What hath god wrought: An inquiry into the motives of mission in methodism from John Wesley to James M. Thoburn from the perspective og methodism in Singapore and Malaysia

Abstract

This thesis seeks to examine, elucidate and to a limited extent evaluate the motives of mission in Methodism. The perspective determines the framework, and therefore constitutes the motivational heritage of the received American Methodism in countries like his own to which Methodism came in the end of the nineteenth century. The abiding elements of the Wesleyan heritage are described. The focus moves from the Wesley's and their contemporaries to the second generation Methodist thinkers in England and then to American Methodism from which Methodism in Singapore and Malaysia has descended. The focus shifts to China and India and to Thoburn who was the leader of the mission to 'Malaysia' from India. The missional figures in the procession are John Wesley, Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Francis Asbury, Thomas Coke, Jabez Bunting, Richard Watson, Nathan Bangs, Stephen Olin, William Butler, William Taylor and James M Thoburn. There is some overlap with William F Oldham, Thoburn's younger contemporary, his biographer and founder of the mission in Singapore. In spite of the self-denigration of Methodist theological thinking by Methodists themselves referred to in the Introduction, the writer discovered not only interesting expressions of motivational thought but also a continuum. It was also seen that the Wesleyan Arminianism, or his doctrine of grace or his soteriology, as the writer prefers to call it, was a golden cord, not just a thread, running through the work and writings of the pioneers, the missional organizers and the missionaries themselves. In keeping with Wesleyan soteriology there is an underlying faith in t he divine agency' in the inspiration, process progress and consummation of mission. In keeping also with the freedom to resist grace there has been found a whole literature of 'appeal' or persuasion of the many by a few. The writer believes that a greater understanding of mission as these of the church is needed. The motives are given in extenso and in historical context. They are summarized at different stages and an overview is given in the sixth and last chapter. References are made to contemporaneous, historical and contemporary thinking, which will show that the Methodist missional thinking of the two centuries was often in advance of its time in some respects while in others it lagged behind. The writer has indicated where the church can learn from the past and the pitfalls to guard against. In spite of the eclectic nature of the motives, it was found that in Methodism during this period the gloria Dei was the overriding motive of the mission Dei.