and revive us again!

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Evangelical Revivals in North America and Europe were the precursor and

springboard of the missionary movement in Africa in the 19th Century. John Wesley Revival

in the 19th Century England in particular was the driving force behind the modern

Evangelical and Pentecostal Movement that gave birth to missionary activities in Africa in

the 19th century. During the 18th and 19th centuries, there were three great Evangelical

Revivals that took place in North America and Europe, between 1730s and 1860s. The

leading figures of these Revivals or Awakenings were men like George Whitefield, John

Wesley, Charles Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Charles G. Finney, D.L. Moody and others. It

was these revivals that gave rise to the missionary impulse in Africa in the 19th Century.

According to Burgess (2008:15-24), the First Evangelical Revival took place in the

1730s and was centered on the American colonies and Britain. It was influenced by the

holiness preaching of John Wesley, “the Apostle of England.” The second Evangelical

Awakening, which began in the 1790s, took place both in England and North America. It was

triggered by a pamphlet written by the revivalist and theologian Jonathan Edwards, which

was republished and read by church leaders in Britain and America. As a result, people began

to pray both for revival and for the gospels to be carried to other nations. The Second

Evangelical Awakening led to the formation of a large number of missionary societies and

marked the beginning of the first period of modern Protestant missionary outreach. These

have become known collectively as the classical missions, which were organized along

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denominational lines. The Great Awakening of the years 1739-91 is frequently called the

Wesleyan revival. John Wesley was clearly the God-chosen leader of this major spiritual

awakening (Duewel 1995:71). Diara( 2009:100,105) corroborating this fact, said that the rise

of modern missionary activities in the late 18th and early 19th century was hence one of the

aftermaths of evangelical revival which can be traced more directly to the impact of

Methodist revival in Britain.

The Second Evangelical revival took place in North America and Europe from 1830s

and one of the key figures was Charles G. Finney, who has been described as North

America’s greatest revivalist (Burgess 2008:21). His famous Lectures on Revivals in Religion

(1835) had greatly influenced the revival of that period, especially his appeal for salvation

and organized “revival” meetings. The Third Evangelical Awakening occurred in North

America and Britain, between 1860s and 1870s, which was catalyzed by a revival prayer in

1858-59 (Burgess 2008:22). It created a renewed zeal for mission and gave rise to the

Holiness Movement in North America and Britain. Its emphasis was on victory over sin and

power for service. It was greatly propelled by the ministries of D.L. Moody in Britain,

Charles Finney and Walter and Phoebe Palmer in America. According to Orr, (in Burgess

2008:23) among those who were influenced by the Moody’s preaching were Samuel Bill,

founder of the Qua Iboe Mission, the first interdenominational faith mission to begin work in

Nigeria, and C.T. Studd, who first went as a missionary to China with the China Inland

Evangelical Crusade (now the Worldwide Endeavour for Christ (WEC) International.

Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism are the off-shoots of the Protestant Reformation.

It was the Azusa Street Revival, which took place in 1906 that marked the beginning of North

American Pentecostal Movement and was an important precursor to the Pentecostal Revival

in Nigeria. Protestantism, which originated from the Reformation led by Martin Luther

(1483-1546), took place in Europe between 1517 and 1521. Between 1450 and 1700 the

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Portuguese Roman Catholic did most of the missionary work. It is not until the beginning of

the 18th century that Protestant missionary efforts began. However, these efforts were small

and ineffective. Thus, by the beginning of the 18th century Protestant missionary work began

in South Africa and the Gold Coast. It must be recalled that the Protestant churches were still

less than 200 years old in Europe and thus had not the vision and the finances to support or

send missionaries.

The Protestant Missions in Nigeria is the by-product of the Evangelical Revival of the

18th and 19th century England and America. According to Achunike (2009:41), Wesley is the

spiritual and intellectual father of Modern Holiness and Pentecostal Movement that issue

from Methodism within the 19th century. Christianity came to Nigeria through Badagry,

Abeokuta, Calabar and Onitsha in the 19th century. The Methodist Church was the first to

introduce Christianity to Nigeria through the ministry of Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman, who

came to Badagry on 24th September 1842. This was following the John Wesley revivals of

the 1700s. Other Missions that planted churches in Nigeria in the 19th century include

Anglican (1843), Presbyterian (1846), Baptist (1850), Roman Catholic (1867) and Sudan

Interior Mission (SIM) (1893) (Ukaoha, Anyamagir, Diara 2013: 10).

Wesley was the founder of Methodism and the father of Scriptural doctrine of

holiness. After St. Paul, Wesley was used of God to rediscover the Scriptural teaching of

holiness, just like Luther was used to discover and emphasize salvation by faith alone (Sola

fide ) and the Bible as the sole authority of our faith (Sola Scriptura). Wesleyan theology is

based on two crisis experience of Conversion or Salvation from actual committed sins, and

Sanctification or Cleansing from the Adamic nature, the inbred or inward root of sin, also

known as “Second Blessing” (Burgess 2008:18; Achunike 2009:19). This was the brand of

Christianity transported to Nigeria.

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1.2 Statement of Problem

The question that agitates the mind is the extent to which contemporary Nigerian

Christianity shares resemblance with the Wesleyan revival that laid its foundation. This is

essential because if Christianity in Nigeria today is to remain relevant there is need for the

church to go back to the Scriptural preaching and teaching of salvation and holiness.

Steward (n.d. 17), observed that during the period of seventy six years (1842-1918) of

the history of the church in Nigeria the combined efforts of the Methodist, Anglican,

Presbyterian, Baptist, Roman Catholic in evangelizing the different parts of the country

yielded the spiritual harvests of making over forty eight percent of Nigerian heathens become

Christians. Those Nigerians who became Christians during this period were Christians both

inwardly and outwardly. The heathen people around them knew and testified that they were

Christians. The general belief then was that ‘if you are a Christian, you are a Christian, and if

you are a heathen, you are undoubtedly a heathen.’

The mainline Protestant churches started well. But along the line, there was the

problem of dead orthodoxy. There was lack of revival fire; there was lack of evangelism and

miracles in the older churches. According to Steward (n.d.:17), it was observed that the

evangelistic efforts of these older churches lacked both spiritual and Pentecostal qualities.

There were no revivals, and no miracles to confirm the mighty powers of the Almighty God

among the Christians. Worse of all was that some of the converts of these earlier church

denominations were still holding their beliefs and ideas about the traditional worship in their

former ways of life and manner.

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It was the need to bring revival in the mainline Protestant churches that led to the

Pentecostal movement in Nigeria in 1918. The revival started through a prayer band,

organized by a group of Christians at St. Savior’s Anglican Church, Ijebu Ode, led by Joseph

B. Sadare. The group was first named The Precious Stone Society and then later changed to

The Diamond Society (Abodunde 2009: 314). It was during the year of Influenza epidemics.

Thus, the brethren were moved to provide solution to the ravages of the influenza year. The

revival that hit Nigeria in the early 70s laid emphasis on repentance, salvation, holiness,

healing, faith, and evangelism. However, the introduction of the Prosperity Gospel with its

overwhelming emphasis on wealth and health, fueled by abject poverty that had plagued and

ravaged many Nigerians after the civil war was probably a bane than a blessing. The

Prosperity Gospel appears to be a perverted, distorted and deficient Gospel that pushed aside

the Scriptural teaching of salvation and holiness and replaced it with undue emphasis on

material possession. This has led some to believe that if they could exercise enough faith and

pray hard they could get whatever they desire even if they were living in sin.

As Olaiya (2004) had observed:

This easy blend of faith, grace, liberty and prosperity, which focused on “the abundant life,” produced a Church that craved affluence and luxury, that was clothed in pride and that was shamefully bound in sin. Many preachers had abandoned the message of the joy of salvation and the transformation from sin to righteousness for the lure of the comforts that money could bring. The result was devastating. It produced a monstrous Church that on the one hand was Christ believing and tongue talking, but on the other hand was sin bound, adorned in pride and arrogance and spiritually destitute, heading down the slippery slope of error. No wonder that some Western critic would say that the African Christianity was a mile wide and only an inch deep (pp. 103-104).

Apart from the danger posed by the popular Prosperity Gospel, there is also the

problem of syncretism. Christianity has been planted in Nigeria for nearly two hundred years

now, yet Christianity in Nigeria is regarded as one mile wide but one inch deep. Why is it that

in times of crisis many professing Christians still resort to African Traditional Religion? Why

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are there so many traditional religious practices such as divination, witchcraft, sorcery,

necromancy, use of charms or juju and so forth in the church today? Why is it that Nigerians

are said to be the most happiest and religious people on the earth and yet Nigeria is branded

as one of the most corrupt countries in the world where about sixty percent of the 160 million

Nigerians or so are either Christian or Muslim? Today many African scholars and theologians

are calling for an authentic African Christianity that is rooted and relevant to African culture

and people. It is against this background that this work is carried out to challenge the church

in Nigeria to align itself completely with the Scriptural teaching and preaching of the

message of salvation and holiness that was the cornerstone of Wesleyan revival of the 18th

century.

1.3 Purpose of Study

The main purpose of this study is to examine the tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical

revival and to ascertain the extent to which the Protestant mission churches in Nigeria align

themselves to those tenets, and specifically:

1. To discover the main doctrinal emphases of the Wesleyan Revival, which are the

roots of modern Evangelicalism.

2. To examine the tenets of Wesleyan Evangelical revival in the mainline Protestant

churches in Nigeria.

3. To assess the extent to which the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria align

themselves with the scriptural teaching on salvation and sanctification.

4. To suggest ways the Church in Nigeria can align itself with the scriptural preaching/

teaching of salvation and holiness.

1.4 Significance of Study

This present study attempts to assess the tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival in

the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria and to show how these churches align themselves

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with the scriptural teaching on Salvation and Sanctification/Holiness which is the hallmark of

Evangelicalism. The message will be an encouragement to the contemporary Nigerian

Christianity that seems to be weakened in biblical content and character.

Consequently, the result of this study will become a guide for policy formulation and

decision making for churches and individuals who want to go back to biblical orthodoxy and

revivalism. It will also serve as a handbook for Christian workers and teachers of the Word

on the doctrine of salvation and holiness. Besides, it will add to the body of literature in

Religion and Christian studies and also serve as a reference material for further research.

Finally, this study will satisfy the burden and hope of the researcher to finding

resource materials on revival in the Nigerian Christianity, especially on the Scriptural

preaching and teaching of salvation and holiness.

1.5 Scope of Study

This study will focus on the tenets of the 18th century Wesleyan Evangelical revival in

the Protestant mission churches in Nigeria. It will therefore examine the main tenets of the

Wesleyan revival, namely, salvation and sanctification. Essentially, this study will be carried

out within four mainline Protestant churches, namely, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian and

Baptist in Nsukka and Lagos. These mainline churches are the off-shoot and beneficiaries of

the Protestant Reformation and the Evangelical revivals.

1.6 Methodology

This study followed the historical and phenomenological approach and attempts to

objectively reconstruct and interpret the phenomenon of the 19th century Protestant Missions

in Nigeria. In line with the phenomenological approach, this study attempts to describe the

phenomenon of 18th century Wesleyan Revival in England. This was done in order to assess

the tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival in the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria.

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The researcher employed both primary and secondary method of data collection. The

primary method involved the use of oral interviews and participant observation as research

instruments. The researcher interviewed 12 clergymen and 8 members of four mainline

churches, namely, Methodist, Anglican, Baptist, and Presbyterian. Three clergymen from

each church and 8 parishioners, making a total of 20 persons were randomly selected for

interview. 10- Structured interview questions were designed to find out indices of Wesleyan

Evangelical revival (see Appendix 1). The data collected were qualitatively analyzed and

used to evaluate the understanding of each church on the Scriptural doctrine of salvation and

sanctification (holiness) from the Wesleyan perspective and necessary conclusions were

drawn.

The secondary method of data collection involved the use of books from the Nnamdi

Azikiwe library, UNN, West Africa Theological Seminary (WATS), Lagos library, local

churches histories, personal books and internet materials. Books, dairies, autobiographies,

church bulletin, articles, journals, Bible dictionaries, commentaries, encyclopedias and other

related sources were used to address important conceptual issues and views of scholars on the

work.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Defining a word clarifies its meaning. Therefore the following key and related terms

that constituted the title of this work will be defined as follows:

Revival: This means “God’s quickening visitation of his people, touching their hearts and

deepening his work of grace in their lives. ‘Revive’ is the AV (KJV) word for this process of

spiritual reanimation (Ps. 85:6; Hab. 3:2); ‘revivedness’ would be the appropriate term to

describe its result” (Ferguson 1988: 588). The Reformation, the Evangelical Revival in

Britain, the first and second Great Awakening in America, the Welsh Revival of 1904-05,

and the East African Revival are examples of revival (Ferguson 1988:588).

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Missions: The word “missions” comes from the Latin “MITTO,” which means “to send.”

According to the Vine’s Dictionary of NT Words, the Greek word “APOSTOLOS” or

“APPOSTELLO” means “One sent forth,” or “to send.”

Protestant Missions: Refer to the missionary movement following the Reformation in the

16th century led by Martin Luther.

Protestantism: The word derives from the Protestatio of the pro-reform representatives at

the Diet of Speier (1529) against Roman Catholic practices. It covers all those within the

Christian tradition outside of Roman Catholicism and orthodoxy (Ferguson 1988:538).

Mainline Protestant Churches: Mainline Protestant churches in this work refer to the

evangelical churches planted in Nigeria between the 18th and 20th century by the Protestant

missions. These include Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Qua Iboe Church, Sudan

Interior Mission (SIM)/Sudan United Mission (SUM) (now known as Action Partners),

Evangelical Church of West Africa (now Evangelical Church Winning All) (Ukaoha 2014:5).

The main doctrinal emphases of the mainline Protestant churches are salvation and

sanctification or holiness. The mainline churches also stress on social gospel, social justice or

human development.

Missionary: A missionary is one who is sent. Mission involves going and sending, praying

and giving for missions.

Holiness: According to the Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, the Hebrew word

qodesh and Greek hagiasmos, which is translated holiness, means to be holy or to sanctify.

The noun qodesh occurs 469 times with the meanings: “holiness” Ex. 15:11; “holy thing”

Num. 14:15; and “sanctuary” Ex. 36:4. The verb qadesh or qadash, “to be holy; to sanctify”

occurs 175 times in the Old Testament and means “to be holy” Ex. 29:37; Lev. 6:18 or “to

sanctify”: “Hear me, ye Levites sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD

God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place” (2 Chron. 29:5). The

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Greek word hagiasmos is translated “holiness” in the KJV of Rom. 6: 19, 22; 1 Thess. 4:7;

1Tim. 2:15; Heb. 12:14. The term “holy” and its cognate words, such as “holiness,” “holies,”

and “holy” occur in the Scriptures at least 120 times in relation to material objects and to men

(Yocum 1976: 59).

Consecration is a similar term used when referring to the holiness of things or

persons. It means to be set apart for a godly or holy use. A person or thing can be set apart for

a special use. Thus, holiness means to be set apart for divine use, which is its meaning in the

ceremonial sense. Ethically and morally, holiness means to be made pure or holy. Holiness is

defined in the context of this work to mean both consecration that is to be set apart for a

godly use (ceremonially) and purity of heart/ cleansing from sin (ethically/morally).

Sanctification: The term sanctification means the same as holiness. In both Hebrew and

Greek, holiness or sanctification comes from the same root (qodesh or hagiasmos). The basic

difference is that “sanctification” refers to the act of God whereby the heart is cleansed from

sin, whereas “holiness” refers to the resulting state of purity.

Entire Sanctification: This is the second work of grace wrought by the Holy Spirit in the

heart of the believer subsequent to regeneration, received instantaneously by faith, whereby

the heart is cleansed from inward root of sin and filled with the pure and perfect love of God

(Hill, n.d.). The researcher adopts this as the working definition of entire sanctification in this

work.

Christian Perfection: According to John Wesley, “It is the loving God with all our heart,

mind, soul and strength. This implies that no wrong temper, none contrary to love, remains in

the soul; and that all the thoughts, words and actions, are governed by pure love. Also he was

asked, “Do you affirm that this perfection excludes all infirmities, ignorance, and mistakes?”

He answered and said, “I continually affirm quite the contrary, and always have done so. . . .

A man may be filled with pure love, and still be liable to mistake. . . . Yet where every word

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and action springs from love such a mistake is not properly sin. However, it cannot bear the

rigor of God’s justice, but needs atoning blood” (Wesley 1966:51-52)

Wesleyan Tradition: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 6th edition, defines tradition “a

belief, custom or way of doing something that has existed for a long time among a particular

group of people; a set of these beliefs or customs: religious/cultural /literal traditions.” (Gk.

Paradosis) means “that which was handed down from a teacher to his disciples,” for

example,” the Jewish tradition (Douglas 1962:1211). The term tradition is derived from the

Latin word ‘traditio’ meaning delivery or something that is delivered. Its verb form ‘tradere’

means to deliver. Tradition may therefore be described as beliefs, opinions, doctrines, rites,

customs, etc, which are delivered from one generation to another. It also implies identity;

what something stands for, how a people do their things (Diara 2005:9). Wesleyan tradition

therefore refers to beliefs, practices, teachings and works of John Wesley, founder and father

of Methodism, which was handed down or delivered to his disciples or followers.

Holiness Movement: Refers to the movement formed after John Wesley to spread the

‘Scriptural doctrine’ of holiness or sanctification. John Wesley was the progenitor of the

Protestant holiness movement. According to Ferguson, Wesley claimed that God raised

Methodism to spread ‘Scriptural holiness’ and taught that God roots all sin out of Christian

heart in this life, motivationally filling his heart with perfect love for God and man. This

work of grace was called by different names such as ‘Christian perfection,’ ‘perfect love,’

‘entire sanctification,’ ‘the second blessing,’ and ‘holiness.’ This work of grace was held to

be wrought instantaneously in response to earnest seeking, and to be attested immediately by

the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. The Movement emerged when the mainstream Methodist

commitment to the teaching of holiness waned or cooled. The Movement reached its peak

between 1850 and 1950. Theologically, there were three forms of the holiness movement,

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namely, Wesleyan holiness, Keswick holiness and Pentecostal holiness (Ferguson 1988:

314).

Methodism: Refers to the religious society or movement within the Anglican Communion

which began after the death of John Wesley. Methodist was at first a designation attached to

all supporters of the 18th –century evangelical awakening in England, but later was reserved

for John Wesley’s adherents who, shortly after his death left the established church to form a

separate denomination (Ferguson 1988:426). John Wesley defined a Methodist as “one that

lives according to the method laid down in the Bible.”

Tenet: According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, one of the principles or

beliefs that a theory or larger set of beliefs based on: one of the basic/central tenets of

Christianity. Therefore the tenets of Wesleyan Evangelical revival refers to the teaching or

system of beliefs on which the Wesleyan Revival was based, which include personal faith in

the Lord Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian leading to

holiness of heart and life or Christlikeness, including an active life of witnessing and winning

souls for Christ.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

In this chapter, an attempt was made to explore relevant literatures that had

contributed to our knowledge of the Protestant Missionary Movement in Nigeria and Africa.

The first attempt to Christianize Africa was through the Portuguese Roman Catholic

missionaries in the 15th century but this effort failed due to certain factors. It seemed that the

missionaries had interest in commerce and trade more than in missionary work. However, the

second successful attempt to evangelize Africa came in the 19th century almost three hundred

years after the Reformation. The Protestant churches here refer to the mission churches that

were planted in Nigeria during the 19th century through the efforts of Protestant missionaries.

Before now Africa was largely unexplored and hence regarded as the “Dark Continent” and

the “White Man’s grave.” Many of the White missionaries who struggled to bring the Gospel

to Africa lost their lives due to hostile weather and malaria fever. An attempt was made to

reconstruct the phenomenon of the Wesleyan Evangelical Revival in order to highlight its

unique contributions and connection to the whole picture and dynamics of Protestant

Missions and its impact on the five mainline churches in Nigeria, namely, Methodist,

Anglican, Baptist and Presbyterian. Thus, this chapter will cover the following areas:

2.2 The Meaning of Missions, Revival, Evangelicalism and Church History

2.2.1 Missions

2.2.2 Revival

2.2.3 Church History

2.3 The Meaning of Wesleyan Evangelical Revival

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2.4 The Rise of Pietism in Europe

2.5 From Pietism to Moravianism

2.6 From Moravianism to Methodism

2.7 From Methodism to Evangelicalism

2.8 Summary of Literature Review

2.2 The Meaning of Missions, Revival, Evangelicalism and Church History

This work is situated within the domain of African Church History and aims to assess

the impact of the Wesleyan revival on modern Protestant Missions and their consequent

advent in Nigeria. It is pertinent to clarify the meaning of the following terms as used in this

work: Missions, Revival, Evangelicalism/Evangelism, and Church History.

2.2.1 Missions: The word “missions” comes from the Latin “MITTO,” which means “to

send.” According to the Vine’s Dictionary of NT Words, the Greek word “APOSTOLOS” or

“APPOSTELLO” means “One sent forth,” or “to send.” The word is used to describe the

Twelve Apostles chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ for special training and ministry (Mk.

3:14). Paul was also called an apostle, even though he was not one of the Twelve and did not

accompany them during the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, but was called and

commissioned by the Lord Himself as an apostle to the Gentiles. The word was also used for

other people in the NT, like Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14), Andronicus and Junia (Rom. 16:7).

Cheesman (1977:16) opines that, a “missionary” is someone who is sent from his people or

church to another people; someone who has crossed a cultural barrier to minister the love of

Christ to another people. Thus, a missionary must be one who is sent forth to preach the

good news across a cultural or language barrier and who should live among the people and

learn their language and culture in order to communicate to them effectively.

2.2.2 Revival: There is no clear consensus among African Christians as to the meaning of the

word revival. To some, the word is used loosely to describe prolonged and organized

25

evangelistic campaigns, renewal, or extensive church growth. To others, revival means a

programme, which consists of series of meetings with inspired messages, exuberant worship,

including making altar call for salvation and healing. According to Burgess (2008:7), the

origin of this organized revival meetings dates back to the 19th century American revivalism,

associated with the ministry of Charles Finney and his popular Lectures on Revival.

It is important to define revival in terms of the divine and human agency involved as

well as its communal dimension. Thus, Burgess (2008:11) defines Christian revival as “a

communal event, initiated by the Holy Spirit, which assumes the element of decline, out of

which believers are called to renewed heights of spiritual vitality and moral probity, issuing

in efforts to spread the gospel in and beyond the local community and resulting in a

widespread sense of sorrow for sin, extensive conversion experiences and altered religious

and socio-cultural landscapes.” There is usually a divine-human synergism in the redemptive

work of God; God and man cooperating together the fulfillment of God’s will and work.

Thus, when God’s people humble themselves and seek the face of God and call upon His

holy name in truth and spirit, then God will answer from heaven and pour out His Spirit upon

His people. Thus, revival is a divine and human initiated phenomenon, which can have a

communal or national dimension, resulting in genuine repentance and salvation as well as

socio-cultural transformation.

Theologically, revival may be defined as an overwhelming experience of the Holy

Spirit’s presence in the Church and her surrounding community. Lloyd-Jones quoted in

(Burgess 2008:11, 12) defines revival as an “experience in the life of the Church when the

Holy Spirit does an unusual work. In the NT, the Holy Spirit mediates the active presence of

God in the Church and the world, thus making it a tangible reality. Orr quoted in (Burgess

2008:12) defines revival as “movement of the Holy Spirit bringing about a revival of NT

Christianity in the Church of Christ and its related community.” According to Orr, Acts 1 and

26

2 provide the biblical model for revival. Following this model, Stibbe quoted in (Burgess

2008:13) enumerated the following features of Biblical revival: Anointed preaching, radical

conviction of sin, passionate intercession, evangelistic worship, miraculous works, kingdom

community, social transformation, constant conversions. The presence of the Holy Spirit

among the early disciples were manifested by the Holy Spirit empowering them for service

(Acts 1:8), speaking to them through prophecy and powerful preaching (Acts 2:14, 17-18)

and purifying and filling their heart with love for God and one another (Acts 2:39-47).

Evangelism and missions are the by-products of revival. Thus, revival may be defined

as an unusual manifestation of the divine presence among God’s people through Spirit-led

and anointed intercession and preaching, worship and fellowship, evangelism and missions,

resulting in extensive conversions, church growth as well as socio-cultural transformation.

2.2.3 Evangelicalism/Evangelism: Evangelicalism means living according to the Gospel.

According to David Bebbington (1993), ‘evangelical with a lower-case initial is occasionally

used to mean ‘of the gospel,’ the term Evangelical, with a capital letter, is applied to any

aspect of the movement beginning in the 1730s. He notes four characteristics of

Evangelicalism: 1. Conversionism- a stress on the new birth or being born again as taught in

passages such as John 1:12-13; 3:1-21 2. Biblicism, defined as having a high regard for

biblical authority and identification with biblical story. 3. Crucicentricism- draws attention to

teachings that proclaim the saving death and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ,

offering forgiveness of sins and new life. In short, a focus on Christ’s redeeming work as

central to Christianity. 4. Activism-describes the tendency towards active expression and

sharing of the gospel in diverse ways that indicate preaching and social action.

Baur (2009:103) opines that Evangelism refers to preaching the Gospel. This implies

that Evangelism is presenting Christ to the lost or dying world (sinners) according to John

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3:16, which says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that

whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (KJV). Evangelism

is a lifestyle of living for and making Christ known.

2.2.4 Church History: The type of Church history a person’s writes depends on his

understanding of the term church and history. (Kalu 2003:7) defines church history as a

rigorous and objective reconstruction and interpretation of God’s dealings with His people in

the past and the present and how this can help shape our future. It is the story of God’s people

and their response to the Gospel or the presence of the Kingdom of God among them. It is the

pursuit of truth about the past of the people of God, and their ecclesial institution. The church

historian performs a rigorous and diligent reconstruction of what happened (Lat. Res gestae)

among Christians.

In the New Testament, there are about 96 imageries of the church, ranging from

animate to inanimate objects; from plant world to animal world; minerals, water and so on.

But all these images could be described in two broad categories: The church as an institution

(Assembly or Building) and the church as people of God (laos of God). In Hebrew, edha

refers to the church as an assembly, an institution. Also the Hebrew word qahal refers to

people who left their home and congregated or came together. The Greek word kuriakon

refers to people who assembled in a place. Also the Greek word ecclesia means “called out.”

That means people who have been called out of the darkness to His marvelous light. I Pet. 2:9

says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;

that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his

marvelous light” (KJV). More specifically and theologically, the church refers to those who

have been called out of the world and her vanities and embellishments (kosmetikos) into the

kingdom of God.

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Church history is a form of Christian witness. It is a testimony of the presence of the

living Christ among His people. Church history is written to show how God dealt with His

people in the past and the present and how this can help us to envision the future. Church

history is the memory of the people. It is a reflection of how people have dealt with Christ by

accepting and glorifying Him or crucify and reject Him by grieving His Holy Spirit.

Finally, church history is the story of God’s people, taking into consideration their

successes and failures, their joys and sorrows, their triumphs and sufferings, their fellow-

feeling and frustrations, their understanding of the workings of the Holy Spirit in their midst

and their general response to Christ’s message from the point of view of the unsung and

dedicated ordinary Christians and their heroes with a look into the future. Church history

should be better written by a Christian, who is first and foremost a man or woman of faith,

able to see its meaning in his or her responsible decisions. In short, a church historian should

be a practicing Christian. A non-Christian can write church history, but not with the same

degree of passion, understanding, reflection and interpretation as a Christian. It takes only

those who are spiritual to understand and interpret spiritual things. See I Cor. 2:9-16.

In conclusion, a church historian should understand the practical implications of the

conceptual framework of the church as an institution and the church as people-oriented. Thus

the perspective one holds about the church, whether as an institution or people-oriented will

determine the type of church history one writes and to whom.

2.3 The Meaning of Wesleyan Evangelical Revival

The Evangelical Revivals refer to the three great revivals that took place in England

and North America between 1730s and 1860s, triggered by the preaching of John Wesley and

other leading men like George Whitefield, Charles Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Charles G.

29

Finney and D.L. Moody. The Evangelicals, reformers and revivalists as the men were

variously called were the movers and shakers of the 18th Century North American and

England Church and society. Specifically, the Great Awakening of the years 1739-1791 is

frequently called the Wesleyan revival and John Wesley was clearly the chosen leader of this

spiritual awakening. John Wesley was an ordained Anglican priest and his father Samuel

Annesley Wesley was also an Anglican priest. John Wesley lived and died an Anglican. But

after Wesley’s conversion in 1738 he devoted his life to revive the Church of England.

According to Thomson (1976:112-115), Wesley’s work was parallel to the Great

Awakening going on in the American colonies. Wesley was inspired by reading Jonathan

Edward’s pamphlet on his revival in Northampton. Wesley was also influenced by his friend,

George Whitefield who was an itinerant revivalist preacher. Wesley too was an itinerant

preacher, evangelist and revivalist. He travelled all over the British Isles, preaching revival

and urging Christians to embrace the Gospel. In summary, the Wesleyan revival in England

had a far-reaching influence than the revival under Jonathan Edwards within the American

colonies, judging from its impact on the socio-religious milieu of this period. Thus, one needs

to understand something about this socio-religious background that provided the impetus for

revival, a morally bankrupt church and poverty-stricken society. There was need for reforms

in the prison, factory, workers and child right acts and so forth. Unfortunately, for more than

a century and half after the Protestant Reformation, the problem of dead orthodoxy still

plagued the spiritual life of the Church.

2.4 The Rise of Pietism in Europe

Many Church historians agree that Pietism was the root and precursor of the 18th

century Evangelical Revivalism. Pietism (from the word piety) was a movement within

Lutheranism as a reaction against dead orthodoxy of the church. It was a way of reviving and

30

restoring the spiritual life of the church. Pietism was a lay people movement that stressed on

genuine conversion, devotional life, personal Bible Study, missionary work and evangelism

by social works. The movement began in the late 17th century in Germany and reached its

zenith in the mid-18th century, and declined through the 19th century, and had almost

vanished from America by the end of the 20th century. Even John Wesley was influenced by

the writings of the pietists. He found Johann Ardnt (1555-1651) whose work the Four Books

of True Christianity (1606) interesting and inspiring. Ardnt interprets history with a stress on

spirituality and the work of Christ in the heart of humanity.

Kalu (2003:7) agrees with Ardnt that Church history should stress on redemptive

work of Christ because Church history is a form of Christian witness. It is a testimony of the

presence of the living Christ among His people. It is a reflection of how people have dealt

with Christ by accepting and glorifying Him or crucify and reject Him by grieving His Holy

Spirit. However, Jacob Spener of Frankfurt was the brain behind the rise of Pietism in

Europe. According to Phillip (1999), Philip Jacob Spener (1635-1705) was a German

Christian theologian known as the “Father of Pietism.” He was born in Rappoltsweiler in

Upper Alsace (now part of France, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Spener

attended briefly at the Colmar Grammar School and later went to Strasbourg in 1651, where

he studied philology, history and philosophy. He obtained his Master degree in 1653 and

wrote his thesis on the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. He became a private tutor of Princes

Christian and Charles of the Electorate of the Palatinate, and lectured in the university on

philology and history. He visited the universities of Basel, Tubingen and Geneva, between

1659 and 1662 and commenced the study of heraldry, which he pursued throughout his life.

Furthermore, Phillip (1999) stated that in Pia desideria, Spener made six

proposals as the best means of restoring the life of the Church:

1. The earnest and thorough study of the Bible in private meetings, ecclesiolae in ecclesia (“little churches within the church”)

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2. The Christian priesthood being universal, the laity should share in the spiritual government of the Church

3. A knowledge of Christianity must be attended by the practice of it as its indispensable sign and supplement

4. Instead of merely didactic, and often bitter, attacks on the orthodox and unbelievers, a sympathetic and kindly treatment of them

5. A recognition of the theological training of the universities, giving more prominence to the devotional life

6. A different style of preaching, namely, in the place of pleasing rhetoric, the implanting of Christianity in the inner or new man, the soul of which is faith, and its effect the fruits of life.

German pietism in the 17th century arose as a reaction to the sterility of the then

prevailing Lutheran Orthodoxy. Christianity was far more a life than an intellectual assent to

a doctrine. An insistence upon the personal, individualistic and subjective element in religion

was characteristic of their teaching. Because they believed that the much needed reforms of

the Lutheran church could not come from those in authority, they recommended that in every

congregation those who were earnest about the soul’s salvation should form cells within the

church (ecclesiola in ecclesia) for Bible study, for fellowship and Christian experience

(Phillip 1999).

Similarly, Turner (2002) stated that Spener and his successor and friend August

Herman Franke (1663-1727) sought to set up College of Pietatis- societies for the

improvement of the members of the Lutheran church. The zeal for mission was one of the

notable features of Pietism. Franke established the University of Halle in Germany as the

centre for missionary training. In 1705 when Frederick IV of Denmark wanted to send the

first protestant missionaries to India, he found them among the students in Halle. Apart from

missionary work, the Pietists were also involved in charitable and humanitarian endeavors.

Taking a cue from the humanitarianism of the Enlightenment, Pietism stressed love and

compassion, opposed the murder of war and took care of the victims of war or natural

disasters.

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In conclusion, according to Turner (2002), the ideals of Pietism can be summarized as

follows:

1. Intensified Bible Study 2. Stress on the spiritual priesthood of all believers 3. Practical Christianity over intellectual aspect of it 4. Stress on charity in religious controversy 5. Reformed preaching/theology 6. A conservative outlook 7. A lay people movement 8. Underrating of the academic and intellectual aspects of Christianity 9. A stress on non-denominational practice 10. A triumph of the voluntary rather than the constitutional 11. A preference for prayer over instruction 12. A stress on conversion 13. An example of evangelical lifestyle 14. A concern for world mission and Christian education 15. Service to the poor 16. Ecumenical cooperation (p.10).

2.5 From Pietism to Moravianism

Pietism was the spiritual ancestor of Moravianism. According to Turner (2002),

Count Nicolaus Ludwig Von Zinzendorf (1700-1760) was the leader of the Moravians.

Zinzendorf was a Lutheran pietist, who was educated at Halle. The Moravians were an

offshoot of a group of Christians going back before the Reformation, known as the Unitas

Fratrum or ‘Unity of the Brethren.’ They were driven out of Bohemia and Moravia during

the Thirty Years War. Under the leadership of Zinzendorf, the Moravians built a village in

Herrnhurt, which later became a centre of missionary activity. The Moravian church was the

first among the protestant churches to accept missionary work as being a responsibility of the

church as a whole, instead of leaving it to the societies of especially interested persons.

Collaborating with this fact, Diara stated that the Moravian Brethren was the most

effective missionary outreach of German Pietism. By 1722, following the Thirty Years War,

the German speaking Moravians found a village in Zinzendorf estate, called Bertheldorf.

They were joined by many native German pietists and other religious enthusiasts, including

33

Zinzendorf himself, who later became their spiritual leader in 1727. The Herrnhut village was

permitted according to the custom of the Province to organize itself as a secular organization.

Consequently, “elders” were appointed to direct their affairs, and the right and mantle of

leadership fell on Zinzendorf. In August 1772, a special communion service was held to seal

and commemorate this development. This date marked the birth of the Moravian Church.

Thus, the village of Herrnhut which was originally secular became a religious community.

An exclusive committee of elders was later formed. By 1730, they began to perform

ministerial functions and gradually, the office of the general elder emerged. Thus Herrnhut

became a purely religious society perceived by Zinzendorf as a body of soldiers of Christ, a

new Protestant monasticism without vows of celibacy.

Also, Dowley (in Diara 2009:90) stressed the following key characteristics of the

Herrnhut village of the Moravian Brethren:

1. Members were bound together by daily prayer and worship. 2. Young men and women were separated from ordinary life. 3. Children were brought up away from their parents. 4. The community regulated choices of marriage. 5. There was a missionary zeal among the members of the community.

Furthermore, Diara (2009:91) quipped that one of the enduring legacies of the Moravian

movement was a burning zeal for mission. Returning from the coronation of Christian VI in

Denmark, where he came into contact with natives of the Danish West India Islands and

Greenland, Zinzendorf began to send out missionaries. In 1732, two missionaries, Leonhard

Dober and David Nitschmann went to West Indies. The following year, Christian David and

others were sent to Greenland.

2.6 From Anglicanism to Methodism

Thomson (1988:112) asserts that Pietism was introduced into Anglicanism through

the works of John Wesley. Historically, Anglicanism is the Mother of Methodism. The

Methodist movement derived its inspiration from the life and teachings of John Wesley,

34

George Whitefield and John’s brother Charles Wesley. They were the foremost leaders of the

movement which started as a revival within the Anglican Church in the 18th century. It

became a separate church after the death of John Wesley. The movement was driven by

passion for evangelism and missions. The Methodist preachers ministered to the average

persons in the street, namely, slaves, prisoners, drunkards, smokers, harlots and other social

outcasts. Methodism laid strong emphasis on social gospel, including ministry to the poor and

needy. It was for this reason they established hospitals, orphanages, universities, schools,

soup kitchens as a way of following Jesus’ command to spread the Good News and serve all

people. The early movement acted against the perceived apathy in the Church of England,

preaching in the open air and establishing Methodist societies wherever they went. These

societies were in form of classes where individuals were encouraged to confess their sins to

one another and to edify one another. They also participated in love feasts and were allowed

to share testimonies, which was a key feature of early Methodist class meetings. Early

Methodist teachings were based on the foundation of repentance from dead works,

justification by faith alone and holiness of heart and life.

Early Methodist preachers emphasized the necessity of the new birth, and of

justification by faith alone and the sanctifying work of the Spirit, purifying and filling the

heart with pure and perfect love for God and fellow men. Although a failure, it was Wesley’s

mission trip to Georgia that triggered his conversion, courtesy of the ministry of the

Moravian Brethren. It was the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel that sent Wesley on

mission to Georgia, a British American colony.

Diara (2005:52) observes that the society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) and

the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) were establishments within

the Anglican Church that kept the torch of missions within the Church burning. They focused

on evangelization of England, Wales, Scotland, particularly among the poor in the rural areas.

35

Initially, they did not show much interest in foreign missions because their zeal for missions

was feeble and weak. But later they concentrated their efforts on the British American

colonies, the West Indies, and to a limited extent, India, through Danish missionaries. This

implies that modern missions work has its root in Pietism, Moravianism and Anglicanism,

through the ministry of John Wesley.

2.7 From Methodism to Evangelicalism

Methodism is a classic example of Evangelicalism. During the late 18th Century there

several attempts to revive the Anglican Church from within through the activities of the

revivalists who had wanted to heal the Church of its deadness and worldliness. According to

Diara (2005:50-51), these revivalists were faced with the dilemma of whether to work from

within the existing church or to separate from them and work independently. These

revivalists had a burning desire to bring revival and transformation, they wanted to leave the

politics of the church and focus their attention on the salvation of souls. On the other hand,

they could secede from the existing churches, formulate and constitute new liturgies and new

churches with their own followers. However, to do so would be to run the risk of losing

momentum of the movement and the goal of saving souls and changing lives and settling into

the routine of church organization. Though he was the founder of Methodism, Wesley

refused to secede but remained an Anglican Church. However, it was after his death in 1791

that three groups emerged, namely, the Wesleyan Methodists, Calvinist Methodists and the

Evangelicals.

2.8 Summary of Literature Review

There were three Great Awakenings in Europe and North America between 1730s and

1860s. The leading figures of these Revivals or Awakening were men like George

36

Whitefield, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Charles G. Finney, D.L.

Moody, and others. Specifically, John Wesley (1703-1791) was the central and leading figure

of the Great Awakening of the years 1739-1791. The Wesleyan Revival was said to be more

far-reaching in impact, considering the socio-religious background of the English Church and

society of his day. John Wesley was the son of Samuel Annesley and Susanna Wesley, his

father being an Anglican priest. John Wesley himself was an ordained Anglican priest who

lived and died an Anglican. He attended first at the Charter House School, London, Christ

Church College, Oxford and finally, Lincoln University where he obtained his master degree.

Wesley was a fellow of Lincoln University, a development that was said to have contributed

a steady income for him for twenty five years.

Wesley was influenced by Pietism, a laypeople movement that took place within the

Lutheran Church in Germany. Pietism laid the foundation of modern day Evangelical Revival

with its emphasis on genuine repentance, devotional life, Bible Study, missionary work and

evangelism by social works. It was German Pietism that gave birth to Moravianism and later

Methodism. The Moravian Church was first among Protestant churches that accepted mission

as a responsibility of the entire church and not just of a society or a few interested

individuals. After his conversion in 1738 Wesley was instrumental to the revival that took

place within the Anglican Church. It was this revival movement that led to the Evangelical

movement and consequently to the formation of the Methodist Church. Anglicanism is the

mother of Methodism and Evangelicalism. It was the Evangelical Revival that gave birth to

the modern Protestant missionary activities in Africa and Nigeria in particular.

From the scholarly work on the 18th century Evangelical revival reviewed, not much

was said concerning the tenets of the Wesleyan revival. In his book, titled Anglican

Spirituality The Practice of Balanced Christianity, Diara (2005) made an attempt to highlight

the Anglican root of Evangelicalism that emphasized biblical authority, conversion,

37

evangelism and the centrality and vicarious death of Christ on the cross of Calvary for the

redemption of mankind. Also, Diara (2009) in History and Doctrine of Evangelical

Christianity, attempted to trace the roots of Evangelical Christianity back to German Pietism

and Moravianism, however, there was not much emphasis made on the tenets of the

Wesleyan revival in modern Protestant missions and their subsequent coming to Nigeria.

Moreover, there was no attempt to assess how the mainline Protestant mission churches in

Nigeria align themselves with the scriptural doctrine of salvation and holiness, which was the

hallmark of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival. It is to this end that this present work is

anchored with the intent that it will motivate the Church in Nigeria to align itself much more

with Evangelical Christianity that is rich in biblical content and character.

Even though the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria were the off-shoots of the

18th century Wesleyan Evangelical Revival, however, along the line they deviated from the

basic tenets of that revival that brought them into existence due to the problem of dead

orthodoxy, influence of tradition, lack of revival fire, lack evangelism and lack of miracles.

There was also the problem of traditional religion. In times of crisis many of the professing

believers go back to their traditional religious practices. Finally, since the early 80s there was

the influence of the Prosperity Gospel with its emphasis on wealth and health that appear to

deviate from the original and true Gospel of repentance, faith, salvation and holiness.

Thus, it appears that earlier works on the 18th century Evangelical Revivals failed to

notice these departures or to make any attempt to assess the tenets of Wesleyan Evangelical

revival in the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria, including the extent to which these

churches align themselves with or depart from the scriptural doctrine of salvation and

holiness. This is the lacuna (gap) that this present work attempts to fill.

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CHAPTER THREE

THE SOCIO-RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND OF WESLEYAN REVIVAL

3.1 Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the socio-religious background of the

Wesley’s revival and to present at a brief biography of some of the men behind this period.

The Evangelicals, reformers and revivalists as these men were variously called were the

movers and shakers of the 18the century England Church and society. After John Wesley’s

conversion he devoted his life to revive the Church of England. His work was parallel to the

Great Awakening going on in the American colonies. Wesley had been inspired by reading

Jonathan Edward’s pamphlet on his revival in Northampton. Also Wesley was influenced by

his friend, George Whitefield who was an itinerant revivalist preacher. Wesley too was an

itinerant preacher, evangelist and revivalist. He travelled all over the British Isles, preaching

revival and urging Christians to embrace the Gospel.

However, according to Alan Thomson, there were two essential differences between

the Awakening in England and America: Wesley was considered to be the central figure and

most prominent leader and the Wesleyan revival had more positive effects on the socio-

religious background of both countries (Thomson 1976:112-115).

Wesley sermons were first directed to the miners and the working class people. The

new working class in England worked without the right to vote, without labour unions,

without factory laws, without the minimum standards of housing, health, and education

required for human existence. The English workers worked for twelve hours a day or more,

retire and die early. They worked very hard and yet they earn a little and so they were not

satisfied. Life was so painful and vain for them. There was child labor.

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Child labor refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, therefore interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. A succession of laws on child labor the so-called Factory Acts were passed in Britain in the 19th century. Children younger than nine were not allowed to work, those aged 9-16 could work 16 hours per day per cotton Mills Act (Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/child_labour)

Generally, many workers were outside the Church. In England and elsewhere in

Europe the Church was organized into parishes which were mainly located in the rural

villages. But with the coming of the ‘industrial revolution,’ many people migrated to the

urban areas in search of work in the new factories. These factories were located near the

sources of the raw materials or power. Soon people began to adapt to city life as the entire

new cities grew up. The minister in-charge of a village parish might find himself responsible

for a whole city.

Such was the socio-religious background to Wesley’s revival. He taught the working

class how to and what to live for. Thus the immediate aim of the revival was to bring the

estranged working class back into active Christian life. But, the revival had a far reaching

effect. The revival was both a religious and a social movement. A social movement began

which included a group known as the Evangelical (or Low Church) party within the Anglican

Church. They advocated for prison reform, factory legislation, a more representative

Parliament, and to put an end to the slave trade around the world. This ‘home mission’ was so

successful that of all the Labor or Socialist parties of Europe, only the one in England never

adopted an anti-religious position.

Apart from understanding the socio-religious background of the Wesleyan revival, it

is also pertinent to know something about the men that drove the machinery of the 18th

Century Evangelical Revival. It will not only serve as an inspiration but as a paradigm for

Christianity today. Such men like John Wesley, Charles Wesley and George Whitefield who

provided the leadership for the movement. Driven by the passion to bring revival to the dead

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orthodoxy and religious life of the Church of England, and to carry the gospel to the

unreached and to bring ethical and social transformation, especially the abolition of the

nefarious trade in human beings that had plagued the conscience of the Christian West,

including being a clog in the wheel of civilization and the spread of Christianity to Africa and

other parts of the world. Thus, coming from different backgrounds, these men were poised to

fight to reform a dead and decadent church and society.

3.2 A Short Biography of John Wesley (1703-1791)

John Wesley, popularly known as “the Apostle of England” was a leading figure of

the 18th century Evangelical Revival in England. Wesley was also known as the “Father of

Methodism” and its founder, although he never intended to form a separate church. After the

Apostle Paul, John Wesley was used of God to discover the Scriptural teaching of holiness

just as Luther the doctrine of salvation during the Reformation.

His Birth and Early Life

John Wesley was born on the 17th of June, 1703 in Epworth, Lincolnshire and died on

2nd March, 1791 at the age of eighty eight years old. He was the 15th of the 19 children born

to Samuel Wesley, a non-conformist Anglican Priest, who was himself the son of an

Anglican clergy. His mother, Susanna Wesley, was also a daughter of a non-conformist

clergy, Samuel Annesley. This background probably contributed greatly to the sound

religious and moral background the Wesley children received, thereby inspiring John and his

brother Charles for their future work.

John was baptized as a child at his father’s church, St. Andrews of Epworth, and the

family lived in the church rectory till 1735. However, the original building had earlier been

gutted down by fire in 1709 when John was just a six-year old boy. He was trapped by fire in

the house and could have been killed, but miraculously escaped through the first-floor

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window. This incident later made John to refer to himself as “a brand plucked from the

burning.”

According to Thomas Jackson, this providential escape made the mother to take

special care of him, regarding the incident as a challenge to be more particularly careful of

the soul of a child whom God had so provided for. This special attention appeared to make

John to be serious with religion early in life (Jackson 2002: 6). This implies that John Wesley

was not an ordinary person but had a special divine hand upon him. Susan Wesley took the

upbringing and home education of her children seriously. She created a personal time of

regular discussion with each child in a form of discipleship. In this way, she kept a close and

personal contact with the developments among her children.

His Education and Early Religious Life

In 1714, at the age of eleven, John Wesley was admitted at the Charter House School,

London for six years, “where he was noticed for his diligence and progress in learning.” On

June 24, 1720, at the age of seventeen, he entered into Christ Church College, Oxford under

scholarship, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in 1724. Three years later, he also

obtained his master’s degree from Lincoln University. On March 17, 1726, Wesley became a

fellow of the Lincoln University, Oxford. He was probably an academic staff or a member of

the governing body of the University. This development contributed to a steady income for

him until 1751.

By his second year at Christ Church College, he had become quite serious with his

religious life. He therefore resolved to take holy orders with encouragement from his parents.

He was also greatly influenced by Jeremy Taylor’s Holy Living and Holy Dying.

Consequently, he began an intense practice of self-examination and the keeping of a diary.

He was therefore made a deacon in 1725 and served his father as curate from 1726-1727; the

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same year he obtained his master’s degree. The following year, 1728, he was ordained priest

in the Church of England. He retained this status for the rest of his life.

The Holy Club

On October 21, 1729, after graduation from Lincoln University with master’s degree,

Wesley returned to Oxford College, where his younger brother Charles was already a student.

In company of two others, Charles had formed a little club, which they called the Holy Club,

to aid each other in their studies and spiritual development. John Wesley joined the club, and

eventually and naturally took over the club as the only ordained member. Because of the

strict discipline of the members, they were nicknamed the “Methodists,” a term that had been

in use since the earlier century. Some called “Bible Bigots”, others “Bible Moths”, because

they feed upon the Bible like moths feed on cloths. According to John Wesley, “From the

beginning, from the time that four young men united together, each of them was homo unius

libris, a man of one book.” Still others called them “Sacramentarians.” They celebrated the

Lord’s Supper weekly, and set aside two days every week to fast and pray. They laid down a

set of rules to guide their behavior. However, the name “Methodist” became popular, because

Wesley wanted Christianity to be identified as a disciplined and organized ‘way’ and

‘method’ of life. The Holy Club was the seed of the Methodist movement. George Whitefield

joined the Club in 1735, and somewhat became instrumental to Wesley’s method of outdoors

fiery preaching. At first, the members of the Club met once every Sunday evening. Later they

met twice weekly, including Bible Study. The meetings took place in the night from 6 to 9

o’clock. They began each session with intercessory prayers and benedictions; afterwards they

studied the Bible in the original languages, including a brief study of the classics. The first

and foremost work of the Club was Bible Study; other things were regarded as an agenda. In

an earlier sermon John spoke of his associates as “people in derision called Methodist,” and

he defined a Methodist as “one that lives according to the methods laid down in the Bible.”

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Charles was regarded as the singer of the Methodist revival, John as the organizer and George

as the evangelist and preacher.

Mission to Georgia

In 1734, the Wesley brothers set sail for Georgia as missionaries at the invitation of

the governor, James Edward Oglethorpe, who had founded the city earlier as a refugee camp

for fleeing debtors and persecuted Protestants from Germany. John was particularly hoping to

convert the Indians of that region. At that time, America was still under British colonial rule.

During the voyage to Georgia, the Wesley brothers came into contact with some

Moravians who were aboard the same ship. The ship eventually ran into some foul stormy

weather and threatened to sink. While all others, including the Wesleys were afraid for their

lives, the Moravians remained calm in the midst of the imminent death as they sang through

the storm. John, who was also the chaplain of the ship, was humbled.

Later, after John arrived in Savannah, he met with the Moravian leader, Spangenberg,

who pointedly asked John: “Have you the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit bear

witness with your spirit that you are a child of God.” To these questions Wesley had no

answer even though he may have preached on the Holy Spirit; he had not yet experienced

Him. Finally, Spangenberg asked if he knew Jesus Christ, to which he could only reply ‘I

know that He is the Saviour of the world, but Spangenberg pressed on: ‘True but do you

know that He has saved you?’ This experience was later to contribute much to a personal

experience that led to the inner assurance of salvation for John Wesley. That experience was

to take place back at Aldergate, London.

Meanwhile, the Georgian mission did not prove successful as the missionaries

expected the discipline of the Holy Club from their parishioners while the parishioners could

not, on their part; tolerate the strictness of their new clergy. The situation was to be made

worse by lawsuits against John as a result of a failed relationship with a young lady. It was

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therefore to the relief of all parties that the missionaries again set sail from Georgia back to

London at the close of 1737, but not before he had succeeded in gathering a small society of

serious Christians to which he later looked back as the second rise of Methodism.

Commenting on the Georgian mission, Wesley said, “It is upwards of two years since

I left my native country, in order to teach the Georgian Indians the nature of Christianity; but

what have I learned myself in the meantime? Why, (what I least of all suspected) that I, who

went to America to convert others, was never converted myself” (Jackson 2002: 11). Thus,

Wesley came to the conclusion that though he went out to teach and convert the heathens, he

himself had not measured up to the Scriptural standard of Christianity and needed to be

converted.

Conversion of John Wesley

Back in England, and feeling distraught, he contacted Peter Boehler, a Moravian, who

became his spiritual counselor. When Wesley concluded he could not preach again since he

lacked personal assurance of salvation, Boehler counseled him to continue preaching faith

until he had it, and once he had it, to continue preaching because he had it. Finally in a

society meeting one evening on May 24th 1738 at Aldersgate, to which John Wesley himself

had been unwilling to go, he finally had a unique experience that changed his life and gave

him the assurance of faith. According to his diary entry that day, Wesley says,

I went very unwilling to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my own heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death (Jackson 2002, 13).

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Formation of Societies After the experience of the assurance of salvation, Wesley’s singular desire was how

to bring others to this experience through his preaching. But first time he went to Herhunt,

Germany to meet with the Moravian leader, Ludwig Von Zidendorf. Though that visit

convinced him of certain doctrinal differences with the Moravians resulting to his decision

not to join them, yet he learned some very influencing disciplines and methods, some of

which were social responsibility and the concept of religious societies.

While he was reaching and working towards his goals, George Whitefield, who had

experienced an earlier conversion, had commenced open-air preaching and formation of

societies with remarkable success, especially in the industrial city of Bristol. Whitefield

invited Wesley to join him and eventually moved out of Bristol, leaving Wesley to continue

the work. John Wesley soon attracted quite a following in his open-air preaching. He not only

made the rounds of existing but continued to form Moravian-like bands. These bands grew,

especially in Bristol with unquestioning loyalty to Wesley until he finally organized them

into formal societies, and eventually, classes of twelve for ease of administration, fellowship

and economic sustenance. They continued to meet in private homes until later, because their

growing numbers and administrative need; they eventually had to acquire their own building.

This was followed by the publishing of Wesley’s rules for bands and societies in 1743. And

since the class leaders did not have to be ordained, nor was it limited to men, lay women

participation was the result.

3.3 The Brain behind 18th

Century Evangelical Revival in England

The main theatre of history of the 18th century Evangelical revival was England and

the man who was behind this history was John Wesley. The year was 1738, and John Wesley

played a leading role in the revival movement. As Turner says, “The Revival without Wesley

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would seem like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark,” and the year was 1738 or perhaps

long before it (Turner 2002: 1). In an attempt to clarify the historical concept and context of

Evangelical revival, Diara (2009:83) says that it refers to the coming to life again of

evangelical movements in the church after the wind of evangelicalism blown up by the 16th

century Reformation waned sequel to the anti-evangelical activities of Christians of the

modern age.

This author agrees with the above fact that it was the waning of the spirit of Protestant

evangelicalism rekindled by the 16th century Reformation that necessitated the 18th century

Revival. However, many church historians agree that the 16th century Reformation, which

began precisely on 31 October, 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of

the Castle Church in Wittenberg in Germany, marked the beginning of modern Church

history (Cairn 1981: 165, 287-291). On the other hand, according to a long-standing

Methodist legend, the Methodist Evangelical Revival, which began precisely at a quarter to

nine, on the evening of 24 May 1738, when John Wesley felt his heart ‘strangely warmed’ at

a religious society meeting in Aldersgate Street in London, marked the beginning of modern

Evangelical Revival movement (Turner 2002:1).

Furthermore, Turner (2002:1-2) noted the four main characteristics of the Evangelical

movement, which include New Birth or Conversion, Activism, the centrality of the cross in

preaching and devotion and a stress on the Bible as the heart of devotion and final authority.

New birth or conversion is the ever-present focal point of evangelicalism. It is faith in Christ.

It is justification by faith and assurance of present salvation. It is the religion of the heart and

the heart of religion. Activism is used here only in terms of evangelism, pastoral activity,

missions and social action. John Wesley said he was ‘a man of one book,’ meaning that the

Bible was the source of authority and teaching, but he also endorsed tradition, reason and

experience.

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3.4 Wesley and the Rise of Methodism in England

The three main leaders of the Evangelical Revival in England were John and Charles

Wesley and George Whitefield. According to Diara, there were three main strands of

evangelicalism, namely:

1. The Wesleyan Methodist Societies (under the Wesleys)

2. The Calvinist Methodists under Whitefield

3. The Anglican Evangelicals (Diara 2009:94).

All these three groups remain closely related to each other and to the Church of

England until 1795 when formal separation between Wesleyan and Calvinist Methodists took

place after John Wesley’s death. Thus, John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield were

the three main leaders of the Evangelical Revival. Furthermore, Diara said, although, John

Wesley did not intend to break away from the Church of England, two incidents in 1784 led

to the break away, namely:

1. On February 28, 1784, John Wesley entered the “Deed of Declaration” which

provided for the continuance of the movement after his death, by naming a

“conference” of 100 members to hold the property and assume the direction of the

movement a step towards self-government.

2. On September 1 the same year, John Wesley in collaboration with other Presbyters of

the Church of England ordained Presbyters. The final separation occurred after his

death in 1795 (Diara 2009:97).

3.5 A Short Biography of George Whitefield (1714-1770)

George Whitefield was born on December 16 or 27 1914 and died on September 30,

1770. George Whitefield also known as George Whitfield was an English Anglican preacher

who helped to spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the American

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colonies. Born in Gloucester, England, he attended Pembroke College, Oxford, where he met

the Wesley brothers. He was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical

movement. In 1740, Whitefield travelled to America where he preached a series of revivals

that was later known as the “Great Awakening.” He became perhaps the best known preacher

in Britain and America during the 18th century, and because he travelled through all the

American colonies and drew great crowds and media coverage he was one of the widely

recognized public figures in colonial America.

Early Life and Conversion

Whitefield was born at the Bell inn, Southgate Street, Gloucester in England. He was

the fifth son and seventh child of Thomas Whitefield and Elizabeth Edwards. At an early age,

Whitefield discovered that he had a talent and passion for acting in the theatre. Such a

passion he could re-enact in the Bible stories he told during his sermons. Due to poverty,

Whitefield could not pay his tuition. Even when he entered Oxford, he took the lowest rank

of a servitor. In order to enjoy free tuition, he became a servant to other students. Some of his

duties included waking them up in the morning, helping them to bathe, throwing away the

cabbage, carrying their books, and assisting them with their assignments. He was a member

of the ‘Holy Club’ at Oxford along with the Wesley brothers.

Whitefield’s conversion took place in 1735 at the age of eighteen years when he came

to Oxford. His godly mother, his coming to Oxford, his friendship with Charles, illness and

the reading of the book titled, The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal were

influences that led to the salvation of his soul. Whitefield’s testimony about his new birth

experience goes thus, “I found and felt in myself that I was delivered from the burden that

had so heavily oppressed me . . . The Daystar arose in my heart. I know the place, it may

perhaps be superstitious, but whenever I go to Oxford I cannot help running to the spot where

Jesus Christ first revealed Himself to me and gave me a new birth.” Following his

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conversion, he became very passionate about preaching his new-found faith. He was ordained

a deacon by the Bishop of Gloucester.

Whitefield, an Evangelist/Preacher

Whitefield was an evangelist, an open air preacher. A week after his ordination,

Whitefield preached his first sermon at the St. Mary’s de Crypt Church in his home town.

When the Wesley brothers departed for Georgia, Whitefield became the leader of the Holy

Club at Oxford. In 1738 he went to Savannah Georgia as a parish priest and while there he

sensed the need to open an orphanage house. Returning to England to receive priestly orders

and to raise funds, he decided to make this his life career. Before returning to Georgia, he

preached to the miners of Kingswood, in the open air. He invited John Wesley to come and

take over his congregation at Bristol, and to preach in the open air for the first time at

Kingswood and Blackheath, London. Consequently, Whitefield did what his friends thought

he wouldn’t have done, to hand over the entire work to John Wesley.

Whitefield believed the doctrine of predestination taught by Church of England, but

disagreed with the Wesleyan-Arminian doctrine of Atonement. He was the founder and

president of Methodist conference, but sooner than later relinquished the position to focus on

evangelistic work.

3.6 A Short Biography of Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Charles Wesley was born on 18, December 1707 and died on 29, March 1788.

Charles was the son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel and Susanna Wesley. He was

the younger brother of John Wesley and one of the leaders of the Methodist movement. He

was the father of musician Samuel Wesley and grandfather of Samuel Sebastian Wesley.

Both Charles and John Wesley were ordained Anglican ministers. Charles Wesley was a

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hymn writer and wrote over 6, 000 hymns. Some of his popular are listed below. He

ministered for some part of his life in the New Room Chapel in Bristol; where his house was

located close to the Chapel.

Early Life

Charles was the son of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. He was born in Epworth,

Lincolnshire, England, where his father was a rector. He attended school at Westminster

School and Christ Church, Oxford. At Oxford Charles formed a prayer band called the Holy

Club among his fellow student in 1727 and his elder brother John joined the group in 1729

and became its leader. The group focused on Bible Study, prayer and charity work; their

methodical study of Scripture and disciplined lifestyle of holy living made other students to

mock them calling them “Methodists.” George Whitefield was a member of this club. After

graduation with Masters in the classical languages and literature, Charles joined his father

and brother in the church ministry in 1735.

Voyage to America

On 14 October 1735, Charles and his brother John sailed on The Simmonds from

Gravesend, Kent for Savannah in Georgia Colony in British America at the request of the

governor, James Oglethorpe. Charles was appointed secretary of Indian affairs and while

John remained in Savannah, Charles went as Chaplain to garrison and colony at nearby Fort

Frederica, St. Simon’s Island, arriving there Tuesday 9 March 1736. However, his ministry in

this colony was largely unsuccessful as the settlers rejected him. In July 1736, Charles was

commissioned to England as the bearer of dispatches to the trustees of the colony. On 16

August 1736, he sailed from Charleston, South Carolina and did not return to the colony

again.

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His Conversion

Charles Wesley was converted on 21 May 1738, and three days later his brother John

had a similar experience in Aldersgate Street. The scene of Charles Wesley’s conversion was

near the church of St. Botolph’s –without-Alders, off St. Martins Le Grand, next door to the

former house of John Bray. Charles was converted after reading Luther’s Commentary on

Galatians. It was a Whitsunday, 1738 while he was at the home of a poor woman, a recent

convert. The woman spoke to Charles, as a man sick in his body and soul, “In the name of

Jesus of Nazareth, arise and believe, and thou shalt be healed of all your infirmities.” As a

friend read the words, “Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is

covered.” Charles’s eyes fell on the verse, “He hath put a new song in my mouth . . . as the

Halleluyah chorus swung into living action and God’s redemptive work was accomplished in

his soul. On this memorable day, his brother John attended the Church at Mary-le-Stand, still

unhappy that his own salvation had not taken place.

Marriage and Children

In April 1749, Charles was married to Sarah Gwynne (1776-1822), also known as

Sally. She was the daughter of Marmaduke Gwynne, a wealthy Welsh magistrate who had

been converted to Methodist by Howell Harris. Sarah was much younger than Charles and

they had 7 children but only three survived infancy, namely, Charles Wesley, Jr., Sarah

Wesley, Samuel Wesley. Their other children John, Martha Maria, Susannah, Selina and John

James all died in their infancy and were buried in Bristol between 1753 and 1768. Sarah

accompanied the Wesley brothers in their evangelistic outreaches throughout Britain until

1753. After 1756, Charles made no more journeys to distant parts of the country but mainly

moved between Bristol and London.

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Death of Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley died on 29 March, 1788 at the age of eighty years old. Due to ill-

health, Charles stopped field preaching and frequent travels and settled and worked in the

area around St. Marylebone Parish Church. On his deathbed he sent for the Church’s rector

John Harley and told him “Sir, whatever the world may say of me, I have lived and died a

member of Church of England. I pray you to bury me in your churchyard.” On his death, his

body was carried to the church by six clergymen of the Church of England. A memorial stone

was erected in the gardens of Marylebone High Street close to his burial spot. One of his

sons, Samuel became an organist in the church.

3.7 The Method They Used

Apart from knowing something about the men behind the 18th century Evangelical

Revival, there is need to understand the method or approach they used. John was the

organizer, Charles the singer and George the preacher/evangelist. Men were their method and

they were men driven by one passion, the passion for souls and social reforms through

preaching of the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit and through social action. They

embarked on many moral campaigns and social reforms in order to bring about the society of

their dream, an egalitarian, emancipated and transformed society. They preached against

slavery and slave trade. The great impetus and central figure behind the revival was John

Wesley and the focal point of the revival was repentance and salvation by faith in Christ and

holiness of heart and life.

Historically, Anglicanism is the mother of Methodism/Evangelicalism. It was the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) that sent Wesley to missionary work among

the American-Indians in the English Colony of Georgia. Although that mission was a failure,

because “Wesley’s preaching and High Church ideas were not acceptable to the colonists,

and after two years Wesley literally ‘ran away’” (Thomson 1988:112), Wesley returned from

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Georgia challenged and poised for a change. He later got converted at the Aldersgate’s

meeting of the Moravian Brethren. On 24 May 1738, at exactly quarter to nine o’clock in the

morning, while someone was reading Luther’s Preface to the Book of Romans, Wesley felt

his heart strangely warmed and knew that he had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and

Saviour. Thus, having now been converted Wesley was much more ready to preach Christ to

everyone who is ready to listen. Though he was not allowed pulpit by the organized church,

he was willing to preach outside the church, hence he said that the whole world was his

parish. Having been cast out of the church, Wesley stood on the grave tomb of his father and

used it as a pulpit and multitude of people gathered to listen to him preach the word of life to

them. Meanwhile, his brother Charles Wesley, was also converted three days earlier, and was

also ready to sing praises to his Master, Jesus who saved him. After John was converted he

walked into his Brother Charles’s room and said, “I believe,” and both of them embraced

each other and spontaneously busted into singing, praises and prayed to God. That was the

beginning of Methodism and Evangelicalism.

3.8 The Evangelicals

The Evangelicals were a group of prominent Anglican clergymen and laymen

revivalists also known as Low Anglicans as distinguished from the Anglo-Catholics or High

Anglicans. Their leader was John Wesley, who was an Anglican priest. Wesley remained “a

good Anglican” till he died in 1791. It was the conversion of John Wesley in 1738 that gave

birth to the Evangelical Revival. The Revivalists were mainly Anglican priests, who were

regarded as ‘dissenters,’ ‘nonconformists’ or ‘secessionists’ by the mother Church. Though

they were few in number, they made impact because of the fire of revival and evangelism

enkindled in them. They believed that the Great Commission is for every Christian and not

just for the organized Church. They saw the church as a nursery for the spiritual nurturing of

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the new converts and not a mere cathedral or place of worship. Evangelism par excellence

should be done within the context of the local church and the converts discipled and

incorporated into the existing church and if need be constituted into a branch of the existing

church. The Evangelicals also saw foreign missions as an essential part of their vision,

including the need to revive the church spiritually.

3.9 The Clapham Sect

This great awakening gave birth to a strong evangelical impetus. It was the dawn of a

new era that would be the cure for the spiritual deadness and worldliness of the church and

that would catalyze and catapult the gospel to other nations. Soon many people from different

background came to join the movement and different societies were formed. One of those

groups was the Clapham Sect. The “Clapham Sect” or the “Clapham Saints” were a group of

Christian influential like-minded Church of England social reformers based in Clapham,

London. They were active from the beginning of the 19th century, from 1790 to 1830. They

were described by historian Stephen Tomkins as a “network of friends and families in

England.” William Wilberforce, who joined the sect in 1786, was their most influential

leader, who powerfully united the group together. He devoted his time and energies to fight

for the abolition of slave trade. The group was bound together by a shared ethical and

spiritual values, common religious mission and social activism, by their love for each other

and by marriage. The members of the Sect were influential and wealthy evangelical

Anglicans who shared common political views concerning the liberation of slaves, the

abolition of slave trade and the reform of the penal system. Their founder was Henry Venn,

who was the curate of Holy Trinity Church in 1754 and his son John became the Rector

(1792-1813). These were a group of influential men in the Anglican Church who came under

the revival preaching of John Wesley. Their fellowship venue was the Clapham Rectory of

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the Holy Trinity Church, from where the group took its name. It was an area south-west of

London, surrounded by beautiful mansions. The phrase ‘Clapham Sect’ was coined by James

Stephen in an article he wrote in 1844 where he celebrated and extolled the reform works of

this group. During their time the group did not go by any particular name, but they were

lampooned “the saints” by outsiders.

The Christian Observer, edited by Zachary Macaulay and published by the group was

credited with the founding of several missionary and tract societies, including British and

Foreign Bible Society and the Church Missionary Society. They founded Freetown in Sierra-

Leone, the first major British colony in Africa, for the purpose of “the abolition of slave trade

and civilization of Africa, and the introduction of the gospel there.” The group also worked

very hard both in the British society and Parliament and their efforts were rewarded with the

successful passage of the Slave Trade Act in 1807, banning slave trade throughout the British

Empire. Later, after many years of struggle and campaign, they achieved the total

emancipation of British slaves with the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. They

also campaigned vigorously for Britain to use her influence to eradicate slavery throughout

the world. Other societies founded by the group or that were involved in the course included

the Anti-Slavery Society, the Sunday School Society, the Proclamation Society, and the

Small Debt Society. The Clapham Sect was credited with their strong moral and spiritual

influence as well as the spirit of philanthropy, especially their campaigns against slavery, that

in the words of Tomkins, “The ethos of Clapham became the spirit of the age.”

The members of the fellowship included prominent laymen like Thomas Fowell

Buxton (1786-1845), who was a member of Parliament (MP), William Dealtry (1775-1847),

Rector of Clapham, a Mathematician, Edward James Elliot (1758-1797), a Parliamentarian,

Thomas Gisbourne (1746-1823), administrator and chairman of the British East India

Company, Katherine Hankey (1834-1911), evangelist; Zachary Macaulay (1768-1838), estate

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manager, colonial governor, father of Thomas Babington Macaulay. Others included Hannah

More (1745-1833), writer and philanthropist, Granville Sharp (1735-1813), scholar and

administrator, Charles Simeon (1759-1856), Anglican minister, promoter of missions, James

Stephen (1758-1832), master of chancery; Lord Teignmouth (1751-1834), a former

Governor-General of India, Henry Thornton (1760-1815), economist, banker, philanthropist,

MP, great-grand-father of John Venn (originator of the Venn diagram), John Venn (1759-

1813), Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Clapham and William Wilberforce(1759-1833), MP, a

leading abolitionist (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clapham_Sect).

It was a combination of their interests in India and Africa and the anti-slavery

campaign that motivated and rekindled the fire of evangelization in the members of the

Clapham Sect. It was their zeal for evangelism and missions that led to the establishment in

1799 of a society for missions to Africa and India, which later was nicknamed the Church

Missionary Society (CMS) (Diara 2005:53).

3.10 The Church Missionary Society

“The Church Mission Society” also known as “Church Missionary Society” (CMS)

was a group of evangelistic societies working with the Anglican Communion and Protestant

Christians around the world. It was founded in 1799 by a group of sixteen Anglican

clergymen and nine laymen. The society was first called the Society for Missions for Africa

and the East, and was founded on 12 April 1799 at a meeting of the Eclectic Society,

supported by members of the Clapham Sect. The Clapham Sect was a group of Christian

evangelistic activists, who were motivated to bring moral, spiritual and social reforms in the

church and society. Their numbers included Henry Thornton, Thomas Babington and

William Wilberforce, who were their most influential leaders. When Wilberforce was asked

to be its first president, he declined but decided to take the position of vice-president. The

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founding secretary was the Rev. Thomas Scott. He was succeeded by Josiah Pratt, who was

secretary for 21 years and was a driving force of the society.

The main purpose of this work is to assess the tenets of the Wesleyan revival in the

mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria. Thus, having seen the socio-religious background of

the 18th century Wesleyan revival in England, the men behind the scene, the method they

used, and the root of Methodism/Evangelicalism, chapter four shall focus on the tenets of the

Wesleyan revival.

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CHAPTER FOUR

THE TENETS OF WESLEYAN EVANGELICAL REVIVAL

4.1 Introduction

This chapter attempts to identify the key tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival

such as holiness, sanctification/entire sanctification and Christian perfection, including

Wesley’s concept of sin. An understanding of these tenets and their meaning is very crucial to

examining the tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival in the mainline Protestant churches

in Nigeria.

4.2 Holiness: According to the Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, the noun

qodesh occurs 469 times with the meanings: “holiness” Ex. 15:11; “holy thing” Num. 14:15;

and “sanctuary” Ex. 36:4. The verb qadesh or qadash, “to be holy; to sanctify” occurs 175

times in the Old Testament and means “to be holy” Ex. 29:37; Lev. 6:18 or “to sanctify”:

“Hear me, ye Levites sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of

your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place” (2 Chron. 29:5). The Greek

word hagiasmos is translated “holiness” in the KJV of Rom. 6: 19, 22; 1 Thess. 4:7; 1Tim.

2:15; Heb. 12:14. The term “holy” and its cognate words, such as “holiness,” “holies,” and

“holy” occur in the Scriptures at least 120 times in relation to material objects and to men

(Yocum 1976: 59).

According to Yocum (1976:59), particularly in Old Testament and somewhat in the

New, the terms are related to things, such as the temple, the vessels of the temple, and the

garments of the priest. E.g. (Ex. 28:2), “Thou shall make the garments of Aaron thy brother

for glory and beauty.” This is the ceremonial meaning. In this usage, the primary meaning of

the term is to set apart to a special, sacred use.

Consecration is a similar term used when referring to the holiness of things. Holy

things could not be put to common use, for they are set apart for the service of God. Another

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example is the anointing oil (Ex. 30:25, 33). “And thou shall make it an oil of holy ointment,

an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. . . .

Whosoever compounded any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall

even be cut off from his people.”

Particularly in the New Testament and also progressively in the Old Testament, the

terms are related to persons, and assume the meaning of purification from sin. The former

meaning may be called the ceremonial, whereas the latter is the ethical meaning (Yocum

1976:60).

Holiness in the moral and ethical sense has its origin in God. Therefore when men are

made holy, it is so by participation in the very nature of God. In the Old Testament usage,

some men of impure hearts were set apart to special service, and were thus holy in the merely

ceremonial sense. In the New Testament, ethical sense, when men were made holy they were

made God like in nature (cf Heb. 12:10; 2 Pet 1:4). Material things are set apart for holy use

but men set themselves apart to be made holy. Wood defines holiness to include salvation

from sin, and the possession of the image and Spirit of God. To be holy is to be whole,

entire, or perfect in a moral sense and in ordinary use is synonymous with purity and

godliness (Wood quoted in Yocum 1976:60).

4.3 Sanctification

The term sanctification means the same as holiness. In both Hebrew and Greek, they

come from the same root (qodesh or hagiasmos). The basic difference is that “sanctification”

refers to the act of God whereby the heart is cleansed from sin, whereas “holiness” refers to

the resulting state of purity.

When Jesus prayed, “And for their sake I sanctify myself, that they might be

sanctified through the truth” (Jn. 17:9), He was not referring to cleansing from sin, because

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He had no sin from which to be cleansed. But He was referring to setting apart of Himself for

a special purpose. Thus, within the ethical meaning of the term, there is a further two fold

application. It may refer to the initial cleansing which takes place in regeneration, or to

complete cleansing known as entire sanctification, example (1 Cor. 1:2; 3:1; 6:11).

Sanctification in the complete sense is an instantaneous work of the Holy Spirit in the

heart of man. This is indicated in the exhortation of Paul in 1 Thess. 5:23, “And the very God

of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved

blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ” (KJV). Holiness and peace go hand in

hand, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. . . .” God is the God of peace and

holiness and wherever you see His holiness, there you also see peace. Holiness is the sum

total of all His attributes and He shares this with us. The Bible also says, “Follow peace with

all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14 KJV). In the

Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5:8, 9 the pure in heart shall see God while the peacemakers

are called the children in God.

4.4 Entire Sanctification

Entire sanctification is a second work of grace wrought by the Holy Spirit in the heart

of the believer subsequent to regeneration, received instantaneously by faith, whereby the

heart is cleansed from inward root of sin and filled with the pure and perfect love of God

(Hill, n.d.).

Sanctification or entire sanctification takes place after a man is regenerated or born

again and it is wrought instantaneously by faith. John Wesley was asked, “What is it to be

sanctified?” He said, “To be renewed in the image of God, ‘in righteousness and true

holiness’” (Wesley 1966:41). “Sanctification in the proper sense is an instantaneous

deliverance from all sin, and includes an instantaneous power then given always to cleave to

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God” (Wesley quoted in Ruth 1955:8). Wesley was further asked, “When does inward

sanctification begin?” He said, “In the moment a man is justified. (Yet sin remains in him, the

seed of sin, till he is sanctified throughout). From that time a believer gradually dies to sin,

and grows in grace” (Wesley 1966:42).

4.5 Christian Perfection

Wesley was asked, “What is Christian perfection?” He said, “It is the loving God with

all our heart, mind, soul and strength. This implies that no wrong temper, none contrary to

love, remains in the soul; and that all the thoughts, words and actions, are governed by pure

love. Also he was asked, “Do you affirm that this perfection excludes all infirmities,

ignorance, and mistakes?” He answered and said, “I continually affirm quite the contrary, and

always have done so. . . . A man may be filled with pure love, and still be liable to mistake. . .

. Yet where every word and action springs from love such a mistake is not properly sin.

However, it cannot bear the rigor of God’s justice, but needs atoning blood” (Wesley

1966:51-52).

Christian perfection is perhaps the least understood doctrine of the Bible. John

Wesley said,

There is scarcely any expression in the holy writ, which has given more offence than this. The word perfect is what many cannot bear. The very sound of it is an abomination to them; and whosoever preaches perfection (as the phrase is ), that is, asserts that it is attainable in this life, runs great hazard of being accounted by them worse than a heathen man or a publican (Wesley 1998:457).

However, Wesley opined that instead of laying aside the teaching because they have

caused a great offence to many, we should rather teach it because it is the word of God and

not of man. Therefore, in order to remove the apparent difficulty or seeming contradiction,

and to enlighten those who are pressing toward the mark of perfection, he went further to

explain: 1. In what sense Christians are not, and 2. In what sense they are perfect.

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4.5. I. The Sense Christians Are Not Perfect

First, Christians are not perfect in knowledge; they are not free from ignorance.

Secondly, they are not free from mistakes. Wesley said,

The best of men are liable to mistakes, and do mistake day by day; especially with respect to those parts thereof which less immediately relate to practice. Hence, even the children of God are not agreed as to the interpretation of many places in the holy writ; nor is their difference of opinion any proof that they are not the children of God, on either side; but it is a proof that we are no more to expect any living man to be infalliable, than to be omniscient (Wesley 1998:460).

Thirdly, Christians are not free from “infirmities,” “bodily infirmities,” which

comprise all those inward and outward imperfections which are not of moral nature, such as

“the weakness or slowness of understanding, dullness or confusedness of apprehension,

incoherency of thought, irregular quickness or heaviness of imagination; ‘slowness of speech,

impropriety of language, ungracefulness of pronunciation, defects in either conversation or

behavior’” (p.461).

Fourthly, Christians are not free from temptation. If Jesus Christ our Master and role

model was tempted, no Christian is exempt from temptation in this life. Therefore, Christian

perfection does not imply an exemption from ignorance, mistake, infirmities or temptations.

4.5.2 The Sense Christians Are Perfect

First, Christians are perfect not to commit sin. All real Christians or believers in

Christ are made free from outward and inward sin. This means only that he does not sin

“willfully” or he does not commit sin “habitually” or “not as other men do; or not as he did

before.” Secondly, a Christian is freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers. There is a

difference between evil or sinful thoughts and thoughts concerning evil. Evil thoughts

proceed from the heart, but thoughts of evil come from outside. A believer is delivered from

evil temper being crucified with and having Christ live in him; he can be angry at sin or

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displeased at the offence, but sorry for the offenders. He can look at a thing with anger or

hatred but with grief and love upon the persons. The Bible says, “Be angry and do not sin”

(Eph. 4:26). “In your anger, do not sin” (NIV). “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be

angry-but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed

angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life,” vv26-27 (MSG).

Thirdly, a Christian is cleansed or purified from all sin and all unrighteousness. “But

if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the

blood of Jesus, Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Therefore, Scriptures

(both Old and New Testament) confirm God’s promises to circumcise, cleanse, and renew

our heart and to purify us from all sins. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let

us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear

of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). See Deut. 30:6, Ezek 36:25ff, Psalm 51).

Christian perfection is synonymous to holiness, sanctification or entire sanctification

and all mean the same thing. To be holy is to be perfect. The Bible says, “Be ye holy, for I

am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16). Wesley said that Christian perfection is “another term for holiness and

they are two names for the same thing, and every one that is holy is, in the Scripture sense,

perfect” (Wesley 1998:461-462). To be perfect means to be complete, entire, without

blemish, sincere, upright, and sound. It also means to be accomplished and consummated in

character, mature, morally blameless. McDonald quoted by Dale Yocum said, “We

pronounce objects perfect which serve the end for which they were designed. They may not

be adapted to accomplish other ends: but if they do what their inventor intended they should

do, they are in that sense perfect.” It is most important to understand this Biblical concept of

perfection, that a person or thing is perfect when it is just what it is designed or intended to

be. To be like Christ is to be holy or perfect. Holiness or Christian perfection is the same as

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Christlikeness. The goal of God for creating human beings is that we might know Christ and

be like Him.

4.5.3 Summary of Wesley’s View on Christian Perfection

1. Christian perfection is taught in the Scriptures. (Gen. 17:1; Deut. 18:13; 1 Kgs. 8:61;

Mt. 5:48; 2 Cor. 13:11). Some people in the Bible are recorded to be perfect in God’s

sight- Noah, Asa, Job (Gen. 6:9; 2 Chron. 15:7; Job 1:1; Ps. 37:37).

2. Christian perfection does not come as early as, but follows justification; justified

persons are to ‘go on to perfection,’ (Heb. 6:1).

3. It does not come as late as death; for St. Paul speaks of living men who were perfect

(Phil. 3:15).

4. It is not absolute perfection, because absolute perfection belongs to God alone, not to

man or angels.

5. It does not make a man infalliable; none is infalliable, while he remains in the body.

6. It is not sinless perfection. It is ‘salvation from sin.’

7. It is ‘perfect love,’ (1 Jn 4:18).

8. It is improvable. One can grow in it but not into it. There is room for improvement.

9. It is amissible. It is capable of being lost.

10. It is both gradual and also instantaneous (Wesley 1966:114-115).

4.6 John Wesley’s Concept of Sin

Wesley defined sin as a “voluntary transgression of a known law.” This definition

appears to be too narrow and too shallow for many theologians. However, some modern

theologians like Tennant and Sangster both believe that “sins are volitions and only volitions

can be sin,” and that the term “unconscious sin” is only a contradiction in terms (Tennant;

Sangster 1943: 12). Wesley’s idea of sin was that man voluntarily chooses to sin. According

to Kuhn, Wesley held that “sin was also an evil principle which was inherited from Adam”

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(Kuhn 1963: 20). Wesley believed that the sin of Adam brought depravity to him although it

was partial depravity. Duewel (1991) asserted, “Depravity is the moral state of man after

their sin” (p.45).

After the fall of man, sin brought guilt and also affected the inner nature of man; man

no longer lives a holy life. Sin also brings a separation between God and man, including

curse. Duewel (1991), “Sin severs our relationship and fellowship with God. This distorts and

depraves our personality, which was created to be related to God, and enfeebles, pollutes and

disintegrates our own self. It also corrupts, interrupts, and estranges our fellowship with

others” (p. 38).

Wesley also perceived sin as unbelief and pride. According to Kuhn (1963), “This

unbelief generated to pride and they soon sought themselves ‘wiser than God; capable of

finding better way to happiness than God had taught them” (p.13). The fall of Adam was as a

result of pride and his choice to do his own will.

Kuhn (1963) further said that:

Wesley rejected the view that the temptation to sin which Adam felt so keenly was itself a sinful thing. Neither could he believe that Adam had to have sinful tendencies in order to be seduced into disobedience. Adam followed legitimate desires beyond the bounds set by God for their proper satisfaction. Having refused God’s will and rule over him, Adam became a rebel, choosing to be self-governed and to seek his pleasures and happiness in this world and in his own works. He thereby made himself an idolater- a lover of the world more than a lover of God (p.14).

Since the first Adam choose to disobey God by committing sin, the Second Adam, the Lord

Jesus choose to obey God by His death on the cross for the remission of the sins of mankind.

Interestingly, Wesleyans belief and teaching about sin is that sin exists in the human soul in

two scriptural modes, the original/inbred and the actual committed sin. Consequently, these

two fold nature of sin requires two fold treatment to deal with them, namely, salvation and

sanctification. Salvation brings about forgiveness of actual sins, but sanctification brings

about cleansing from the original, inbred sin or the Adamic nature.

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CHAPTER FIVE

THE TENETS OF WESLEYAN EVANGELICAL REVIVAL IN MAINLINE

PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN NIGERIA

5.1 Introduction

This chapter is an attempt to examine the tenets of Wesleyan Evangelical revival in

four mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria. The 18th century Wesley Evangelical revival

was the springboard of the coming of Protestant missions in Nigeria. Christ Church Chapel,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka and First Baptist Church, Ipaja (FBC), Federal Estate Baptist

Church (FESBACH), Abesan-Ipaja and Victoryland Baptist Church, Isolo, Lagos, all under

Lagos West Baptist Conference, were selected as target population. Christ Church Chapel is a

conglomeration of three Protestant churches, namely, Methodist, Anglican and Presbyterian.

These churches were chosen because of their close proximity and accessibility to the

researcher. Also, the researcher is a worshipper in the Franco extension of Christ Church

Chapel on campus and a member of First Baptist Church, Ipaja, Lagos.

The researcher as a participant observer has the advantage and privilege of writing

from an insider view point. Therefore, personal interview and participant observation were

used as research instruments. Two ministers each from the four churches were chosen for

interview; thereby making a total of 12 pastors, including 8 parishioners, randomly selected.

The main objective was to discover how these churches align themselves with the Scriptural

doctrine of salvation and sanctification, from the Wesleyan perspective. Appendix 1 gives

personal profile of the interviewees. An attempt was made to discuss the results of the

interview questions.

Ten-structured questions were asked to assess the indices of Wesleyan revival tenets

among the four selected churches, namely, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian and Baptist.

(See Interview Questions attached in Appendix 2). Table 1 shows the result of the analysis.

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Table 1: Showing Church Denominations and their Doctrinal Emphases/Understanding of the Tenets of the Wesleyan Revival Church

Denomination

Main Doctrinal

Emphasis

Understanding of New

Birth Experience

Understanding of

Holiness/Christian

Perfection

Attainability of

Holiness/Perfection

To what extent

can a Christian be

holy or perfect?

Understanding of Entire

Sanctification

Methodist Priesthood of all believers, Salvation, justification by faith Sanctification, Water baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Evangelism, Christian perfection, Ministry of the Holy Spirit, Scriptural holiness

“Ye must be Born Again” (Jn. 3:3), New life in Christ(2 Cor. 5:17) All have sinned and come of the glory of God (Rom. 3:16). Regeneration

Progressive sanctification, not “automatic”; continuous cleansing from sin.

Attainable, because “without holiness no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

Self-denial; Obedience

Sanctification or Entire Sanctification can be used interchangeably, and mean the same. Sanctification is being set apart for holy use. To be purified from sin. Entire Sanctification means to be holy in body, soul and spirit (wholly, entirely, completely)

Anglican Holiness, Sanctification, Repentance, Baptism (including infant baptism)

Turning from sin to righteousness and holiness. The Holy Spirit regenerating a sinner into the life of Christ.

Purity of life/ cleanliness; Christlikeness; Being set apart unto God; a state of being blameless before God

Attainable here on earth

Strive Live a life devoid of sin; Sanctified by the Word (Jn. 17:17

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Presbyterian Sovereignty of grace, The Bible as the Rule of life/faith, TULIP-Total Depravity of Man, Universal Grace, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints

Conversion through the help of the Holy Spirit /Scripture

Imputed righteousness; Progressive holiness; Christian perfection synonymous to holiness; God says, “Be holy (perfect) “for I am holy” (Mt. 5:48; 1 Pet. 1:16.

Not attainable here on earth; no one can be perfect; Attainable but not “total” or “complete” perfection

No yardstick or measure; the degree of one’s commitment/trust on God’s grace

Progressive sanctification

Baptist Individual soul competency, Priesthood of all believers; believers Baptism Regeneration Authority of the Scripture; Sole authority of Scripture in matters of faith and practice, Scriptural holiness, eternal security of the saints.

Salvation by faith in Christ; Repentance and confession; Acceptance of Jesus Christ as Personal Lord and Saviour

Freedom from original sin; Heart filled with love for God and humans through the works of the Holy Spirit

Attainable Daily growth in God, doing His will, Obedience

Maturity in Christ

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Question No. 1: Does your church align itself with the Wesleyan doctrine of holiness or

sanctification?

Almost all the churches affirm that they align themselves with scriptural doctrine of

salvation and holiness. Although, not all the churches agree to align themselves with the

Wesleyan tradition/tenets, for example, the Presbyterian Church claims that they share in this

heritage earlier before Wesley. The Baptist Church as a denomination believes in scriptural

holiness but tends towards Calvinism more than Wesleyan. On the other hand, a Methodist

ministers asserts that the church align with the holiness teaching of John Wesley himself, but

not the holiness emphasis of the later holiness movement. He further stated that God is holy,

all true Christians must live a holy life; holiness and Christian perfection are synonymous, but

do not mean the same. It is all about being in Christ. Another Methodist, a Youth Fellowship

President remarked that, “Scriptural holiness is founded in Scripture and culminated in the

movement of salvation from original sin, prevenient grace, conviction, conversion

(justification by faith), assurance and Christian perfection. Scripture are the guide or map

showing the way, the truth and the life. Holiness is the trip or the progress that one makes.”

Although, John Wesley lived and died an Anglican and taught scriptural holiness,

after Wesley’s death different factions emerged due to schism or division within the church.

Each of these factions made different emphasis on the different aspects of the Wesleyan

tenets. But the original church formed after Wesley’s work was the Wesleyan Methodist

Church. Other factions also called themselves “Methodists”; the largest among them being

the Primitive Methodist Church. The original church became known as the Wesleyan

Methodist Church to distinguish it from other bodies. In 1907, a union of these smaller

groups came together as United Methodist Church. Twenty five years later, in 1932, the

three main streams of Methodism, namely, Wesleyan Methodists, United Methodists, and

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Primitive Methodists amalgamated to form the current Methodist Church of Great Britain.

The Primitive Methodists were more doctrine inclined and appealed strongly to the doctrine

of sanctification and perfection, whereas the Wesleyan Methodists were more mission-

minded (Wikepedia_Methodism).

However, it was the Wesleyan Methodists that first came to Nigeria when Thomas

Birch Freeman first landed in Nigeria through Badagry in September 1842. Later the

Primitive Methodists came to Nigeria through Fernando Po and Calabar (Rev. Chinedu

Ugochukwu, Personal Communications).

Questions 2 and 3: What are the main doctrinal emphases of your denomination/ What

is your church understanding of new birth/conversion experience?

Questions 2 and 3 were analyzed as shown in Table 1. The result shows that all the

churches listed above have similar doctrinal emphasis on salvation and holiness. Each

understand new birth or conversion experience to mean to be born again, new life in Christ,

turning from sin to righteousness, repentance and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,

accepting Him as one’s personal Lord and Saviour, regeneration and so on. This shows that

the four churches have basic knowledge about what a sinner needs to do in order to be saved

or believe in the Lord Jesus.

Questions 4 and 6: What is your church understanding of Scriptural doctrine of

holiness/ Sanctification? Question 5 and 7 (combined): Is holiness or Christian

perfection attainable here on earth?

Concerning the doctrine of sanctification or holiness, all the churches show similar

understanding. A Methodist minister says that holiness is “progressive or continuous

cleansing by the blood of Jesus; it not automatic.” A Methodist Youth President remarks that

Christian perfection is possible in this life, “If Scriptural holiness is emphasized and taught

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with total dependence on the Holy Spirit.” An Anglican priest says that holiness is “total life

of purity and cleanliness, a life that has been forgiven and stays away from sin.” A Baptist

clergy/ a senior lecturer in a Baptist College, a female says, “Our church believe anyone who

is now in Christ is a new creature, old things have gone and behold they are new. One who is

saved should not live again in sin but must be free from all known sin since no

unrighteousness will reign with him. Another Baptist clergy/ a senior lecturer in West Africa

Theological Seminary, says that holiness is, “Positional and practical expression of God’s

nature and character as revealed in Christ and the Scripture.”

Whereas all the churches understand sanctification or holiness to be progressive and

continuous cleansing or purification from sin and attainable here on earth, a Presbyterian

minister says, “The Presbyterian understanding of holiness is imputed righteousness of God

in the believer through the merit of Jesus Christ. She believes that holiness is progressive

through the means of grace-the word, prayer, fellowship and disciplined life.” He believes

that Christian perfection is not attainable here on earth and that no one can be perfect.

Another Presbyterian/ a senior lecturer in the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies,

UNN opines, “holiness or sanctification is separation of a Christian from sinful acts and daily

dedication of the Christian (the) Lordship of Jesus.” A female youth leader at Christ Church

Chapel Franco Extension says, “Holiness is a state of unblemishness of life; sanctification

means to set apart and keep a “vessel” clean for a specific purpose/assignment.” Another

female minister, an Associate Chaplain at Christ Church Chapel further elucidates that

“Sanctification will help member(s) if well taught, attain Christian perfection.” A Baptist

Youth president defines holiness or sanctification as “Compliance to the ethical requirement

of the Bible, projection of the full salvation which includes the experiences of the saving

grace, growing in Grace of the Holy life and consistent hearing of the Word of God.”

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All the churches believe that holiness or sanctification are synonymous and variously

means purity of life, Christlikeness, being set apart, freedom from original sin and a heart

filled with love for God and humans. The term sanctification means the same as holiness. In

both Hebrew and Greek, holiness or sanctification comes from the same root (qodesh or

hagiasmos), which means to be holy or to sanctify. The basic difference is that

“sanctification” refers to the act of God whereby the heart is cleansed from sin, whereas

“holiness” refers to the resulting state of purity.

Question 6: What is your understanding of Christian perfection?

This is probably the least understood doctrine of the Scripture and there were

divergent views. A Methodist minister says that it is all about being in Christ. Another

Methodist minister/ Associate Chaplain at Christ Church Chapel opines that it means

“maturity.” A Methodist Youth Fellowship President also stated that Christian perfection is,

“The belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin, and particularly by the belief that

this may be accomplished instantaneously through a second work of grace.” An Anglican

priest believes that it is a state of being blameless before God. An Anglican Youth pastor says

that Christian perfection is “a state of being blameless before God.” Yet another Anglican

member/teacher opines, “Christian perfection means Christian maturity in lifestyle and

character of Christ.” A Presbyterian minister claims that it is imputed righteousness. Another

Presbyterian pastor says it is, “the grace given by God to enable believers to live above the

world, the devil and the trappings of sin.” Yet another Presbyterian, a Chaplain in Christ

Church Chapel says, “This is act of living your life in line with Christ’s teachings and

depending upon His grace to live the impossible life.” A Baptist minister opines that it is

“living to please God in all things”; yet another Baptist pastor says it is “maturity in Christ.”

A Baptist deacon says it is, “a state of acceptability before God.” A female youth leader at

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Christ Church Chapel says, “Christian perfection means a state of maturity in Christ . . . .

Seeking to have the mind of Christ, having the knowledge of God’s will and doing it also.”

Question 8: To what extent can a Christian be holy or perfect?

The extent a Christian can be holy or perfect, according to the Anglican is the extent

one strives or yields. A Methodist pastor opines that although it may be difficult, it is not

impossible and involves self-denial. Another Methodist minister says, “It is unlimited.” Yet

another Methodist Youth leader opines, “The extent by which a Christian can yield to the

guidance of the Holy Spirit and absolute dependence on the precepts of Scripture.” A

Presbyterian minister quips that there is no yardstick for measuring the extent one can be holy

or perfect. A Presbyterian, a Chaplain said that it depends on the level of one’s commitment

to living Christ life or living according to His teachings. Yet another Presbyterian, a senior

lecturer states, “A Christian is totally perfect as far as God is concerned because He sees the

Christian through Christ.” Two Baptist ministers further elucidate that it requires daily

growth, knowing and doing the will of God, obedience, faith and maturity.

Question 9: What is Entire Sanctification?

Many Christians today do not seem to understand this doctrine of the Bible. There

were divergent views as to the meaning of entire sanctification. A Methodist minister states

that it is to be pure or holy, body, soul and spirit (entirely, wholly, completely, and

thoroughly). Another Methodist minister/Associate Chaplain says, “It is all round perfection

in faith and belief, as well as in deeds and actions.” A Methodist Youth leader explains, “It is

the doctrine that by the power of God’s sanctifying grace and attention upon the means of

grace may cleanse a Christian of the corrupting influence of original sin in this life.” An

Anglican priest opines that it is to live a life devoid of sin, a life of total consecration to God.

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A Presbyterian minister says, “It is progressive sanctification.” Another Presbyterian, a

Chaplain says, “Sanctification is a process of seeking to know and to live a true life of a child

of God.” A Baptist pastor affirms that it is maturity in Christ. Generally, there seems to be

lack of understanding or ignorance of the meaning of entire sanctification. Hill defines entire

sanctification as “a second work of grace wrought by the Holy Spirit in the heart of the

believer subsequent to regeneration, received instantaneously by faith, whereby the heart is

cleansed from inward root of sin and filled with the pure and perfect love of God” (Hill, n.d.).

Sanctification or entire sanctification takes place after a man is regenerated or born again and

it is wrought instantaneously by faith.

Even John Wesley was asked, “What is it to be sanctified?” He said, “To be renewed

in the image of God, ‘in righteousness and true holiness’” (Wesley 1966:41). “Sanctification

in the proper sense is an instantaneous deliverance from all sin, and includes an instantaneous

power then given always to cleave to God” (Wesley quoted in Ruth 1955:8). Wesley was

further asked, “When does inward sanctification begin?” He said, “In the moment a man is

justified. (Yet sin remains in him, the seed of sin, till he is sanctified throughout). From that

time a believer gradually dies to sin, and grows in grace” (Wesley 1966:42).

5.2 General Overview of the Tenets of Wesleyan Revival in Mainline Protestant

Churches in Nigeria The mainline Protestant churches show similar understanding in the scriptural

doctrine of salvation, however, not all churches show similar understanding of the doctrine of

sanctification, holiness or Christian perfection. Revivals have taken place in virtually all the

mainline churches in Nigeria and all seem to align themselves with the tenets of the

Wesleyan Evangelical revival or Evangelicalism. Also, the extent to which the churches align

themselves to these tenets differ. However, before one can adequately examine how these

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churches align themselves with the tenets of the Wesleyan revival or the extent they do so,

there is need to present a brief history of the four mainline Protestant churches under study.

5.3 Anglican Church in Nigeria-a Brief History

Before the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) there was the Church of

England and even before England there was the Church of England. Between the 7th and 9th

centuries, England was a conglomeration of seven smaller kingdoms, known as the

Heptarchy, and it was the Church that united England together. England was won to

Christianity through Gregory 1 or Gregory the Great (590-604) in 597. In 597, Gregory

appointed Augustine (not Augustine of Hippo) as the leader of a band of 40 monks from St.

Andrew’s monastery in Rome. They were commissioned to win the Anglo-Saxons of

Southern England to Christianity. In the spring of 597 Augustine and his team landed in

Kent. Bertha, the wife of Ethelbert, king of Kent was already a Christian, and so she helped

to influence her husband in favor of the missionaries. Thus it was Gregory who brought

England under the sway of the Church of Rome and he made effort to develop the English

Church (Cairns 1981; Schaff 2006; Foster 1974).

Following Luther’s Reformation in Germany in the 16th century when Martin Luther

(1483-1546) published his 95 theses at the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg, on 31

October, 1517 and the spread of Protestantism in Europe, the Church of England broke away

from the Church of Rome as a result of the Pope’s refusal to allow the marriage of the king,

Henry to his brother, Prince Charles’ wife. It was the institution of the 39 articles in 1562,

when the King of England declared himself as the head of the church that marked the formal

separation of the Church of England from Rome. The 39 articles describe the beliefs and

doctrines of the Anglican Church (Adiele 2001:59-60).

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About three hundred years later, and forty-three years after the Church Missionary

Society (CMS) was founded in London in 1799, the Church of England came to Nigeria

under the auspices of CMS. Thus, Rev. Henry Townsend, the CMS missionary arrived at

Badagry in December 1842 and came to Abeokuta (January 1843), where he established what

was known as the Yoruba Mission. The Yoruba Mission was established in response to a call

for missionaries by the Yoruba freed slaves who had newly returned from Sierra Leone. The

Niger Mission was founded by the Niger Expedition of 1857 led by Rev. Samuel Ajayi

Crowther (a freed Yoruba slave from Osogun in Oyo State). The Niger Mission was

undertaken to open up the Eastern part of Nigeria for the gospel. The 1857 Niger Mission

was a follow up to the 1841 Niger Mission. Even though that mission was generally

adjudged to be a failure, it made clear beyond any reasonable doubt the fact that only

Africans are in a better position to educate or evangelize Africans. The Niger Mission was

sponsored directly from London whereas the Yoruba Mission was said to be sponsored from

within. The Niger Mission became the Diocese on the Niger under Bishop Ajayi Crowther.

Adiele (2001:34) stated that after the death of Bishop Crowther in 1891 the two

Missions, the Yoruba and Niger were merged into what was known as the Diocese of

Western Equatorial Africa under the leadership of Bishop J.S. Hill and Bishop H. Tugwell.

Later the Yoruba Mission and the Niger Mission merged to become the Province of Nigeria

otherwise known as Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) on February 24, 1979.

Consequently, the Bishop of Ibadan, the Rt. Rev. Timothy Olufosoye became the first

Archbishop of the Church of Nigeria. Archbishop Olufosoye after retiring in 1988 was

succeeded by Bishop Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye, Bishop of Lagos.

The post-Civil War Pentecostal revival in the early 70s and 80s in Nigeria, which was

an off-shoot of the 18th century Evangelical Revival, touched almost all of the mainline

Protestant churches. Diara (2005:54) in his book titled, Anglican Spirituality The Practice of

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Balanced Christianity observed that the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion

(EFAC) is the modern Evangelical and Pentecostal movement in the Anglican Communion.

It is an evangelical movement which believes in the practice of Biblicism and Pentecostalism

in the spirit of 18th century revivalists. It is an Evangelical Fellowship of the Anglican

Communion, for the communion and in the communion.

Furthermore, Diara (2005:53) concluded that the 18th century was a period of great

spiritual revival. The revival did not only create new churches in the Methodist churches but

it also had a reviving and renewing effect on the mother church. There was spiritual lethargy

in the Anglican Church due to dead orthodoxy and lack of spiritual discipline and holiness.

The revival gave the Anglican Church new conviction, a renewed vision for mission, a

concern for prayer, a passion for evangelism and a seriousness of life towards faith and

holiness. It jettisoned the Anglican mission to parts of the world other than Europe, especially

Africa, and Nigeria in particular via Sierra-Leone.

5.3.1 Evangelical Fellowship in Anglican Communion

Diara (2005:54) also observed that the Evangelical Fellowship in Anglican

Communion (EFAC) is the modern day Evangelical and Pentecostal movement in Anglican

Communion founded in the spirit of the 18th century Revivalist. The Evangelical Fellowship

in Anglican Communion (EFAC) was founded in 1961 in London by John Stott, an Anglican

Priest and his group of friends. John Stott and his friends were disturbed by the “emptiness of

the Church of England” in terms of spiritual and numeral growth. Despite the liturgical forms

of worship and sacraments and ceremonies, yet the spiritual life of the church was poor. This

led them to pray for revival in the Church. EFAC (Nigeria) was inaugurated during a

meeting of the Pentecostals all over the country held from 19-25 August. Consequently, a

post-inaugural retreat was held at Bishop Cockins Church Centre Atta, Imo State from 26-29

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June 1979. The pioneer members of EFAC included G.I. Olajide, Dan Onwukwe, Moses

Olagundoye, and others. Many of their pioneer members were members of Scripture Union

(SU) and campus students such as Student Christian Movement (SCM) and Nigerian

Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES).

This implies that EFAC as one of the Evangelical revival movements in Nigeria has

benefitted from the 18th century Wesleyan Evangelical revival movement. This SU/NIFES

revival was the springboard for the series of revivals that cut across the mainline churches in

Nigeria after the Civil War. This revival movement produced some of the prominent

Pentecostal leaders like Pastor W. F. Kumuyi who came out the Apostolic Church (Alan

1973; Ukaoha 2013:138).

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has experienced serious revival since

the 80s through the ministry and activities of Evangelical Fellowship in Anglican

Communion. Evangelical Fellowship in Anglican Communion is described as modern

Pentecostalism in the Anglican Church because its members exhibit and promote Pentecostal

tendencies. Following the example of the early Evangelical revivalists they would want the

church to do away with some of the structures and traditions that hinder the activities of the

Holy Spirit. According to Diara (2005:57), EFAC practice speaking in tongues, prophecy,

healing, and deliverance and so on. Some of the activities of the fellowship include

organizing crusades, revivals, retreats, fellowship, Bible Study, prayer meetings, praying and

fasting, night vigils, witnessing or evangelism and so forth.

Consequently, this has brought about growth in numerical strength and changes in the

liturgy of the church. In many churches today, the congregation can pray aloud, sing

choruses, and clap hands during worship which was not the practice before. This is as a result

of the influence of Evangelical and Pentecostal revivals.

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5.4 The Methodist Church in Nigeria

John Wesley was the father and founder of Methodism. The Methodist Church has

experienced revival through the centuries. The Methodist Church grew out of the Wesleyan

Revival which took place within the Church of England after the conversion of John Wesley

in 1738. The Revival started through the Holy Club which his brother Charles Wesley formed

at Oxford College. Wesley lived and died an Anglican priest. But four years after Wesley’s

death in 1791, the Methodist Church became a separate church. Wesley was ordained a

deacon in Oxford in 1725 and became a priest in 1728.

Before Wesley died he laid the foundation of the Methodist Church through his

teachings and by making provision for the continuation of the Movement after his death. He

also ordained Presbyters to serve as “circuit riders” who rode on horseback to supervise the

societies he had formed in England and America. These societies became Churches in 1795

after the Methodist societies under Wesley separated from the Calvinist Methodist societies

under George Whitefield. This separation, which marked the beginning of the Methodist

Church, was due to doctrinal controversies. Wesleyan Methodist was oriented towards

Arminian doctrine of Atonement that Christ died for all, whereas the Calvinist Methodist

leaned towards Calvinian theology, which may be summarized by the acronym TULIP,

where T stood for Total Depravity, U for Unconditional Election, L for Limited Atonement, I

for Irresistible Grace, and P for Perseverance of the Saints(Belcher 1988:8).

The church formed after separation from the Calvinist Methodist became known as

the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Later schisms within the church led to several factions

among which included the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodist Church and

the United Methodist Church. These three were all involved in missions. It was the Wesleyan

Methodist and the Primitive Methodist that brought Methodism into Nigeria. The Wesleyan

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Methodist entered Nigeria through Badagry on 24th September 1842, whereas the Primitive

Methodist entered Nigeria through Fernando Po and Calabar (Adiele 2005:82).

5.5 The Presbyterian Church in Nigeria

John Calvin (1509-1564) was the father and founder of Presbyterianism.

Presbyterianism denotes both a form of church government by elders and a system of

scriptural doctrine. Contemporary Presbyterianism originated in the Protestant Reformation,

especially in Calvin’s Geneva. The unity of the Presbyterian doctrine and order appears in

Calvin’s Institute of the Christian Religion. Calvin formulated the principles for the order and

doctrine of the church based on the Scripture. The key to both the doctrine and order of

Presbyterianism is God’s sovereignty (Ferguson 1988:530).

The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (PCN) is an offshoot of the Presbyterian Church

of Scotland, which started during a revival among the Marian Exiles in Geneva between 1555

and 1558, led by John Knox a student of John Calvin. The Scottish Presbyterian Church first

started in Calabar on 10th April 1846 through the ministry of Rev. and Mrs. Hope Waddell

and Mary Slessor. Mary Slessor worked to spread Christianity and to stop the ritualistic

killing of twins in Calabar and Arochukwu. She also established schools and promoted

women’s right. The doctrine of the Presbyterian Church is based on the Apostles’ Creed

(Ukaoha 2013:68).

5.6 The Baptist Church in Nigeria The Baptist mission work in Nigeria began in 1850. The first American Baptist

missionary from the Southern Baptist Convention, USA, Thomas Jefferson Bowen arrived at

Badagry on August 5, 1850. From Badagry, he came to Abeokuta, Ijaye and Ogbomoso,

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though he wanted first to go to Igboho, a former capital of the Old Oyo Empire (which the

Whiteman pronounced (“Bohoo”) (Ajayi 2010: 10, Ayodeji 2009: 34).

The Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) started as a foreign mission of the Southern

Baptist Convention of the United States of America in 1850 but was established in 1914. The

NBC is now self-governing, self-propagating and self-supporting. The current president of

the NBC is Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle and the executive chairman is Rev.

Dr. Uche Enyioha. This year, 2014 the Nigerian Baptist Convention celebrated its centenary

anniversary. There are about 10, 000 Baptist churches in Nigeria and there are about three

million baptized believers and a worshipping community of more than six million. Almost all

of the Baptist Churches are affiliated to the Nigerian Baptist Convention and most of these

churches are located in the western part of the country. Baptist Church in Nigeria has its

headquarter in Ibadan, where there are the Baptist building and a bookstore. The Nigerian

Baptist Theological Seminary (NBTS) is located in Ogbomoso. NBTS is the largest Baptist

theological seminary that awards both undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. There are

also other degree-awarding Baptist Colleges located in Lagos, Owerri, Benin, Jos, and Eku.

One of the important missionary organs of the NBC is the Men Missionary (MMU) and the

Women Missionary Union (WMU). Others include the Lydia, Boys Brigade, and the Girls

Auxiliary and so on. Also the NBC is strong in its Christian literature publications, including

discipleship, Sunday school and Church Training materials.

The NBC operates several hospitals and medical training institutions across the

country. The Baptist Medical Centre remains the leading hospital, which is also used by the

Bowen University as a teaching hospital. The NBC founded and operated several primary and

secondary schools which were taken over by the government. According to Uzodike

(2005:90), among the schools established by the Baptist Mission are Baptist Boys High

School, Abeokuta, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Olivet Baptist High School; schools were established in

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Imerienwe, Owerri, Benin, Eku, etc, hospitals and dental centres in Eku, Ogbomoso, Saki,

Oyo State.

The NBC now operates Bowen University, named after Thomas Jefferson Bowen, the

first American Baptist missionary from Southern Baptist Convention. Bowen University was

established in 2002 as a residential institution with 500 students. Its current enrollment is

about 3, 000 students and has a target capacity of about 5, 500 students. Bowen University is

located at Iwo in Osun State. Bowen University is “conceived as a centre of learning and

research, combining academic excellence with love of humanity with the Baptist tradition of

ethical behavior, social responsibility and democratic ethos”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Baptist_Convention).

5.7 Implications of the Wesleyan Evangelical Revival

The main purpose of this study is to examine the tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical

revival in the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria and to assess the extent to which these

churches align themselves with the scriptural teaching of salvation and sanctification, which

is the hallmark of Wesleyan Evangelical revival. In line with the purpose of study the

implications of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival can be discussed in the following areas:

5.7.1 Tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical Revival in the Mainline Protestant Churches Almost all the churches affirm that they align themselves with the scriptural doctrine

of salvation and holiness. However, not all the churches align themselves with the tenets of

Wesleyan revival. The Presbyterian Church claim that they share in this heritage earlier

before Wesley. The Baptist Church believes in scriptural holiness but tends towards

Calvinism more than Wesleyanism. The Methodist Church, on the other hand, asserts that

they align with the holiness teaching of John Wesley himself but not the holiness emphasis of

the later holiness movement. John Wesley lived and died an Anglican and taught scriptural

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holiness, but after his death different factions emerged due to schism or division within the

church. But the original church formed after Wesley’s work was the Wesleyan Methodist

Church. The other smaller factions also called themselves “Methodist,” the largest among

them being the Primitive Methodist. The different factions emphasized one aspect of the

Wesleyan tenets or the other. The Primitive Methodists were more doctrine inclined whereas

the Wesleyan Methodists were more mission minded.

Both Anglican and Baptist agree to align themselves with the tenets of the Wesleyan

revival. However, the degree or extent to which each of the churches aligns itself with these

tenets vary and this will be discussed under sub-section three.

5.7.2. The Main Doctrinal Emphases of the Mainline Protestant Churches

All the four mainline Protestant churches show similar emphasis on salvation and

holiness, although some have divergent views, especially on the doctrine of holiness or

Christian perfection. The doctrinal emphases of the mainline Protestant churches agree with

the tenets of modern Evangelicalism. The Evangelicals believe in the Bible as the sole

authority and rule of faith and conduct. They believe in the centrality and the vicarious death

of Christ on the Cross of Calvary for the redemption of mankind. They preach repentance and

faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation by grace through faith. However, the tenets of the

Wesleyan revival lay more emphasis on the doctrine of holiness of heart and life.

The early Evangelicals were active in evangelism and social works. They were men of

passion and vision. They had passion for souls and vision of lost men without Christ. They

preached to the poor and ministered to the needy. They visited prisoners, widows and orphans

and ministered to their needs. They preached to the man on the street, harlots, street urchins,

area boys, robbers, and so on. They built hospitals and established schools. They fought

against social injustice and inhumanity and they observed the rule of law.

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5.7.3. Evangelicalism in the Mainline Protestant Churches

The extent to which the mainline churches align themselves with the tenets of the

Wesleyan Revival/Evangelicalism are similar. All the four mainline churches indicated that

they align themselves with the scriptural teaching on salvation and holiness. Each church

understands that new birth or conversion experience or being “born again” are synonymous

and means turning from sin to righteousness, repentance and faith towards our Lord Jesus

Christ and accepting Him as one’s personal Lord and Saviour. Some of the churches show

special emphasis on their teaching on salvation. For example, the Baptist doctrine of “soul

competency,” refers to the freedom of the individual to approach and relate with God based

on Christ’s atonement. The individual does not need any mediator in order to have access to

God other than Jesus Christ, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and

mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1Timothy 2:5-

6 NIV). Both the Baptist and Methodist show special emphasis on the Priesthood of all

believers.

The Presbyterian Church show special emphasis on sovereignty of God/grace. The

main doctrinal emphasis of the Presbyterian Church is contained in the Apostles’ Creed.

“God’s sovereignty,” as taught by John Calvin in the Christian Institute of Christian

Religion, is the basis of Presbyterianism, which is reflected in His eternal decrees and His

providence. According to John Murray:

God is the arbiter and governor of all things, ‘Who, of his own wisdom, from the remotest eternity, decreed what he would do, and now by his own power executes what he has decreed. Whence we assert that not only the heaven and the earth and inanimate creatures, but also the deliberations and volitions of men are governed by his providence and they are directed exactly to their destined end. . . . The will of God is supreme and first cause of all things, because nothing happens but by his command or permission.’ The providence of God embraces all events, past, present, future and applies to the evil and as much as the good, to sinful acts as much as the holy acts of men and angels (Murray 1960:56,64-65).

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From the foregoing, one may ask, does God’s sovereignty foreclose man’s freewill or

His judgment of evil/ the sinful acts of men? However, the fact that God’s sovereignty

embraces or permits the evil as well as the good does not mean that God approves of evil or

the sinful acts of men but will equally judge them. According to Roger Dickson’s

Commentary:

When studying the concept of predestination, one must not become frustrated because we as men cannot know the future. Predestination is a work of God that is based on His ability to know the future without violating the free-moral choice of man. Because He foreknows does not mean that He predestines individuals. He has predestined the church to eternal glory, and thus all those who are members of the church are predestined to eternal life. However, one must make an individual decision to become a member of the church. When he makes this decision, then he has become a member of the group (the church) that is destined to heaven. And because God destined the church to go to heaven before He created the world, then the church was predestined (Dickson 2007).

However, all churches show similar doctrinal emphasis or understanding of

sanctification/holiness. All churches understand sanctification/holiness to mean to be set

apart; purity of life, Christlikeness and freedom from the original sin and a heart filled with

love for God and man. However, holiness / sanctification can be understood in two senses.

First, in the ceremonial sense of the word, it means to be set apart for a godly or

sacred use or simply consecration. This is the sense it is used for objects, persons and places

especially in the Old Testament, and somewhat in the New Testament. Secondly, ethically or

morally, holiness or sanctification means to be pure or holy, in other words, cleansing or

purification from sin. This is the sense it is used mostly in the New Testament and somewhat

in the Old Testament.

Thus, sanctification/ holiness can be used interchangeably and mean the same. Both

come from the same Hebrew root qodesh or Greek hagiasmos, which is translated holiness, to

be holy or to sanctify. However, there is a slight difference in meaning and practical

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application. Whereas, sanctification is the art or process of being made holy or pure; holiness

is the resulting state or condition. Sanctification or entire sanctification is the practical

application of holiness. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed for His disciples to be sanctified,

“Sanctify them through the truth: the word is truth” (John 17:17 KJV). The Apostle Paul also

prayed for the Thessalonians, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray

God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord

Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). The Amplified Bible reads thus, “And may the God of peace

Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure

and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound

and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

One could take note of the exact biblical words/phrases used: “sanctify” “wholly, “whole,”

“make you pure,” “through and through,” and so on. One could also note verse 24, which

says, “Faithful is that calleth you, who also will do it” (KJV). “Faithful is He Who is calling

you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing

and keeping you] AMP.

If sanctification/ entire sanctification is not attainable in this life, the Lord Jesus

Christ would not have prayed for His disciples to be sanctified, and the Apostle Paul for the

Thessalonians to be sanctified wholly, entirely, through and through, their body, soul and

spirit and even added that God who has called us is faithful and will do it. Sanctification is

not an optional extra but an added preservative and privilege of the true children of God who

yearn and desire to be made holy or pure.

All the churches understand holiness, sanctification, entire sanctification and

Christian perfection to mean the same. However, there were divergent views as to the

meaning of the term Christian perfection. Some say it is a state of being in Christ or like

Christ, others say it is a state of being blameless, yet others say it is maturity in Christ. Some

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believe it is imputed righteousness and progressive. Whereas some say that it is attainable in

this life, others say it is not attainable.

Christian perfection is perhaps the least understood of all the Bible doctrines.

According to John Wesley, there is scarcely any expression in the holy writ that has given

more offence than this. In Philippians 3:12, 15, the Apostle Paul disclaimed the perfection

which has to do with perfection of knowledge but he claimed the perfection which involves

being and doing all for which Christ apprehended him. Thus, Wesley stated that instead of

refusing or declining to teach it because some people are offended, rather we should go ahead

and teach it because it is the word of God. He then described two senses in which Christians

are not and in which they are perfect. First, Christians are not perfect in the sense of being

free from ignorance, mistakes, infirmities and temptations. Secondly, Christians are perfect,

not to commit sin, freed from outward and inward sins/evil tempers, including being

sanctified/cleansed from all purify, renew and fill our heart with pure/perfect love for God

and man.

5.7.4 How the Mainline Protestant Churches in Nigeria Can Align Themselves with the

Tenets of Evangelicalism

The Bible says that a house divided on its own cannot stand. The Psalmist also says,

“Behold, how good, how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! The early

Church was a united church. They were in one accord and had all things in common.

Therefore, if the Bible says that it is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity,

then the Church in Nigeria cannot afford but agree with God and forge ahead in unity. If the

churches in Nigeria would diminish denominational pride and focus on the essentials, if the

church leaders could come together and minimize their differences and network and share

ideas, we can achieve our goals. If the church leaders could walk the talk and live by the

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examples of what they preach and teach; if they could stop sheep- stealing and focus on

aggressive evangelism/discipleship, if they could minimize empire/Cathedral building and

focus on missions, we could achieve our common goal.

5.8 Implications of the Lack of Revival in the Church Today

The mainline Protestant churches were direct beneficiaries of the Protestant

Reformation of the 16th century and the Evangelical Revival of the 18th century. All the

churches in Nigeria have experienced revival from inception and even since the 80s. But

along the line, there was the problem of dead orthodoxy and lack of revival fire. In the late

18th century, the Anglican Church had experienced revival through the ministry and activities

of the Evangelicals. The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) over the past thirty years

has experienced revival in the area of church growth and liturgy through the activities of

Evangelical Fellowship of Anglican Communion. But the issue of idolatry and worldliness is

still a problem (Uzodike, 2005:71). The Methodist Church started well as the leader of

Evangelicalism but gradually declined. The Presbyterian Church and the Baptist Church all

had experienced revival one way or another but no sooner the revival died down. Each of

these churches seems to be bugged with the problem of traditionalism.

All the churches teach and practice infant baptism except Baptist which does baptism

by immersion. Interestingly, all of these churches have one thing in common; they all belong

to the mainstream of Protestantism and Evangelicalism. Consequently, one may ask, why did

the Evangelical spirit die in these churches or why did they fall short of the spirit of

Evangelicalism and Revivalism? The answer may not be far-fetched from the big issue of

their failure to administer and allow the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They believe and teach

about the Holy Spirit, but they fail to openly pray and lay hands on their members to receive

the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is where the Pentecostals have an edge over the

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Evangelicals in Nigeria today. The Pentecostals would lay hands on their members and pray

for them to receive the Holy Spirit, prophesy or even to be healed, but many of the

Evangelicals would not do so. Paradoxically, the early Evangelicals believed in the active

involvement of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer that enables him/ her to live a life of

holiness and aggressive evangelism. But some Evangelicals today seem to repel or rebel

against the power of the Holy Spirit.

Agha U. Agha identified the problem of identity and leadership nomenclature as one

of the problems of Presbyterian Church in Nigeria today. He rightly pointed out that the

impact of the Presbyterian Church has not been felt all over Nigeria either as a result of her

leadership nomenclature or as a result of the limitations placed on the establishment of the

Presbyterian Church on the early missionaries by other Protestant churches (Agha 2013:39).

Perhaps one may add the limitation placed by tradition or dead orthodoxy, doing things the

way it has been done from the beginning without allowing the Holy Spirit to take

preeminence and make a difference. The implications of lack of revival fire in the

contemporary church in Nigeria can further be discussed under the following headings:

5.8.1 Lack of Genuine Conversion

Ukaoha (2014:16) in his seminar paper titled, “Christianity and African Traditional

Religion: Reasons for Syncretism among Christians in Nigeria Today” identified lack of

genuine conversion experience as one of the reasons for syncretism in the Church today. The

paper argued that for the past one hundred and seventy two years of Evangelical Christianity

in Nigeria many Christians still resort to traditional religious practices in times of crisis of

life. The reason is due to lack of genuine conversion. The first generation Christians were

genuinely converted Christians. Like the Thessalonians, they were people who genuinely

turned from idols to serve the living God (1 Thess. 1:9). But many sons and daughters of the

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first generation Christians borrow the Christian ways of their parents but fail to make a

personal commitment to Christ. In times of crisis of life and death, boredom or

disappointment, they go back to traditional practices or follow worldly method.

5.8.2 Nominalism and Unbelief

There are many nominal Christians in Nigeria today. Many go to church for several

reasons such as social, commercial or political. Some go to church to seek for miracles,

healing, deliverance, power and prosperity without seeking a corresponding life of

righteousness and holiness and obedience to God. While Jesus said, “Seek ye first the

kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt.

6:33 KJV). According to O’Donovan (2000:218), the presence of large number of nominal

Christians in the church is one reason for the need for biblical Christianity in modern Africa.

He went further to say that nominal Christians are those who are Christians in name only.

Nominal Christians may consider themselves to be Christians because they attend church or

because they grew up in a Christian home or because they have a Christian name or because

they help other people or for some other reasons, but they have no personal relationship with

Christ. A true Christian is someone who has been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit,

and has a vital personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ.

At the root of nominalism is unbelief and lack of conversion experience and Holy

Spirit baptism. A nominal Christian could be a member of a church, could pray, pay tithe,

give offering, sing in the choir, be an usher or a church worker; he or she may be baptized or

be a communicant, could perform a number of church activities and could have been in the

church for several years but lacks a living testimony of a personal encounter with Christ or

the Holy Spirit. The big issue in the Church today is not a mammoth congregation or mega

church, but the issue of multitudes without genuine testimony of conversion experience that

also lack the baptismal, revival fire of Pentecost.

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5.8.3. The Problem of Syncretism and Occultism

Syncretism has been the problem of God’s people since biblical times. The whole

history of Israel is the story of conflict between God and the pagan gods of the Philistines and

the Canaanites. Some church leaders today have consciously and deliberately compromised

the standard of God’s word for cheap popularity and prosperity. The problem of compromise

or hypocrisy has bedeviled the church today.

In his book, titled Ethics, Religion and Society Biblical, Traditional and

Contemporary Perspectives, Malachy Okwueze argues that the persistence of traditional

practices in Christianity today is due to the fact that the religion is so rooted in the people’s

ways of live that they can hardly abandon it even when they become Christian. There are

Christians who attend church without any active involvement or commitment to the Christian

religion. Such Christians are still traditionalist at heart and so they will be inconsistent in their

ethical orientation and behavior. Some so-called Christians still wear amulets, charms for

protection from evil machinations just as any other traditionalist (Okwueze 2003:92). This is

what is known as syncretism, an attempt to combine or compromise one’s belief and

practices with another religion. Mbiti calls it “religious concubinage,” while Idowu calls it

“divided loyalties.”

Some people attend church Sunday service but patronize the native doctors or

medicine men for divination during the week. They appear in church on Sundays but during

the week days, in the cover of the night, they make sacrifices at road junctions and practice

divination, especially in times of crisis of life such as death, sickness, barrenness or

childlessness, disaster, disappointment. Some attend church in order to seek for exam

success, business success, marital success, political success, prosperity or power. Some so-

called Pentecostal preachers dabble into occultism by use of objects such as charms, rings,

anointing oil, holy water, brooms, handkerchiefs, and so on. They pray for people to receive

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miracles, healing and deliverance from demonic attacks and protection from witches and

wizards using occult objects. But they hardly talk about their need of salvation or holiness.

5.8.4. The Prosperity Gospel and Quest for Materialism

Ukaoha (2014:2) observed that the Prosperity gospel with its undue emphasis on

wealth and health fueled by abject poverty that had plagued and ravaged Nigerians after the

civil war is probably a bane than a blessing. This prosperity gospel is at the root of a

perverted, distorted and deficient gospel that pushed aside the scriptural doctrine of salvation

and holiness that characterized the evangelical revival that hit Nigeria in the early 70s. The

Prosperity gospel with its undue emphasis on material possession pushed aside the gospel

which laid emphasis on repentance, salvation, holiness, healing, faith, and evangelism. This

has led some to believe that if they could exercise enough faith and pray hard they could get

whatever they desire even if they were living in sin. As Olaiya (2004) had observed:

This easy blend of faith, grace, liberty and prosperity, which focused on “the

abundant life,” produced a Church that craved affluence and luxury, that was

clothed in pride and that was shamefully bound in sin. Many preachers had

abandoned the message of the joy of salvation and the transformation from sin to

righteousness for the lure of the comforts that money could bring. The result was

devastating. It produced a monstrous Church that on the one hand was Christ

believing and tongue talking, but on the other hand was sin bound, adorned in

pride and arrogance and spiritually destitute, heading down the slippery slope of

error. No wonder that some Western critic would say that the African Christianity

was a mile wide and only an inch deep (pp. 103-104).

In a published article titled, “The Church as a Solid Foundation of God: Lessons to

the Nigerian Pastors and Priests,” Ukaoha, Anyamagir and Diara (2013:14) observed that

one of the most significant characteristics or indices of the church in Nigeria today is the

quest for wealth or materialism. The church in the contemporary society has become the

most lucrative business and fastest growing industry in the country. The desire to amass

wealth is the main reason for proliferation of churches in the country. Commenting on

this Mbachrin said:

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The wealthiest Nigerians are Pentecostal pastors. They live better than state governors. Many owe private jets, universities, hospitals, in fact live far above the rich (sic) Nigerians. The slogan is that, “God has not created us to be tails but heads.” Another one is that ‘God gives only to those who give.’ They continue, ‘our God has everything so there is no reason why his people should lack anything.’ “Our portion is not that of poverty but riches.” A comedian once said, they come to church telling the congregation what God told them to ask the congregation to do for them. They ask members to sow seed by donating heavily to the church in order to reap abundant blessings. The main theme of the sermons is prosperity. Prosperity gospel has found a fertile soil in Nigeria, simply because Nigerians want to be rich and they are attracted to churches that preach and pray for riches (Mbachirin 2012:116-117).

5.8. 5. Absence of the Holy Spirit/Revival Fire

The Protestant missions that brought the Gospel to Nigeria preached the four- square

gospel of salvation, water baptism, Holy Spirit baptism, and healing. The first generation

Christians were genuinely converted, but sooner or later the problem of dead orthodoxy set

in. Soon the revival fire began to flicker; evangelism, miracles and healing became virtually

absent in the life of the Church. The rut continued until the post-Civil War revival of the 70s

and 80s, which took place in the Universities through the Christian Union and Scripture

Union. Many of the sons and daughters of the mainline churches who got converted while

on the campuses began preaching repentance and salvation or being born again. Though they

were persecuted and rejected by most of their parents and their local churches, the revival fire

and the power of their personal testimonies of changed lives could not be quenched.

Soon the revival fire spread across all denominational lines, including the Roman

Catholic Church (Achunike 2008; 2009). However, before long the revival fire gradually

began to quench and wane. Evangelism, church planting, personal witnessing, morning cry,

sharing of tracts, crusades and so forth were virtually neglected. In the 70s and 80s crusades

were veritable means of saving souls into the kingdom. People attend crusades and receive

salvation, miracles and healings. But these days, crusades have become a jamboree, a money-

making venture instead of a means of depopulating the kingdom of Satan. People could

attend crusades and still continue in their sins without any change. In those days, people

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attended crusades and became convicted of their sins, crying and weeping as they come out

for altar call. Nowadays, it is common to see people rush to altar call without any remorse or

repentance. Some people even tell lies about their names or addresses, thereby making

contact or follow up after the crusade, difficult if not impossible. It appears that the spirit of

the last days have caught up with the individual Christian and the Church in this generation.

The love of many have began to wax cold and the virtual absence of the ministry of the Holy

Spirit in the lives of believers in the churches nowadays could be felt. Nominalism has

become the order of the day. Many attend church without any relationship or encounter with

Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The original gospel of salvation and holiness was

compromised with the cheap gospel of prosperity and power without purity.

5.8.6 Quest for Knowledge without Power

Today, knowledge is increasing without a corresponding power. The Bible says that

in the last days perilous times shall come and people will be lovers of themselves. The love of

many has waxen cold. People seek for knowledge but deny the power of God; ever learning

but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. There is need for knowledge and there

is need for power, because knowledge without the power of God and wisdom of God is

useless. People do not care how much one knows until they know how much the person

cares.

5.8.7 Love of Titles, Position and Politics in the Church

Today, many ministers of the Gospel tend to love titles and positions more than the

work itself and the people they are to serve. A minister is a servant. But today, many

ministers want to be served instead of to serve. Jesus Christ, our model of life and ministry

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said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as

a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45 NIV). There is need for servant leaders in the church today.

It is not position or title that matters but one’s attitude to the work. One could

influence others for Christ even without being in a position of authority or leadership. The

Lord Jesus told His disciples that they do not need to sit on His right hand or His left hand in

order to be a leader, all it takes for them is to serve. A leader is a servant and a servant is one

who serves.

Today, politics, selfishness, favoritism and tribalism have tended to polarize and

cause division in the Church so much that the Church is no longer united and can no longer

speak with one voice. The early Church was united and had all things common, sharing and

caring for one another. There is need for revival in the Church today. Revive us again Oh

Lord!

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CHAPTER SIX

SUMMARY, LIMITATIONS OF STUDY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND

CONCLUSIONS

6.1 Summary

There were three Great Evangelical Revivals that took place in Europe and North

America between 1730s and 1860s. Specifically, the Wesleyan revival which took place in

the years from 1739-1791, was said to be more popular and John Wesley was considered to

be the central figure and most prominent leader of the revivals in Europe and the Americas in

the 18th century. These religious revivals were carried out in the socio-religious context of a

spiritually dead church and a morally bankrupt and poverty-stricken society. Scholarly work

on the Wesleyan revival traced its roots back to German Pietism, Moravianism and

Methodism. However, there was little or no attempt to examine the tenets of this revival in

the Protestant missions and their subsequent coming to Nigeria, including assessing the

extent to which the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria align themselves with the tenets

of this revival.

The main purpose of this study therefore was an attempt to examine the tenets of the

Wesleyan Evangelical revival in the mainline Protestant churches in Nigeria and to examine

the extent to which these churches align themselves with the tenets of this revival which are

the roots of Evangelicalism. This study followed the historical and phenomenological

approach. Primary and secondary sources of data collection were employed. Personal

communications or oral interviews and participant observation were the instruments used.

The findings of this study are as follows:

1. The Protestant Mission churches in Nigeria align themselves with the tenets of the

Wesleyan Revival, which traces its roots to modern Pietism, Moravianism,

Methodism, a movement aimed at bringing revival within the Anglican Church.

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2. The Wesleyan Evangelical revival was considered to be the most popular of the

Evangelical Awakenings that took place in Europe and North America in the 18th

and 19th centuries. John Wesley was the central figure and the most prominent of

all the leaders of the Evangelical revivals.

3. The main doctrinal emphases of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival are new birth/

conversion experience and sanctification/holiness of heart and life, including

evangelism by social action.

4. The four mainline Protestant churches, namely, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian

and Baptist have aligned themselves with the tenets of Evangelicalism.

5. The churches understand and emphasize the scriptural doctrine of salvation and

holiness.

6. The term “Christian perfection” appears to be the least understood and confusing

doctrine of the Bible.

7. There are divergent views about the meaning of the term Christian perfection such

as a state of blamelessness, Christlikeness, maturity, imputed righteousness,

progressive sanctification and so forth.

8. John Wesley taught that Christian perfection means loving God with all our heart,

mind, soul and strength, such that no wrong temper, none contrary to love remains

in the soul; and that the thoughts and words are governed by pure or perfect love.

It is perfect/pure love for God and man.

9. Wesley’s teaching on Christian perfection can be summarized as follows: First,

what it does not mean: freedom from ignorance, infirmities, mistakes, temptations.

Secondly, what it means, a Christian is perfect not to commit sin, a Christian is

freed from evil thoughts/evil tempers, and purified/cleansed from all sins.

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10. There are suggestions on how the Church in Nigeria could align itself with the

scriptural doctrine of salvation and holiness, such as intentional prayer, intentional

study, intentional practice and intentional teaching and mentoring on salvation and

holiness.

6.2 Limitations of Study

There is no perfect work of scholarship. Therefore, there are things that the researcher

could have done that could have improved the quality of this work. First, to note is the

researcher’s inability to assess many books and other resources on Evangelical Christianity

and revivalism, especially on Wesleyan revival that, if available could have enriched the

work. Secondly, this research was delimited to Nsukka and Lagos only and thus the findings

may not be used as a generalization to the entire country, perhaps a broader scope could have

yielded a better result.

Finally, the researcher’s personal bias or idiosyncrasy and perspective, may have

reflected in his interpretation of certain phenomenon, which could have also affected the

quality of the work. Nevertheless, this work was aimed at examining the tenets of the

Wesleyan Evangelical revival in the mainline Churches in Nigeria and to assess the extent to

which these churches align themselves with the main tenets of this revival, namely, the

scriptural doctrine of salvation and holiness, and could be judged from that standpoint.

6.3 Recommendations

Having examined the importance of the tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival in

the mainline churches in Nigeria, and based on the findings of this study, the researcher

hereby makes the following recommendations:

1. The scriptural doctrine of salvation or new birth experience and holiness of heart/life,

which are the main tenets of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival, should be properly,

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continuously and vigorously taught so that every Christian may be prepared for a life

of purpose, faithfulness and fruitfulness in Christ.

2. The Protestant churches in Nigeria should endeavor to maintain the four cardinal

tenets of Evangelical Christianity, namely, conversion, biblical authority,

evangelism/missions and the centrality and the vicarious death of Christ on the Cross

of Calvary as the basis of redemption for mankind.

3. The Protestant mission churches in Nigeria should be intentional and proactive in

their preaching and teaching of salvation and holiness as well as their evangelistic and

missionary activities.

4. The Protestant ministers in Nigeria should deepen their knowledge and understanding

of the scriptural doctrine of holiness or Christian perfection so as to be able to teach it

with greater conviction and applicability.

5. Contemporary Nigerian pastors should emulate John Wesley’s life and ministry,

especially his teaching on holiness or Christian perfection. It may be useful, for

instance, for every minister to own and study John Wesley’s 42 Sermons and The

Plain Account of Christian Perfection.

6. John Wesley’s teaching on Christian perfection should form part of the fundamental

doctrines taught to catechumens before/after baptism or confirmation.

7. The church leaders should put in place regular and appropriate discipleship programs

for new converts as well as older members. Much emphasis should be placed on

corporate and individual holiness and the need for every Christian to model a lifestyle

of holiness.

8. The Church should seek to strengthen Group and individual Bible Study and should

acknowledge and depend absolutely on the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

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9. The churches should focus on the elementary doctrines of the Bible according to Heb.

6:1-3 and emphasize the message of the Cross and true Christian love.

10. The Pastors should be focused and intentional in preparing their members for the

work of ministry and for the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ.

11. The Church should attempt a harmonization of the divergent views about the

scriptural doctrine of holiness or Christian perfection and individual Christians should

be encouraged to seek to understand, preach, teach as well as live out the life of

holiness unto the Lord without which no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).

12. The untrained pastors need to go to a credible Bible College or Seminary to acquire

quality theological training.

13. The Church should humble herself and return to God and earnestly seek the face of

God and cry out to Him for revival.

14. Churches/pastors should prepare Bible Study outline series, with appropriate

Scriptures for teaching and counseling their members on holiness or Christian

perfection and endeavor to make holiness theme a regular part of their sermons.

6.4 Conclusions

The main doctrinal emphases of the Wesleyan Evangelical revival are salvation and

sanctification or holiness. All the four mainline Protestant churches aligned themselves with

the scriptural doctrine of salvation and sanctification or holiness. All churches understand

that salvation, new birth/conversion experience, regeneration or “born again” means the same

and is the basis of a person’s relationship with God. All understand that holiness or

sanctification means to be set apart, purity of heart/life, Christlikeness, and so on.

However, there were divergent views as to the meaning of the scriptural teaching of

Christian perfection. Some say it is a state of being in Christ or being like Christ, others say it

is a state of being blameless, yet others say it is maturity in Christ. Some believe it is imputed

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righteousness and progressive sanctification. Whereas some say that it is attainable in this

life, others say it is not attainable. The term Christian perfection is one of the most

controversial and offensive doctrines of the Bible. However, instead of refusing or neglecting

to teach it because it is controversial or offensive to some people, rather the Church should

continue to teach it consistently because it is the word of God.

Conclusively, there are two senses in which Christians are not and in which they are

perfect. First, Christians are not perfect in knowledge, they are not perfect in not making

mistakes and they are not perfect or free from infirmities or temptations. Secondly, Christians

are perfect not to commit sin; they are perfect/ purified from outward and inward sins/evil

tempers. Thirdly, the biblical concept of perfection is understood in the sense that a person or

thing is perfect when it is just what it is designed or intended to be.

The Church in Nigeria should align itself fully with the scriptural teaching of

salvation and holiness/Christian perfection, through intentional prayer, intentional Bible

Study, intentional mentoring and intentional teaching. In conclusion therefore there is need

for harmonization of views and consistent teaching/preaching on these central and crucial

tenets of the Wesleyan revival.

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Appendix I: Personal Profile of the Interviewees

S/N Name Sex Age Church Location Occupation Date of

Interview

1 Omaka K. Ngele Male Adult Presbyterian Nsukka Lecturer/Clergy 1/7/14

2 Joseph N. Chukwuma Male 38 Anglican Nsukka Clergy/Lecturer 4/7/14

3 Umanah, Victor Sunday Male 39 Methodist Nsukka Evangelist 28/6/14

4 Chinedu S. Ugochukwu Male 36 Methodist Nsukka Clergy 4/7/14

5 Ayandokun, Esther Female Adult Baptist Lagos Clergy/Lecturer 30/6/14

6

Joseph Akpovbovbo

Male 52 Baptist Lagos Clergy/Lecturer 1/7/14

7 Donald Okechukwu

Nnebedum

Male 31 Anglican Nsukka Clergy/Civil Servant 30/6/14

8 Nneoyi U. Arikpo Male 40 Presbyterian Nsukka Chaplain 8/7/14

9 David C. Ononogbu Male 40 Presbyterian Nsukka Parish Priest 8/7/14

10 Uchendu, Nene C. Female 29 Christ Church

Chapel

Nsukka Teacher/PG Student 13/7/14

11 Zubairu Bitrus Samaila Male 38 Christ Church

Chapel

Nsukka PG Student 6/7/14

12 Ogbonnaya Elom Male 45 Christ Church

Chapel

Nsukka Lecturer/PG Student 6/7/14

13 Beatrice Nzekwe Female 50 Christ Church

Chapel

Nsukka Civil Servant/Asso.

Chaplain

30/6/14

14 Aliche C.O. Male Adult Methodist Nsukka Clergy/Pastor 13/7/14

15 Collins Ugwu Male 40 Anglican Nsukka Clergy/Lecturer 14/7/14

16 Biodun Oloyede Male 49 Baptist Lagos Accountant/Deacon 8/7/14

17 Babatunde Alao Male 34 Baptist Lagos Insurance/Youth

President

9/7/14

18 Ezichi Ituma Anya Male 52 Presbyterian Nsukka Clergy/Lecturer 17/7/14

19 Akanimo Asuquo Male 27 Christ Chapel Nsukka PG Student/Youth

Fellowship

President

28/7/14

20 Chiemekam Ezechukwu Male 29 Christ Chapel Nsukka PG Student 6/7/14

107

Appendix 2: Interview Questions

Department of Religion and Cultural Studies

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Dear Sir/Madam,

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ON THE TENETS OF WESLEYAN EVANGELICAL

REVIVAL IN THE MAINLINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN NIGERIA

Greetings! I am conducting a research on The Tenets of Wesleyan Evangelical Revival in

the Mainline Protestant Churches in Nigeria. I wish to find out the tenets of Wesleyan

Evangelical Revival in four mainline Protestant Churches in Nsukka/Lagos, namely,

Methodist, Anglican, Baptist, and Presbyterian.

Please note that this information is solely for academic purposes and can only be used as

such. Thank you very much for your kind cooperation.

Eugene Ukaoha

108

Personal Profile: Could you please introduce yourself and church?

Name____________________________________________________

Sex_______________

Age_______________

Church____________________________________________________

Location__________________________________________________

Occupation________________________________________________

Position in Church__________________________________________

Date of Interview____________________________________________

1. Does your church align itself with the Wesleyan doctrine of holiness or sanctification?

2. What are the main doctrinal emphases of your denomination?

3. What is your church understanding of new birth/conversion experience?

4. What does your church teach about scriptural holiness or sanctification?

5. Is the holiness experience attainable here on earth?

6. What do you understand by Christian perfection?

7. Is it possible for Christians to attain perfection here on earth?

8. To what extent can a Christian be holy or perfect?

9. What do you understand by entire sanctification?

10. In which three ways or more do you suggest the church in Nigeria, including your church

can align itself with Scriptural teaching of salvation and holiness?

Thanks very much and God bless!

109

Appendix 3/Fig. 1: John Wesley: Theologian

1. John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who, with his brother Charles Wesley and fellow cleric George Whitefield, is credited with the foundation of the evangelical movement known as Methodism.

2. Born: June 17, 1703, Epworth, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom 3. Died: March 2, 1791, London, United Kingdom 4. Full name: John Wesley 5. Spouse: Mary Wesley 6. Siblings: Charles Wesley, Samuel Wesley 7. Parents: Susanna Wesley, Samuel Wesley

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley

110

Appendix 4/Fig. 2: Charles Wesley: Hymn writer

Born: 18 December 1707 Epworth, Lincolnshire, England Died: 29 March 1788 (Aged 80) Nationality: British Education: Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford Religion: Christian (Anglican/Methodist) Spouse: Sarah Wesley (nee Gwynne) Parents: Samuel and Susannah Wesley Children: Charles Wesley (Jr.), Sarah Wesley, Samuel Wesley Relatives: John Wesley (brother), Mehetabel Wright (sister)

Some Popular Hymns of Charles Wesley

1. Arise my soul arise 2. And Can it Be That I Should Gain 3. Christ the Lord is Risen Today 4. Christ, whose Glory fills the Skies 5. Come O Thou Traveler Unknown 6. Come Thou Long Expected Jesus 7. Depth of Mercy 8. Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee 9. Hail the Day that Sees Him to Thee 10. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 11. Jesus, The Name High Over All 12. Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending 13. O for a Heart to Praise My God 14. O for a Thousand Tongue to Sing 15. Rejoice, the Lord is King 16. Soldier of Christ, Arise 17. Thou Hidden source of Calm Repose 18. Ye Servants of God

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley

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Appendix 5/Fig. 3: George Whitefield: Preacher

1. George Whitefield, also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican

preacher who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the

American colonies.

2. Born: December 16, 1714, Gloucester, United Kingdom

3. Died: September 30, 1770, Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States

4. Education: University of Oxford, Pembroke College, Oxford

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Whitefield

depa rtment of religion and cultural studies, · evangelicalism and founder of methodism. and to...

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