Methodist Theologians of the 19th Century

David Fry

January 1, 2019

This article is incomplete as part of an ongoing research project. It may be edited by the author at any time.

List of 19th-Century Theologians

Nathan Bangs
William McKendree Bangs
Henry Bidleman Bascom^s
Joseph Agar Beet
Charles Wesley Bennett
Joseph Benson^b
Henry Flesher Bland
Albert Bledsoe
J. M. Boland^s
Beverly Waugh Bond^s (1843-1920)
S. L. Bowman
Borden Parker Bowne
Jabez Bunting^b
Nathaniel Burwash (1839-1918)
Merritt Caldwell
John Carroll
Davis Wasgatt Clark
Adam Clarke^b
Benjamin Franklin Cocker
Silas Comfort
Daniel Curry
Olin A. Curtis
John Dempster
Wilbur Fisk (1792-1839)
Randolph Sinks Foster
Garrettson, Freeborn
Gaussen
Henry Harman
Gilbert Haven
???? Hemenway (cf. Whedon’s OT comm.)
Freeborn Garretson Hibbard
Francis B. Hodgson (1805-1877)
Hilary T. Hudson
Hugh Price Hughes
John Fletcher Hurst
Thomas Jackson^b
David C. Kelley^s
Jesse Lee (1758-1816)
Luther Lee
Asbury Lowry
Lorenzo Dow McCabe^b
John McClintock
Enoch Mather Marvin
James William Mendenhall
Timothy Merritt
John Miley
Thomas Benjamin Neely
Fales Henry Newhall
Stephen Olin
Phoebe Palmer
George Peck
Jesse T. Peck
William Burt Pope^b
Joseph Pullman
Thomas Neely Ralston^s
Marshall Randles
Miner Raymond
Charles Wesley Rishell
Henry C. Sheldon
Asa Shinn
Matthew Simpson
George Smith^s
Daniel Steele
Abel Stevens
John Alfred Story
Thomas Osmond Summers^s (1812-1882)
La Roy Sunderland
Alexander Sutherland (1833-1910)
Milton S. Terry
John J. Tigert^s
Wilbur Fisk Tillett^s
Luther Tracy Townsend
Samuel Wakefield
William Fairfield Warren
Richard Watson^b (1781-1833)
Daniel Denison Whedon
George Washington Wilson
Alexander Winchell

Schools of Theological Thought

British Theologians

Jabez Bunting
Joseph Benson
Adam Clarke
Richard Watson
Thomas Jackson
John Shaw Banks
William Burt Pope
Lorenzo Dow McCabe

Southern Methodists

Thomas Summers
Albert Bledsoe
Wilbur Fisk Tillett
Thomas Ralston
George Smith
J.M. Boland
Henry B. Bascom
Beverly Waugh Bond
David C. Kelley
John J. Tigert

Theological Editors

Timothy Merritt
George Story
Nathan Bangs
John Emory
George Peck
Daniel D. Whedon
Daniel Curry

Frontiersmen

Francis Asbury
Freeborn Garrettson
Asa Shinn

Abolitionists

Luther Lee
Matthew Simpson

The Garrett School

Miner Raymond
Milton Terry
Charles Little

The Drew School

John Miley
Randolph S. Foster
John McClintock
Olin Curtis
Edwin Lewis

The Boston School

William F. Warren
Borden Parker Bowne

The Wesleyan U School

Nathan Bangs
Wilbur Fisk
Stephen Olin

The Holiness Movement

Timothy Merritt
Phoebe Palmer
Daniel Steele
George Peck
Joseph Agar Beet
J. A. Wood

Canadian Theologians

Nathaniel Burwash
Henry Bland

Major Theologians

Only six theologians meet all five criteria and may be called the major theologians of 19^th century Methodism. They include three British theologians—Richard Watson (1781-1833), Adam Clarke (1760-1832), and William Burt Pope (1822-1903)—and three American theologians—John Miley, Daniel D. Whedon, and Randolph S. Foster.

Those who meet four of the five criteria:

Those who meet three of the five criteria:

Each theologian on this list must meet one of the following criteria:

Recognition among peers and historians as having contributed significantly to Methodist thought and life;
Published multiple volumes contributing to Methodist thought and life;
Inclusion of written material in the Conference Course of Study;
Re-publication of most significant work(s) though no magnum opus is necessary;
A biography or Ph.D. dissertation has been written or the author’s works have been collected and published.
Searchable archives of original documents.

Consequently, the headings will appear as follows:

Biography & Significance
Recognition among Peers and Historians
Literary Contributions to Methodist Thought and Life
Inclusion in the Course of Study
Reprinted Publications
Collected Writings and Secondary Literature
Archival Information
Recommendations for Research

Overall, these criteria are in order from the most likely to least likely. The following meet at least one of the given criteria (s = MEC, South; b=British):

A Brief History of the Nineteenth Century

Timeline

1791 Death of John Wesley
1801 Thomas Jefferson becomes the third president of the United States
1801 Ireland and Britain merge to become the United Kingdom
1803 The United States acquires land from the French in the Louisiana Purchase
1804-1813 Russian-Persian War
1804 Napoleon becomes Emperor of France
1804 Steam locomotion begins
1812-1815 War between Britain and the United States
1812 Napoleon and his French Army invade Russia and are defeated
1814 Paris is conquered by the Russians and Prussians.
1848 French Revolution