JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS
DAVE HANSON
John Wesley was initially opposed to the American Revolution for four basic reasons:
- He felt that the American colonists enjoyed many freedoms under British rule. Why should they “destroy ship-loads of tea when settlers of other British territories around the world did not have representation in the English Parliament?”
- Americans are “foaming with rage against England, the king, and their own neighbors who remain loyal to the motherland!” They stand ready to “run a sword through anyone who disagrees.”
- The Revolutionaries allow no “liberty of conscience.” None dare “Print a page, or a line, unless it be conformable to their sentiments.”
- How can Americans “proclaim freedom and still practice slavery?” “The only people who have a right to fight for freedom in America are those who are bound in slavery!”
John Wesley loved the American people, but he was always loyal to England and the crown.
The Rev. Dave Hanson is a retired pastor and John Wesley scholar.
