Social Holiness: Why Methodism Emphasizes Community

John Wesley wrote in the preface to his 1739 collection of hymns: 'The gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.' This sentence has been quoted to support nearly every political program from abolitionism to the Social Gospel to liberation theology. But what did Wesley actually mean? Understanding the phrase in context recovers its true significance.

What Wesley Did Not Mean

Wesley was not saying that Christian holiness is primarily about social reform or political engagement. The 'social' in 'social holiness' does not primarily mean 'society' in the modern sense. In Wesley's eighteenth-century context, 'social' meant 'communal' or 'involving other persons.' His immediate concern was with quietists and religious hermits who thought holiness could be achieved in solitary withdrawal from the Christian community.

The Class Meeting System

Wesley's genius was organizational. He divided his Methodist societies into bands and classes of a dozen or so people who met weekly. In these meetings, members were expected to answer hard questions: 'What known sins have you committed since our last meeting? What temptations have you met with? How were you delivered? What have you thought, said, or done of which you doubt whether it be sin or not?' This was accountability for holiness - social, communal, rigorous.

Holiness and Social Concern

At the same time, Wesley would not have separated personal holiness from social engagement as sharply as some later critics suggest. His movement was deeply engaged with the poor. He established schools, medical dispensaries, and loan funds. He wrote tracts against the slave trade. He organized his people to visit prisoners. For Wesley, love of neighbor was not a separate program from sanctification - it was its necessary outward expression.

The Lesson for Today

Wesley's insight is that sanctification requires community. We cannot grow in holiness alone. We need people who know our real struggles, who will pray for us, call us to account, and reflect the love of Christ to us in tangible ways. The accountability group, the small group, the band meeting - these are not supplementary programs. They are the normal means through which Christian maturity develops. No holiness, indeed, but social holiness.