Week 1: Liberation and Justice
“…while our denomination was born in an antislavery movement, we have sometimes ignored our own heritage and been guilty of both personal and collective racism and prejudice. For this sin, we have collectively repented and asked for God’s forgiveness, and we intend to strive for complete racial reconciliation, for we know that this is the will of God.” ”
A Wesleyan View of Racial Reconciliation
“The fruit of evangelism in a multiracial society ought to be a diverse church, and any lack of diversity when it comes to a specific race or ethnic group should be explored to better understand...” read more
Thoughts Upon Slavery
This pamphlet, written by John Wesley and first distributed in 1774 , is a window into the work Wesley and others did to wake society to the realities of the slave trade and the humanity of enslaved people.
For perspective, future abolitionist William Wilberforce was just a teenager when Wesley wrote this booklet. Wilberforce, raised in a non-religious home, was sent to live with relatives as a young man. The family’s devout Methodist leanings had an effect on the young man (and the future of the English slave trade).
Luther Lee
This book is a compilation of six pamphlets written by Luther Lee, one of the founders of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. Lee, along with Orange Scott, was forced to leave the Methodist Episcopal Church over his anti-slavery views. Lee was a pastor, theologian, and activist. Each of the five sermons speaks to the rich heritage of social reform within the Wesleyan movement that confronted issues such as slavery, women’s rights, and temperance. Source
Extras
WAITE PARK WESLEYAN CHURCH, MINNEAPOLIS
Learn what our good friends have been doing in Minneapolis to address racial divides.
THE GAVEL
This gavel, made from the wood of the dogwood tree on which lay leader Micaijah McPherson was hung and left for dead in pre-Civil War days is now kept safe and used to bring the General Conference of The Wesleyan Church to order every 4 years.