Charles Wesley is not known as a theologian. He’s known as a hymnist. Yet, his hymns and poems are filled with rich theology.
If you simply read his hymns, you’ll see a glimpse of the theology expressed. If you’re looking for resources or collections of Charles Wesley’s hymns, you can check out the hymns resource page.
These resources are the best I’ve found for exploring the theology of Charles Wesley as expressed in his hymns.
Lyrical Theology
My favorite resource on Charles Wesley’s theology expressed in his hymns is by Kimbrough, titled The Lyrical Theology of Charles Wesley.
This book is both informative and enjoyable. If you’re looking for a great place to start, this is where I’d recommend.
Poet and Theologian
A more scholarly resource than Kimbrough’s Lyrical Theology is the volume he edited, titled Charles Wesley: Poet and Theologian.
This volume is a collection of essays by ten different scholars. It attempts to shed new light on Charles Wesley and to correct some misunderstandings that have existed for a long time.
This is an important book for any serious student of the life and ministry of Charles Wesley.
Theology In Hymns?
Teresa Berger is one of the contributors in the excellent resource listed above (Poet and Theologian).
She also published her own study on what many view as the most important collection of Charles Wesley’s hymns: A Collection of Hymns For The Use of The People Called Methodists (1780).
This book is titled Theology in Hymns?
It is a scholarly and detailed examination of the expressed theology of Charles Wesley. It was based off a dissertation and it certainly reads that way.
I don’t recommend this resource to the casual reader of Charles Wesley. But if you are looking for an in-depth and important examination of theological themes, this is a good resource for you.
Evangelical Doctrines
This is the book that got the study of theology expressed in Charles Wesley’s hymns off the ground.
J. Ernest Rattenbury’s The Evangelical Doctrines of Charles Wesley’s Hymns is foundational to this area of study.
Theology of Field-Preaching
Chapter 11 of Gate Crashers: The Offensive Church is a study of the theology of Charles Wesley as it pertains to his open-air preaching. It traces key doctrines that led Charles Wesley into the controversial practice of preaching in the open-air like his contemporary, George Whitefield.
There is also a short appendix which discusses some of the important sources of information on Charles Wesley. Many of those are also suggested in these best resources pages.