By Ryan Danker, Juicy Ecumenism.
“Experience is sufficient to confirm a doctrine which is grounded in Scripture.”
Experience has always played a vital part within the Wesleyan movement. From that still small voice heard in prayer to the ecstatic encounter of worship, the early Methodists placed great emphasis on experiencing the transforming love of God. This is why John Wesley penned the words above in his sermon, “The Witness of the Spirit, II.”
Not every tradition within Christianity places such emphasis on experience. But as the Wesley brothers (and many others) were swept up in the Evangelical Revival, experience became a hallmark of the movement. We can read about the experiences of conversion, assurance, and even entire sanctification in many of the testimonies left by the early Methodists. And I encourage you to read them. These testimonies were inspiring then, and they’re inspiring now.
The Incarnation of Christ is at the heart of our faith, and so experience of Christ should be a part of the Christian life. St. John wrote about this in the first few verses 1 John when he talked about seeing, touching, beholding (i.e. experiencing) the Word of life. By the power of the Spirit, we continue to experience Christ, in the means of grace and most notably in the sacraments.
But what role does experience play when it comes to doctrine and the Christian life? This has always been a challenge for an experience-oriented movement. In the Fetter Lane Society where the Wesley brothers, Whitefield, and others first gathered at the beginning of the Revival, experience got out of hand. A group called the “French Prophets” became a part of the Society and made claims to ecstatic visions. One of these “prophets” claimed to have had a vision telling her who in the society should be married to who, including people already married! She broke up marriages. This ended when Charles Wesley came in and swiftly brought an end to the scheme; he was often leery of too much emphasis on experience.