A handful of students at Oxford gather in the shadows of ancient stone halls. Their meetings are disciplined, almost obsessive, yet something about their method will ignite a movement that sweeps continents.The world of eighteenth-century England is about to witness a spiritual experiment with unexpected consequences. In the early seventeen hundreds, England is a nation in flux. Cities like London and Bristol are swelling with new arrivals. The poor crowd into cramped housing, the Church of England is stretched thin, and many feel left behind. Against this backdrop, in seventeen twenty-nine, a small group of undergraduates at Oxford University begin to meet with a singular purpose: to pursue holiness through disciplined study, prayer, and acts of charity. The two best-known members are John Wesley and his younger brother Charles. Their circle is nicknamed the 'Holy Club,' a term that outsiders use with a mix of mockery and awe. But inside, the group embraces the label, organizing their days around systematic Bible reading, fasting, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. Personal piety, for them, is inseparable from social action. According to Methodist historians, these early gatherings set the tone for what would become known as Methodism—a blend of spiritual discipline and care for the marginalized.Aurelius and Malik take on this case in full — 5 chapters, 35 minutes, one complete story.Learn more at: https://thecreedarchive.com/creed/methodism
The Creed Archive Dialogues is part of The Archive Network by Jonkai Ventures. In every episode, curators Aurelius and Malik take one religious tradition and follow it from origin to living practice — one setting out the belief on its own terms, the other pressing on the harder ground.
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