In an age when society (and sometimes even the church) is publicly resisting biblical values, traditional morés, and political conservatism, we are in desperate need of a “resistance to the resistance.” The Wesleyan Resistance is dedicated to equipping Christians from the Wesleyan/holiness theological perspective to resist the downward spiral of culture and the complacency (and sometimes complicity) of the church.
We are the resistance to the resistance!
However, we are NOT a protest movement or a political action movement. We are not anti-government, nor are we anti-Wesleyan or anti-church. This is not a site for simply sharing grievances or complaining about church or civic leaders.
We are a community of Christians embracing a Wesleyan/holiness theological perspective…
- RESISTING the downward spiral of cultural standards of decency and morality
- RESISTING the drifting of the church into moral relativism and theological liberalism
- RESISTING the temptation to disengage from public discourse on living a life of integrity and holiness
We are a coalition of like-minded Christians seeking to impact society through a return of the church to scriptural holiness, starting with ourselves.
This site is for…
- Pastors or retired pastors whose denomination has jumped into the post-modern or Emergent mindsets, abandoning orthodoxy in favor of relevance to the point of compromise
- Lay people whose churches have jumped on the social justice bandwagon and the theological liberalism that often accompanies it
- Unaffiliated Christians not currently attending their church (or any church) because of their disillusionment with the church and its lack of true biblical discipleship
You are welcome here. Your views will not be ridiculed or branded “unholy,” “unspiritual” or “unchristian” simply because they don’t mirror the “Love Wins” sentimentality of today’s church.
About Patty David
Patricia J. David, an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church, served in full-time pastoral ministry for 30 years in Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida. She is the author of “Through the Bible: A Complete Old & New Testament Bible Study” (published by Wesleyan Publishing House in 1995) and over 50 Bible commentaries for the “Wesley Bible Lesson Commentary” series (formerly “Teacher Helps”). She also authored “Building a Household of Faith: A 40-Day Journal for Family Renewal” (published by Wesleyan Publishing House in 1991), “John: Lectio Divina for Youth” (published by Barefoot Ministries in 2007), and numerous articles and devotionals published in The Preacher’s Magazine, The Wesleyan Advocate, Light from the Word, and The Secret Garden.
Patty received her Ph.D. in biblical studies and theology in 2007. After leaving full-time pastoral ministry in 2013, she earned a graduate certificate in instructional design from the University of Wisconsin and went on to study strategic organizational leadership and management through Michigan State University, negotiation through the University of Notre Dame, and human resource management through MSU, all while working in the instructional design industry and gaining expertise in adult learning theory. She managed online bachelor’s, master’s, and certificate programs for Michigan State University and Villanova University before stepping away to start her own instructional design company (GoldStar ID, LLC) in mid-2017.
How The Wesleyan Resistance got started
Patty started this site because she felt Facebook was no longer a safe place to share her views. She watched as time and again those with conservative theological and political views were mocked by Emergent pastors and vocal Christians who couldn’t accept any viewpoint as “Christian” if it didn’t coincide with their own. One denominational leader opined how he didn’t believe it was possible to be a Christian AND a Republican. Another professor from a holiness university ranted that anyone who could not see their “white privilege” was not truly holy and needed to repent. She watched as godly Christian leaders who espoused righteousness and goodness and stood up for political and moral conservativism (including the sanctity of marriage, the lunacy of gender fluidity, the sinfulness of alternative lifestyles, and the atrocities of abortion/infanticide) were ridiculed, cursed, and dismissed as ignorant, often by pastors within their own denominations.
The burning question was, “What do we do?” How do we turn the tide? As the church and society creep closer to Socialism and cast off all absolutes and moral restraints, how should we respond?
- By being the true church.
- By living a life of personal holiness.
- By encouraging one another to grow in faith and knowledge.
- By engaging in discourse together to gain the confidence to engage the world.
God has always preserved a remnant of the faithful, but sometimes they feel alone. Remember Elijah? He was zealous for the Lord, but he felt like he was the only one left. God reminded him, “Yet I reserve 7,000 in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). While Elijah felt isolated and alone, there were thousands who were on his side. Thousands who were faithful. Thousands who had resisted the temptation to kneel before false gods and follow the nation into idolatry.
Christian, are you feeling all alone today? Do you think twice about sharing your views on Facebook or in Bible studies because you’re afraid you’ll be branded as less-than-spiritual simply because you hold conservative viewpoints? What if there were 7,000 people who were with you? What if there were millions? We are being silenced by the loud voices who take to Twitter and Facebook and speak with authority and boldness, denigrating anyone who would dare to disagree. But God still has a remnant of the faithful. You are not alone! And you can make a difference!
Just after Christmas of 2017, Patty stepped outside one morning to have breakfast on the lanai and to read a daily devotional. She quietly spoke the words, “What do I do?” in a sort of half-prayer to the Lord. As she reached out and touched her devotional book, immediately she heard, “The Wesleyan Resistance.” It wasn’t an audible voice, but it was the same emphatic “voice” she had heard years ago when God called her into ministry during her first year of college. It was unmistakable. Instead of reading that morning, she picked up a pen and paper and started writing down all the thoughts flooding her mind about enlisting a community of people who could change the world for the better. This site is the culmination of an intense time of listening and learning and creating. It is her greatest desire that this site becomes a place for believers in holiness and conservativism to join together to help one another to learn and grow and to make an impact on the world around them.
