John and Charles Wesley sought to renew the Church of England by having Christians take seriously that they were called to live holy lives. The Wesleys stressed that every Christian should be sanctified. Sanctification is the term used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit to free our lives from sin. Accordingly John and Charles sought to discover modes of life â?? holiness â?? that would aid Christians in their desire to be freed from sin and on the way to salvation.
Because John and Charles Wesley were so earnest and organized in their desire for holiness, they often were subject to derision and ridicule. At Oxford those who gathered around John Wesley were given the nickname Holy Club. Methodist was originally a name meant to ridicule Wesley for being too â??methodicalâ? in his understanding of how Christians should live. Methodists were labeled by many in the Church of England as â??enthusiasts.â? That was not a compliment; an enthusiast was thought to have a dangerously emotional, nonintellectual understanding of the faith.
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