“What a great story Methodists have to tell about themselves! In
1739, Anglican priest George Whitefield (1714-1770) invited
Anglican priests John and Charles Wesley to join him in preaching an evangelical gospel where it’s most needed (and accepted): not from the pulpits of a church grown complacent and comfortable, but in the streets and fields, wherever the unwashed and unchurched people were. The Wesley brothers joined Whitefield – George and John supplying the preaching and Charles providing the music. This was music the common folk could relate to – down-to-earth songs, lyrics in simple but beautiful English, with a good melody and a good beat, songs with feeling, more like the songs they sang in the pub at night than the high-brow music of the Cathedrals. Even after Whitefield left to travel to America, thousands came to hear John and Charles. People responded powerfully with tears, shrieks, groans and trembling.”
-Brian McLaren, “A Generous Orthodoxy”