The paper I'm giving in Philadelphia (at the 'Liverpool Hope - Manchester University Seminar on Early Methodism' at the AAR) is called 'The suffering members sympathise': sympathy and its limits in the hymns of Charles Wesley. In this paper I'm looking at the construction of sympathy in the hymns of Charles Wesley, as a way of illuminating the complicated relationship between the culture of early Methodism and the 'culture of sympathy' in eighteenth-century England. If that doesn't make you fall asleep, read on...
Many historians have pointed out that eighteenth-century English culture placed an increasingly high value on sensibility or sympathy (broadly defined as an ability to identify with, and thus respond emotionally to/understand another person's situation). Influential philosophers like Adam Smith argued for sympathy as a natural 'moral sense' that could provide a firm basis for the moral society. Novelists like Samuel Richardson wrote 'sentimental' novels that used heart-wrenching descriptions of the trials of the protagonist to move readers to sympathy. Adapting these techniques, reformers published detailed descriptions of the sufferings of slaves or factory workers or prisoners to move their readers to sympathy and thus, hopefully, action.
The relationship between this 'culture of sympathy' (in itself a far more complex phenomenon than my brief description suggests) and the culture of early Methodism is a vexed question. Evangelicals used the language of sensibility to preach their message and call for reform. Methodism proclaimed itself a 'religion of the heart'. There was an underlying philosophical tension, however, between the idea that people were naturally sympathetic (and thus potentially moral) and the evangelical conviction that people needed rescuing from their natural selves. If treated as a moral guide, sympathy could lead the individual astray. Influential evangelicals like Hannah More attacked sensibility on these grounds.
The hymns of Charles Wesley provide a valuable resource for exploring this complicated relationship. Wesley's hymns were ubiquitous within early Methodist culture, and functioned as a spiritual tool through which emotions were evoked and shaped for spiritual benefit. They are also full of explorations of the meaning and significance of sympathy. I argue that Wesley developed a christological interpretation of sympathy that gave it enormous significance within Christian life and fellowship. The hymns construct the ideal Methodist as one who is profoundly sympathetic to the sufferings of others. I suggest that recognising this construction that may help illuminate the nature of early Methodist relationships, as well as Methodist responsiveness to reform campaigns that relied on the evocation of sympathy.
While sympathy is given great significance in Wesley's hymns, it is also given clear limits, which stem from its christological construction. Human sympathy must never be relied upon to provide those ultimate needs that only God can provide. Sympathy in the hymns may be humanitarian, but it can never be humanist.
The interesting question for me (which I won't address in my paper) is how all this relates to evangelical culture today. The question of sympathy is an underlying theme in many theological debates (the most obvious example is with relation to homosexuality - is sympathy for gay people a danger or a necessary step towards understanding? But also arguments about hell - how could a sympathetic God possibly allow people to be punished forever? And the preaching vs. social justice tussle). Maybe it will come up in the question time!
Many historians have pointed out that eighteenth-century English culture placed an increasingly high value on sensibility or sympathy (broadly defined as an ability to identify with, and thus respond emotionally to/understand another person's situation). Influential philosophers like Adam Smith argued for sympathy as a natural 'moral sense' that could provide a firm basis for the moral society. Novelists like Samuel Richardson wrote 'sentimental' novels that used heart-wrenching descriptions of the trials of the protagonist to move readers to sympathy. Adapting these techniques, reformers published detailed descriptions of the sufferings of slaves or factory workers or prisoners to move their readers to sympathy and thus, hopefully, action.
The relationship between this 'culture of sympathy' (in itself a far more complex phenomenon than my brief description suggests) and the culture of early Methodism is a vexed question. Evangelicals used the language of sensibility to preach their message and call for reform. Methodism proclaimed itself a 'religion of the heart'. There was an underlying philosophical tension, however, between the idea that people were naturally sympathetic (and thus potentially moral) and the evangelical conviction that people needed rescuing from their natural selves. If treated as a moral guide, sympathy could lead the individual astray. Influential evangelicals like Hannah More attacked sensibility on these grounds.
The hymns of Charles Wesley provide a valuable resource for exploring this complicated relationship. Wesley's hymns were ubiquitous within early Methodist culture, and functioned as a spiritual tool through which emotions were evoked and shaped for spiritual benefit. They are also full of explorations of the meaning and significance of sympathy. I argue that Wesley developed a christological interpretation of sympathy that gave it enormous significance within Christian life and fellowship. The hymns construct the ideal Methodist as one who is profoundly sympathetic to the sufferings of others. I suggest that recognising this construction that may help illuminate the nature of early Methodist relationships, as well as Methodist responsiveness to reform campaigns that relied on the evocation of sympathy.
While sympathy is given great significance in Wesley's hymns, it is also given clear limits, which stem from its christological construction. Human sympathy must never be relied upon to provide those ultimate needs that only God can provide. Sympathy in the hymns may be humanitarian, but it can never be humanist.
The interesting question for me (which I won't address in my paper) is how all this relates to evangelical culture today. The question of sympathy is an underlying theme in many theological debates (the most obvious example is with relation to homosexuality - is sympathy for gay people a danger or a necessary step towards understanding? But also arguments about hell - how could a sympathetic God possibly allow people to be punished forever? And the preaching vs. social justice tussle). Maybe it will come up in the question time!
3 comments:
Looks good. People often comment that Methodist theology is most carefully/clearly articulated within its hymnology (as opposed to other traditions which might look toward a confessional or credal approach). Good questions at the end too to go on with.
A bit disappointed that there was no mention of Methodist bakers and how sympathy interacted with early Methodism's doughnuts - but I guess that's the practical part of the research you'll be investigating at the conference. Hmm, do you have to have ethics committee approval for that interaction? :-)
I certainly expect to encounter more doughnuts and Methodists in conjunction with each other than ever before.
Thanks! 'Sympathy' is a key term in eighteenth-century (English) discourse, so I think the whole period provides important historical context for any discussion of sympathy as it's understood in our own times. Eighteenth-century understandings of sympathy are varied, but they definitely lean towards what we would call 'empathy' - in Adam Smith's influential discussion of sympathy in 'Theory of Moral Sentiments' his definition emphasises fellow-feeling to the extent of almost becoming the other person. I think we would usually use 'empathy' to describe this imaginative entering-into another person's experience. A good little intro to all of this in its eighteenth-century context is Janet Todd's book 'Sensibility: An Introduction'.
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