John Wesley na Historia ya Umethodisti — Sehemu ya 5: Charles Wesley, Whitefield na Mzozo wa Wakalvini na WaarminianiJohn Wesley and the History of Methodism — Unit 5: Charles Wesley, Whitefield, and the Calvinist-Arminian Controversy

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Jambo hili ni jema, nalo lakubalika mbele za Mungu Mwokozi wetu; ambaye anapenda watu wote waokolewe, na kufikia ujuzi wa kweli." (1 Timotheo 2:3-4, SUV)"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kueleza maisha ya Charles Wesley na kueleza kwa nini nyimbo zake zilikuwa chombo cha kufundisha cha Umethodisti.1. Describe the life of Charles Wesley and explain why his hymns were a teaching tool of Methodism.

2. Kueleza maisha na kazi ya George Whitefield, na nafasi yake katika mwamko wa awali wa Kimethodisti.2. Describe George Whitefield's life and work, and his place in the early Methodist revival.

3. Kueleza jinsi mitazamo ya Kikalvini na ya Kiwesley kuhusu wokovu inavyotofautiana, ikiwa imeelezwa kama Wakalvini wenyewe wangeieleza.3. Explain how the Calvinist and Wesleyan views of salvation differ, stated as Calvinists themselves would state them.

4. Kutoa majibu ya Kiwesley kutoka Maandiko kwa msimamo wa Kikalvini, na kutaja mambo ambayo Wesley na Wakalvini walikubaliana.4. Give the Wesleyan answers from Scripture to the Calvinist position, and name the points on which Wesley and the Calvinists agreed.

5. Kufuatilia hatua kuu za mzozo huo na kueleza jinsi Wesley na Whitefield walivyobaki marafiki.5. Trace the main stages of the controversy and explain how Wesley and Whitefield remained friends.

Sauti ya Kipindi HikiThe Voice of This Unit

Kipindi hiki kimeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Wesley kwa wanafunzi wa Wesley. Wakristo wengi waaminifu wanaoamini Biblia ni Wakalvini, na hatuna shaka kwamba wanampenda Bwana. Tunaeleza mtazamo wao kama wao wenyewe wangeueleza kisha tunatoa jibu la Kiwesley kutoka Maandiko. Tunashikilia kwamba mtazamo wa Kiwesley uko karibu zaidi na ushuhuda mzima wa Biblia, na tunaushikilia kwa heshima kwa wale wasiokubaliana nao.This unit is written from inside the Wesleyan tradition for Wesleyan students. Many faithful, Bible-believing Christians are Calvinists, and we do not doubt that they love the Lord. We state their view as they would state it and then give the Wesleyan answer from Scripture. We hold that the Wesleyan view is closer to the whole witness of the Bible, and we hold it with respect for those who disagree.

Charles Wesley: Mshairi wa MwamkoCharles Wesley: The Poet of the Revival

Charles Wesley alizaliwa mwaka 1707, mwana mdogo kuliko wote wa Samuel na Susanna. Alisoma Westminster School na Christ Church, Oxford, ambapo alianzisha kikundi kilichokuja kuwa Holy Club. Alikwenda na John Georgia mwaka 1735 kama katibu wa Jenerali Oglethorpe, lakini hakuwa na afya wala furaha huko, na alirudi Uingereza mwaka 1736.Charles Wesley was born in 1707, the youngest son of Samuel and Susanna. He studied at Westminster School and at Christ Church, Oxford, where he began the group that became the Holy Club. He went with John to Georgia in 1735 as secretary to General Oglethorpe, but he was unwell and unhappy there, and he returned to England in 1736.

Tarehe 21 Mei 1738, siku ya Pentekoste, Charles alifikia amani na uhakika wa wokovu katika nyumba moja London, siku tatu kabla ya uzoefu wa John huko Aldersgate Street. Tangu hapo aliandika nyimbo kwa wingi mkubwa. Jumla yake ni maelfu. Aliandika juu ya kuzaliwa kwa Kristo, msalaba wake, ufufuo wake, kuzaliwa upya, uhakika wa wokovu, maisha matakatifu na tumaini la mbinguni. Kati ya zinazojulikana zaidi ni "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "And Can It Be," "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" na "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." Nyingi kati ya hizi bado huimbwa na Wakristo ambao hawajawahi kusikia habari za Umethodisti.On 21 May 1738, the day of Pentecost, Charles came to peace and assurance in a house in London, three days before John's experience on Aldersgate Street. From then on he wrote hymns in great numbers. The total is in the thousands. He wrote about the birth of Christ, His cross, His resurrection, the new birth, assurance, holy living and the hope of heaven. Among the best known are "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "And Can It Be," "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" and "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." Many of these are still sung by Christians who have never heard of Methodism.

Kwa nini nyimbo zilikuwa na maanaWhy the hymns mattered

Katika karne ya kumi na nane, wengi wa watu waliojiunga na jumuiya hawakujua kusoma vizuri. Walijifunza imani kwa kuiimba. Nyimbo za Charles ziliweka kweli kuu za Maandiko katika mashairi yanayoweza kukumbukwa: upendo wa Mungu kwa wote, wokovu kwa imani, ushuhuda wa Roho, na tumaini la kufanywa wakamilifu katika upendo. "mkisemezana kwa zaburi na nyimbo na tenzi za rohoni; mkimwimbia Bwana na kumshangilia kwa mioyo yenu" (Waefeso 5:19). John Wesley alihariri na kuchapisha makusanyo ya nyimbo hizo, na mkusanyiko wa mwaka 1780 ukawa kitabu cha kawaida cha nyimbo cha Kimethodisti. Wamethodisti walikuwa watu wa kuimba, na walijifunza theolojia yao kwa wimbo. Kozi ya 4 inaeleza ibada ya Kiwesley kwa upana zaidi.In the eighteenth century many of the people who joined the societies could not read well. They learned the faith by singing it. Charles's hymns put the great truths of Scripture into verse that could be remembered: God's love for all, salvation by faith, the witness of the Spirit, and the hope of being made perfect in love. "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19). John Wesley edited and published collections of the hymns, and the 1780 collection became the standard Methodist hymn book. The Methodists were a singing people, and they learned their theology in song. Course 4 treats Wesleyan worship more fully.

Charles alimwoa Sarah Gwynne mwaka 1749, na baadaye alifanya makao yake Bristol kisha London. Alifariki mwaka 1788. Alibaki ameshikamana kabisa na Kanisa la Uingereza, na alihuzunika ndugu yake alipowaweka wakfu wahudumu kwa ajili ya Marekani mwaka 1784. Wanahistoria wakati mwingine huwatofautisha ndugu hao wawili: John mpangaji, Charles mshairi; John tayari kuelekea kanisa tofauti, Charles akisita. Kuna ukweli katika hili. Lakini wawili hao walisimama pamoja juu ya injili waliyoihubiri, na vuguvugu la Kimethodisti lilihitaji wote wawili.Charles married Sarah Gwynne in 1749, and later made his home in Bristol and then in London. He died in 1788. He remained firmly attached to the Church of England, and he was grieved when his brother ordained ministers for America in 1784. Historians sometimes contrast the two brothers: John the organizer, Charles the poet; John willing to move toward a separate church, Charles holding back. There is truth in this. But the two stood together on the gospel they preached, and the Methodist movement needed both.

George Whitefield: Mhubiri MkuuGeorge Whitefield: The Great Preacher

George Whitefield alizaliwa mwaka 1714 huko Gloucester, Uingereza, mwana wa mwenye nyumba ya wageni. Alikwenda Pembroke College, Oxford, ambapo alijiunga na Holy Club akiwa mwanafunzi maskini. Karibu mwaka 1735 alikuja kwenye imani hai katika Kristo, na mwaka 1736 alipewa daraja katika Kanisa la Uingereza. Mahubiri yake yalikuwa ya kuigiza, ya sauti kubwa na ya joto, na makutano yalimfuata.George Whitefield was born in 1714 in Gloucester, England, the son of an innkeeper. He went to Pembroke College, Oxford, where he joined the Holy Club as a poor student. About 1735 he came to a living faith in Christ, and in 1736 he was ordained in the Church of England. His preaching was dramatic, loud and warm, and crowds followed him.

Mwaka 1738 alikwenda Georgia, ambako alipanga makao ya yatima aliyoyafungua mwaka 1740. Mnamo Februari 1739 alianza kuhubiri nje huko Kingswood, kama tulivyoona katika Kipindi cha 4. Alivuka Atlantiki mara nyingi na kuhubiri katika makoloni ya Marekani kwa makutano makubwa, katika mwamko ambao wanahistoria huuita Great Awakening (Mwamko Mkuu). Alifariki mwaka 1770 huko Newburyport, Massachusetts, akiwa katika ziara yake ya mwisho.In 1738 he went to Georgia, where he planned an orphan house that he opened in 1740. In February 1739 he began preaching in the open air at Kingswood, as we saw in Unit 4. He crossed the Atlantic many times and preached in the American colonies to great crowds, in the revival that historians call the Great Awakening. He died in 1770 at Newburyport, Massachusetts, while on his last tour.

Whitefield alishikilia mafundisho ya Kikalvini. Aliamini katika uteule usio na masharti, na alikuwa rafiki wa dhati wa akina Wesley. Jina lake ni ukumbusho kwamba mwamko wa awali wa Kimethodisti ulikuwa mpana kuliko akina Wesley peke yao. Wamethodisti wa Kikalvini huko Wales, walioongozwa na watu kama Howell Harris na Daniel Rowland, walikuwa wameanza kazi yao katika miaka ya 1730, na wafuasi wa Whitefield waliunda jumuiya zao wenyewe huko Uingereza. Lady Huntingdon, mwanamke mtukufu, baadaye aliunga mkono makanisa na wahubiri wa Kimethodisti wa Kikalvini katika Connexion inayobeba jina lake.Whitefield held Calvinist doctrine. He believed in unconditional election, and he was a sincere friend of the Wesleys. His name is a reminder that the early Methodist revival was wider than the Wesleys alone. Calvinistic Methodists in Wales, led by men such as Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland, had begun their work in the 1730s, and Whitefield's supporters formed their own societies in England. Lady Huntingdon, a noblewoman, later supported Calvinistic Methodist chapels and preachers in the Connexion that bears her name.

Mzozo Huu Unahusu Nini?What Is the Controversy About?

Tofauti hii ni ya zamani zaidi kuliko Wesley. Inarudi kwa mwanatheolojia Mholanzi Jacobus Arminius, aliyefariki mwaka 1609 na aliyetilia shaka umbo kali la uteuzi wa mapema (predestination) lililofundishwa katika baadhi ya duru za Reformed. Wafuasi wake walilaaniwa kwenye Sinodi ya Dort mwaka 1618-1619, na msimamo wa Kikalvini ukafupishwa katika hoja tano. Huko Uingereza mjadala huo huo uliendelea ndani ya Kanisa la Uingereza, na Wesley alichukua upande wa Arminius, ingawa alisema alifikia mtazamo wake kwa kusoma Maandiko, si kwa kusoma Arminius.The disagreement is much older than Wesley. It goes back to the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, who died in 1609 and who questioned the strict form of predestination taught in some Reformed circles. His followers were condemned at the Synod of Dort in 1618-1619, and the Calvinist position was summarized in five points. In England the same debate went on within the Church of England, and Wesley took the side of Arminius, though he said he came to his view by reading Scripture, not by reading Arminius.

Msimamo wa Kikalvini, ukieleweka kwa hakiThe Calvinist position, fairly stated

Wakalvini wanafundisha kwamba Mungu ni mkuu katika wokovu. Kwa sababu ya anguko kila mtu amekufa kiroho, hawezi kumgeukia Mungu. Kabla ya ulimwengu kuanza Mungu alichagua watu fulani, si kwa sababu aliona mbele imani yao, bali kwa rehema yake ya hiari. Kristo alikufa ili kuhakikisha wokovu wa wale waliochaguliwa. Roho huwaita kwa njia isiyoshindwa, nao hutunzwa hadi mwisho. Kwa Wakalvini kusudi la haya yote ni kwamba wokovu uwe wa neema kabisa, na Mungu peke yake apate utukufu. Wanarejea vifungu kama Waefeso 1:4-5, Warumi 8:29-30 na 9:10-24, na Yohana 6:37 na 6:44.Calvinists teach that God is sovereign in salvation. Because of the fall every person is spiritually dead, unable to turn to God. Before the world began God chose some persons, not because He foresaw their faith, but by His free mercy. Christ died to secure the salvation of those chosen. The Spirit calls them in a way that does not fail, and they are kept to the end. For Calvinists the purpose of all this is that salvation may be wholly of grace, and God alone may have the glory. They appeal to passages such as Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 8:29-30 and 9:10-24, and John 6:37 and 6:44.

Wesley na Wakalvini wanapokubalianaWhere Wesley and the Calvinists agree

Makubaliano ni makubwa. Wesley alishikilia pamoja na Wanamatengenezo kwamba wote wametenda dhambi na hawana msaada kwa asili, kwamba tunahesabiwa haki kwa imani peke yake na si kwa matendo, kwamba kifo cha Kristo ndicho msingi pekee wa msamaha, na kwamba wokovu ni zawadi ya Mungu kabisa. Whitefield na Wesley walihubiri ujumbe ule ule wa kuzaliwa upya. Wesley alisema kwamba katika kweli hizi alikuwa karibu na Wakalvini kwa upana wa unywele. Ndiyo maana waliweza kufanya kazi pamoja mwanzoni.The agreement is large. Wesley held with the Reformers that all have sinned and are helpless by nature, that we are justified by faith alone and not by works, that Christ's death is the only ground of forgiveness, and that salvation is wholly the gift of God. Whitefield and Wesley preached the same message of the new birth. Wesley said that on these truths he was within a hair's breadth of the Calvinists. This is why they could work together at first.

Wesley alipotofautianaWhere Wesley differed

Wesley alipingana nao katika mambo manne. Alifundisha kwamba Kristo alikufa kwa ajili ya watu wote, si kwa wateule tu. Alifundisha kwamba uteule uko katika Kristo na umewekewa sharti la imani, ambayo Mungu huiona mapema. Alifundisha kwamba neema ya Mungu inaweza kukataliwa. Na alifundisha kwamba mwamini wa kweli anayeacha kuamini anaweza kuanguka, ingawa Mungu yuko tayari kumrudisha akitubu. Kozi ya 2 inashughulikia kila moja kwa urefu; kipindi hiki kinatoa kiini cha jambo hilo.Wesley disagreed on four points. He taught that Christ died for all people, not only for the elect. He taught that election is in Christ and is conditioned on faith, which God foresees. He taught that the grace of God can be resisted. And he taught that a true believer who ceases to believe may fall away, though God is ready to restore him if he repents. Course 2 treats each of these at length; this unit gives the heart of the matter.

Mzozo UnavyoendeleaThe Controversy Unfolds

Ugomvi ulizuka mwaka 1739. Mwezi Aprili mwaka huo Wesley alihubiri mahubiri huko Bristol juu ya andiko "Yeye ambaye hakumhurumia Mwana wake mwenyewe" (Warumi 8:32), nayo yalichapishwa kwa jina Free Grace (Neema ya Bure). Ndani yake alihoji kwamba fundisho la uteule usio na masharti hufanya kuhubiri kuwa bure, hudhoofisha utakatifu na hupotosha tabia ya Mungu. Whitefield, aliyekuwa Amerika wakati huo, alisumbuka. Mwaka 1741 alijibu kwa barua ya wazi. Watu hao wawili waligawanya kazi zao. Wafuasi wa Whitefield waliunda jumuiya zao, na akina Wesley waliunda zao.The quarrel broke out in 1739. In April of that year Wesley preached a sermon at Bristol on the text "He who did not spare His own Son" (Romans 8:32), and it appeared in print as Free Grace. In it he argued that the doctrine of unconditional election makes preaching useless, undermines holiness and misrepresents the character of God. Whitefield, then in America, was troubled. In 1741 he answered in an open letter. The two men separated their work. Whitefield's followers formed their own societies, and the Wesleys formed theirs.

Hisia chungu za wakati ule zilikuwa za kweli, na baadhi ya maneno yaliyochapishwa pande zote mbili hayakuwa na fadhili. Lakini watu hao wawili hawakuwa adui. Waliendelea kuandikiana na kukutana. Whitefield alipofariki mwaka 1770, alikuwa amemwomba Wesley ahubiri mahubiri ya mazishi yake huko London, na Wesley alifanya hivyo. Alisema kwa joto juu ya kazi ya Whitefield na upendo wake.The bitter feelings of that time were real, and some of the printed words on both sides were unkind. But the two men were not enemies. They continued to correspond and to meet. When Whitefield died in 1770, he had asked Wesley to preach the sermon at his funeral in London, and Wesley did. He spoke warmly of Whitefield's work and his love.

Duru ya pili ilikuja mwaka 1770 na 1771. Mkutano Mkuu wa Wesley wa mwaka 1770 ulichapisha kumbukumbu juu ya nafasi ya matendo katika maisha ya Kikristo, na baadhi ya Wakalvini walidhani kauli hizo zilirudi kwenye wokovu kwa matendo. Mzozo uliofuata, pamoja na Walter Shirley, Augustus Toplady na wengine, ulikuwa mkali. Jibu muhimu zaidi la Kiwesley lilitoka kwa John Fletcher wa Madeley, kasisi wa Kianglikana mzaliwa wa Uswisi, katika Checks to Antinomianism (Vizuizi dhidi ya Kupinga Sheria). Fletcher alihoji kwamba neema na utii vinaenda pamoja, na kwamba fundisho la neema linalofanya utakatifu kuwa wa hiari si injili. Kazi yake bado ni kipimo cha theolojia ya Kiwesley.A second round came in 1770 and 1771. Wesley's Conference of 1770 published minutes on the place of works in the Christian life, and some Calvinists thought the statements had gone back to salvation by works. The controversy that followed, with Walter Shirley, Augustus Toplady and others, was sharp. The most important Wesleyan reply came from John Fletcher of Madeley, a Swiss-born Anglican priest, in his Checks to Antinomianism. Fletcher argued that grace and obedience belong together, and that a doctrine of grace that makes holiness optional is not the gospel. His work remains a standard of Wesleyan theology.

Majibu ya KiwesleyThe Wesleyan Answers

Tunaeleza kwa ufupi majibu makuu ya Kiwesley.We state the main Wesleyan answers briefly.

Mungu anataka wote waokolewe. Maandiko yasema mahali pengi kwamba mapenzi ya Mungu ya kuokoa yanawafikia watu wote. "Maana jinsi hii Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu, hata akamtoa Mwanawe pekee, ili killa mtu amwaminiye asipotee, bali awe na uzima wa milele" (Yohana 3:16). "Bwana hakawii kuitimiza ahadi yake, kama wengine wanavyodhani kuwa amekawia; bali huvumilia kwenu, hapendi mtu ye yote apotee, bali wote wafikilie toba" (2 Petro 3:9). "Maana neema ya Mungu imekwisha kuonekana, ikileta wokovu kwa watu wote" (Tito 2:11). Hatuwezi kufanya "wote" na "ulimwengu" wa mistari hii kumaanisha baadhi tu.God desires all to be saved. Scripture says in many places that God's saving will extends to all people. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). We cannot make the "all" and the "world" of these verses mean only some.

Uteule ni wa kweli, na uko katika Kristo. Hatukatai uteule. Petro anaandika kwa wale "walioteuliwa kama kuujua tangu zamani kwake Mungu Baba" (1 Petro 1:2). Wawesley wanausoma uteule kama chaguo la Mungu la watu katika Kristo, ambao kila mtu anaweza kuingia kwa imani, nao wanachukulia kujua kwa Mungu mapema kujumuisha kujua kwake nani atakayeitikia. Warumi 9 inashughulikia haki ya Mungu ya kuchagua jinsi atakavyozibariki mataifa, na Paulo anahitimisha kwa swali la kwa nini Israeli hawakuamini, analolijibu kwa kusema hawakutafuta haki kwa imani (Warumi 9:30-32).Election is real, and it is in Christ. We do not deny election. Peter writes to those "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Peter 1:2). Wesleyans read election as God's choice of a people in Christ, which every person may enter by faith, and they take God's foreknowledge to include His knowledge of who will respond. Romans 9 deals with God's right to choose how He will bless the nations, and Paul concludes with the question of why Israel did not believe, which he answers by saying they did not seek righteousness by faith (Romans 9:30-32).

Neema haipatikani kwa kustahili. Hofu ya Wakalvini ni kwamba imani ikiwa tendo la mwanadamu, basi mwenye dhambi anachangia wokovu wake mwenyewe. Wesley anajibu kwa neema itutangulizayo (prevenient grace). Kwa asili hatuwezi kumgeukia Mungu. Lakini Mungu humrudishia kila mtu uhuru wa kutosha wa kuitikia. Yesu alisema, "Name nikiinuliwa juu kutoka duniani, nitawavuta watu wote kwangu" (Yohana 12:32). Mwenye dhambi anayekubali zawadi hajaipata kwa kustahili; ombaomba anayechukua mkate hajaulipia. Uwezo na imani vyote ni zawadi ya Mungu, na utukufu unabaki wake.Grace is not earned. The Calvinist fear is that if faith is a human act, then the sinner contributes to his own salvation. Wesley answers with prevenient grace. By nature we cannot turn to God. But God restores to every person enough freedom to respond. Jesus said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" (John 12:32). The sinner who accepts the gift has not earned it; a beggar who takes bread has not paid for it. Both the ability and the faith are God's gift, and the glory remains His.

Tabia ya Mungu. Wesley aliamini kwamba fundisho la kutupwa milele (eternal reprobation), linalowapita baadhi na kuwaacha bila tumaini, haliwezi kupatanishwa na Mungu ambaye ni upendo (1 Yohana 4:8). Hiyo ndiyo ilikuwa nguvu ya Free Grace.The character of God. Wesley believed that a doctrine of eternal reprobation, which passes by some and leaves them without hope, cannot be reconciled with the God who is love (1 John 4:8). That was the force of Free Grace.

Roho ya MzozoThe Spirit of the Controversy

Wesley hakutaka kuacha jambo hilo likiwa vitani. Katika mahubiri "Catholic Spirit" (Roho ya Ulimwengu Mzima), yaliyohubiriwa mwaka 1750, alifundisha kwamba wale wanaotofautiana katika maoni bado wanaweza kushikana mikono kwa upendo, kwa ajili ya Bwana mmoja. Alitofautisha kati ya mafundisho muhimu ambayo Wakristo wote wanashikilia na maoni ambayo waumini wanaweza kutofautiana. Tunashikilia kwamba mtazamo wa Kiwesley wa wokovu ndio wa kibiblia. Lakini hatufanyi makubaliano juu yake kuwa sharti la ushirika. Wachungaji wa Kikalvini, wengi wao watumishi wapendwa wa Kristo, wanafanya kazi kando yetu katika miji hiyo hiyo.Wesley did not wish to leave the matter at war. In the sermon "Catholic Spirit," preached in 1750, he taught that those who differ in opinion may still join hand in hand in love, for the sake of the one Lord. He distinguished between essential doctrines that all Christians hold and opinions on which believers may differ. We hold that the Wesleyan view of salvation is the biblical one. But we do not make agreement on it a condition of fellowship. Calvinist pastors, many of them dear servants of Christ, work beside us in the same towns.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Kijana kutoka kanisa lenu anarudi kutoka mkutano wa wachungaji wa Reformed. Anakwambia kwa shauku kwamba Mungu amechagua watu fulani tu kwa wokovu na kwamba umedanganywa. Anasumbuliwa na wazo kwamba baba yake ambaye hajaokoka huenda hakuchaguliwa kamwe.A young man from your church returns from a conference of Reformed pastors. He tells you excitedly that God has chosen only some people for salvation and that you have been deceived. He is troubled by the thought that his unsaved father may never have been chosen.

Kwanza, humjadili mara moja. Unamshukuru kwa bidii yake kwa utukufu wa Mungu, ambayo ni jambo jema.First, you do not argue with him on the spot. You thank him for his zeal for the glory of God, which is a good thing.

Pili, unamwongoza kwenye 1 Timotheo 2:3-4, Yohana 3:16 na 2 Petro 3:9, na kumwuliza ayasikie maneno haya kwa maana yake wazi.Second, you take him to 1 Timothy 2:3-4, John 3:16 and 2 Peter 3:9, and ask him how to hear these words in their plain sense.

Tatu, unamkumbusha kwamba Mungu hajawaacha wenye dhambi peke yao: Yesu "ameinuliwa," naye huwavuta wote kwake. Baba yake bado anaweza kuombewa na kuvutwa kwa Kristo.Third, you remind him that God has not left sinners alone: Jesus is "lifted up," and He draws all to Himself. His father can still be prayed for and won.

Nne, unamwambia kwamba Wakalvini ni ndugu katika Kristo na kwamba Whitefield na Wesley, waliotofautiana juu ya jambo hili hasa, walipendana. Unaacha mlango wazi, na unamwomba aendelee kusoma Maandiko kabla ya kitabu chochote.Fourth, you tell him that Calvinists are brothers in Christ and that Whitefield and Wesley, who differed on exactly this, loved each other. You keep the door open, and you ask him to keep reading Scripture before any book.

MuhtasariSummary

Charles Wesley (1707-1788) aliandika maelfu ya nyimbo zilizowafundisha Wamethodisti imani kwa wimbo, naye alibaki mwaminifu kwa Kanisa la Uingereza. George Whitefield (1714-1770), Mkalvini na mwanachama wa Holy Club, alikuwa mhubiri mkuu wa nje huko Uingereza na Marekani. Wakalvini wanafundisha uteule usio na masharti, upatanisho wenye kikomo, neema isiyozuilika na uvumilivu wa wateule, ili wokovu uwe wa neema kabisa. Wesley alikubaliana nao juu ya dhambi, kuhesabiwa haki kwa imani na utukufu wa Mungu, lakini alifundisha kwamba Kristo alikufa kwa ajili ya wote, kwamba uteule uko katika Kristo kwa njia ya imani, kwamba neema inaweza kukataliwa, na kwamba mwamini anaweza kuanguka. Mzozo ulizuka mwaka 1739 kwa mahubiri ya Free Grace, ukayatenganisha mavuguvugu mawili, na ukaibuka tena mwaka 1770 na 1771, wakati Fletcher alipojibu katika Checks to Antinomianism. Wesley alihubiri mahubiri ya mazishi ya Whitefield. Kwa roho ya Kiwesley tunashikilia msimamo wetu kwa uthabiti, tunawaheshimu ndugu zetu Wakalvini, na tunadumisha ushirika katika Bwana mmoja.Charles Wesley (1707-1788) wrote thousands of hymns that taught Methodists the faith by song, and he remained loyal to the Church of England. George Whitefield (1714-1770), a Calvinist and Holy Club member, was a great open-air preacher in Britain and America. Calvinists teach unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the elect, so that salvation may be wholly of grace. Wesley agreed with them on sin, justification by faith and the glory of God, but taught that Christ died for all, that election is in Christ through faith, that grace can be resisted, and that a believer can fall away. The controversy broke out in 1739 with the sermon Free Grace, separated the two movements, and flared again in 1770 and 1771, when Fletcher answered in Checks to Antinomianism. Wesley preached Whitefield's funeral sermon. In the Wesleyan spirit we hold our view firmly, honor our Calvinist brothers, and keep fellowship in the one Lord.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Charles Wesley, nyimbo, katika A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (Mkusanyiko wa Nyimbo kwa Matumizi ya Watu Wanaoitwa Wamethodisti) (1780).• Charles Wesley, hymns, in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780).

• John Wesley, Mahubiri "Free Grace" (Neema ya Bure).• John Wesley, Sermon "Free Grace."

• John Wesley, Predestination Calmly Considered (Uteuzi wa Mapema Ukichunguzwa kwa Utulivu) (1752).• John Wesley, Predestination Calmly Considered (1752).

• John Wesley, Mahubiri "Catholic Spirit" (Roho ya Ulimwengu Mzima).• John Wesley, Sermon "Catholic Spirit."

• John Fletcher, Checks to Antinomianism (Vizuizi dhidi ya Kupinga Sheria).• John Fletcher, Checks to Antinomianism.

• George Whitefield, Journals (Shajara).• George Whitefield, Journals.

• Holiness Through the Ages (Utakatifu Katika Karne Zote) (Coleman, Danielson na Parry), kitabu cha kiada cha CTS.• Holiness Through the Ages (Coleman, Danielson and Parry), the CTS textbook.

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