Category Archives: John Wesley

Methodist Desire

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Richard Heyduck

A while back I mentioned the Methodist General Rules. Briefly summarized they say: First, Do no harm. Second, Do Good. Third, Attend to all the ordinances of God. Let’s consider the first rule in more detail. In context the full … Continue reading →

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Three Simple Rules?

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Richard Heyduck

Since I’m working on a piece on Wesley’s General Rules I reread Rueben Job’s book Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living yesterday afternoon. It’s a tiny book –  fewer than 70 pages. It’s easy to read in a … Continue reading →

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Warm Heart?

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Richard Heyduck

What does it mean to have a “warm heart?

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Thinking about “Once Saved Always Saved” as a Wesleyan

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Richard Heyduck

In our culture Baptists may be the loudest proclaimers of the teaching, but it’s rooted in the Calvinist/Augustinian teaching of the “Perseverance of the Saints.” If salvation is ONLY a matter of what God does, if God’s grace is irresistible, … Continue reading →

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Wrath, Judgment, and Love

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Richard Heyduck

John Wesley said that the only requirement to join the Methodist Societies – the movement was not yet a “church” at that time – was a “desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their … Continue reading →

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Being Human

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Richard Heyduck

Sunday’s message was on theological anthropology – the Christian view of what it means to be human. I made two broad claims: Humans are made in God’s image. Being made in the image of God is better understood functionally or … Continue reading →

Posted in Dallas Willard, Discipleship, John Wesley, Salvation, Sin, United Methodism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Richard Heyduck

The United Methodist Church is, after years of inner dissension, at the beginning of formally breaking up. In some places (like my own Texas Annual Conference), the monetary cost of disaffiliation is low. At the other extreme conferences like Baltimore … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctrine, Ecclesiology, John Wesley, Theology, Uncategorized, United Methodism | Leave a comment

Wesley’s Sermon on The Catholic Spirit

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Richard Heyduck

I’m working through some of Wesley’s works to help United Methodist churches in the discernment process many are in now. Throughout the document, I provide analysis of what Wesley is saying and questions for consideration. My intention is that these … Continue reading →

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Thoughts upon John Wesley’s Thoughts Upon Methodism

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Richard Heyduck

At the current season of division and denominational chaos, many churches in the United Methodist Church are entering an official period of discernment. I think getting back to Wesley is a good thing, so I’m going back to some of … Continue reading →

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United Methodist Congregationalism

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Richard Heyduck

It has been said vigorously and often that United Methodist polity is NOT congregationalist. We have congregations, but our polity is connectional. Congregationalism is the claim that churches are independent, self-defined, self-determined, and self-led before they are connected to other … Continue reading →

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