Grace First: Christian Mission and Prevenient Grace in John Wesley

"This is the most thorough and missiologically sensitive study of John Wesley's doctrine of prevenient grace to appear thus far . . . unprecedented in its scope." -Howard A. Snyder In this thorough and missiologically sensitive study of John Wesley's doctrine of prevenient grace, Chris Payk explores what John Wesley meant and intended by the term "prevenient grace." Tracing the antecedents and sources of Wesley's teaching on prevenient grace more thoroughly than does any prior work, Payk shows that prevenient grace is not a Wesleyan invention; it has long roots in the history of Christian doctrine. However, he also shows that Wesley added nuances and dimensions that have considerable relevance for the church's life and mission today. Payk then creatively combines his historical-doctrinal analysis with a helpful discussion on how this bears strategically and theologically on the church's mission in the twenty-first century. Payk shows that the doctrine of God's infinite graciousness is not a dusty doctrine from the past but a truth of wide relevance today as the gospel of Jesus Christ confronts a vast and varied scene of global religions and cultures. Here is an affirmation of God's grace that is biblical and evangelical, avoiding human hubris on one side and a narrow theistic determinism on the other. The book further expands our appreciation of the continuing relevance of John Wesley's life, witness, and thought. Christopher Payk is an ordained minister with the Free Methodist Church in Canada. He is currently a PhD candidate at National Chengchi University in Taiwan where he has lived with his family for the last ten years.