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Full-Text Articles in Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
A Wesleyan Understanding Of Proper Self-Love In The Sanctified Life, Kevin Twain Lowery
A Wesleyan Understanding Of Proper Self-Love In The Sanctified Life, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
In Wesleyan theology, Christian perfection (i.e. the life of holiness) entails the fulfillment of the Love Commandments. Holiness is neither pride nor self-loathing, for it requires proper self-esteem. It is the fulfillment of the Love Commandments. Wesley referred to Christian perfection as “love expelling sin,” and we should return to the basic premise that holiness is, first and foremost, loving God supremely and loving others as we love ourselves.
Moral Purity And Moral Progress: The Tension Between Assurance And Perfection In Kant And Wesley, Kevin Twain Lowery
Moral Purity And Moral Progress: The Tension Between Assurance And Perfection In Kant And Wesley, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship – Theology
The quest for perfection can undermine one's sense of assurance, since it requires some dissatisfaction with one's present state. For Kant, assurance is based on our continual moral progress, but divine assistance is required to overcome our radically evil nature. Still, we must merit this assistance, and this seemingly precludes the type of moral purity Kant asserts. Wesley offers a more robust resolution by upholding justification by faith and by recognizing love as the chief moral motive. Once we have assurance that our sins are forgiven, we respond by loving God in return, and this motivates us to pursue perfection.