In the Depths of the Depression

More than two hundred years ago, John Wesley declared: "There is no holiness save social holiness!" He meant thereby to reject an exclusively individualistic version of Christianity, and to affirm his intention to "spread scriptural holiness across the land, and reform the nation." In Wesley's view, the spheres of influence denoted in the biblical terms "sin" and "salvation" thus have communal dimensions which both engage and encompass every individual life. This collection of affirmations of faith, based on sermons delivered from a United Methodist pulpit, stands under the long shadow of Wesley's view. Sin is a corporate and cultural manifestation of separation from God. Salvation occurs through the invasion of God's grace, remaking common life. Preaching describes the separation and announces the invasion.