John Wesley's Understanding of War and Peace: With Reference to the American War of Independence

This article aims to explore John Wesley's Understanding of War and Peace with Reference to the American War of Independence. John Wesley never wrote a comprehensive treatise on the subject on War and Peace. Therefore, his perspective on the subject must be gleaned from his journal, letters, and published tracts. Documents on John Wesley's understanding of sanctification and christian perfection abound, yet it is not easy to reconcile his theological position on perfect love, even to enemies, with his justification of the use of violence under certain circumstances. Wesley defended what is commonly known as jus ad bellum, or the conditions for a just war. He permitted nations to defend themselves against other nations in cases of foreign aggression or cases of internal rebellion. In Wesley's understanding, legitimate political authority was instituted by God. In Wesley's eighteenth century world, the line between Church and State is blurred beyond distinction. For him, love of one's country and love of Church are inseparable. Throughout the American War of Independence, Wesley maintained a strong Royalist position, supporting the British cause against the rebellion of American colonists. He questioned the rights of slaves, women, and children, none of whom would have been represented in the proposed government of the independent colonies. Wesley could imagine no other State whose citizens might possess any greater civil and religious freedom than did the subjects under the English monarchy at that time. Peace with God is central to John Wesley's understanding of the blessings that come to a person who has been born anew through justifying grace and has entered the grace-filled process of becoming holy in love. A work for peace in the world, growing out of the experience of peace with God, is of concern to John Wesley. But He failed to develop this concept and to provide political depth and integration to his understanding of war and peacemaking. Within the American Methodist societies, Wesley's fine line piety and loyalty became an insurmountable chasm. Unlike John Wesley, Freeborn Garrettson and Jesse Lee who cleary sympathized with the American colonial situation, yet still refused to fight on theological grounds. They could not reconcile the biblical demand for perfection with his government's demand to take arms against his brethren under any circumstance.