Review: Wesley and Men Who Followed by Iain Murray
P. #: 263, 272 with an author index and general index
Author: Iain Hamish Murray, 1931-
Life: Iain Murray was born, raised, and educated in the United Kingdom, and came to know Christ at the age of eighteen. At the age of nineteen he was commissioned in the British Army and served during the Malayan Emergency; he resigned his commission after six years. After his military service, Murray married Jean Anne Walters and served as assistant to Martyn Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel. In 1957 he and Jack Cullum founded the publishing house The Banner of Truth Trust, of which he is still a trustee.
General info about author: Murray is a minister, author, director, husband, and scholar.
Overall Summary/review:
Like the other books in this series, I was very pleased with the cosmetics of the book. This particular edition was printed in Great Britain. It has beautiful end pages, one gloss image of Wesley, beautiful creamy pages, a nice feeling rounded spine, and of course it is Smyth sewn and cloth bound.
This book brings us from our look at revival from reformed theology into a different category. This is book discusses solely the methodist revivals both during the great awakening and after.
One of the reasons looking at the methodists is important in our understanding of revival is that, despite what we may disagree with, they did pray greatly for revival. There was much prayer to see it and live through it. (p. 10) May we learn from them just as we have been influenced by them (first page of preface)
This book is a manifestation of work that Murray did at a conference where he discussed Wesely. (xiii)
Murray is very fair in telling us the stories without shying from the gross realities of many of them.
Even with Wesley’s good thoughts, there are some very concerning things about him and his beliefs. The most striking being (p. 46).
If Wesley was so wrong in certain areas, some might ask, why even read him? (p. 79)
This book is, however, a great introduction to the history of the time and gives great context to our understanding of Wesley and the Men Who Followed.
Quotes: 24, 36, 37, 89, 90, 176-177,