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This book examines the spiritual experiences of the first British Methodist lay people and the language used to describe those experiences. It reflects on physical manifestations such as shouting, weeping, groaning, visions, and out-of-body experiences and their role in the process of spiritual development. These experiences offer an intimate perspective on the surprisingly holistic origins of the evangelical revival. The study features autobiographical narratives and other first-hand manuscripts in which "ordinary" lay people recount their first impressions of Methodism, their conflicted feelings throughout the conversion process, their approach toward death and dying, and their mixed attitudes toward the task of writing itself. The book will be relevant to scholars of Methodism, evangelicalism and religious history as well as those interested in emotions and religious experience.
List of contents
1 Introduction
2 Early Methodist Media
3 Authoring the Self
4 Sight and the Self
5 Enthusiastic Bodies
6 The Drama of Dying
7 Conclusion
Report
"Erika Stalcup's incisive analysis of early Methodist spiritual experience rehabilitates affective language and the importance of feeling in the Wesleys' movement. The consequent emphasis on holistic transformation gives this study a powerful contemporary resonance, as well as significant historical insight."
Martin Wellings, World Methodist Historical Society, UK
"This book provides a fascinating window into the transformative and holistic spiritual experience of ordinary Methodists, offering new insights into early Methodist spirituality."
Geordan Hammond, Manchester Wesley Research Centre and Nazarene Theological College, UK
