ABSTRACT
It is important at the outset to be clear about what is meant here by ‘Methodism’ and, equally, what is not. In at least what is now regarded as the movement’s first half century, dating its genesis from around 1730, ‘Methodist’ was a term of mild ridicule used of those whose religious behaviour, usually termed ‘enthusiasm’, seemed excessive. If this was a popular usage, it had specific reference to individuals and groups linked to a number of leading personalities, most notably George Whitefield, the Countess of Huntingdon and the brothers John and Charles Wesley. Moreover, during this time the Methodists were essentially (although not universally) part of the national Church of England and any sense of forming separate denominations was generally denied. It should also be recognised that
‘Methodist’ was a term coined and applied by others, which was only reluctantly accepted by participants.
