Editing John Wesley (section)

===Holy Club===
{{further |Holy Club}}
During Wesley's absence, his younger brother [[Charles Wesley|Charles]] (1707–88) matriculated at Christ Church; along with two fellow students, he formed a small club for the purpose of study and the pursuit of a devout Christian life.{{sfn |Tomkins |2003 |p=31}} On Wesley's return, he became the leader of the group which increased somewhat in number and greatly in commitment. The group met daily from six until nine for [[Christian prayer|prayer]], [[psalm]]s, and reading of the Greek [[New Testament]]. They prayed every waking hour for several minutes and each day for a special virtue. While the church's prescribed attendance was only three times a year, they took [[Eucharist|Communion]] every Sunday. They [[fasting|fasted]] on Wednesdays and Fridays until [[Nones (liturgy)|nones]] (3:00&nbsp;pm) as was commonly observed in the ancient church.{{sfn |Stoughton |1878 |p=296}} In 1730, the group began the practice of visiting prisoners in [[gaol]]. The men preached, educated, and relieved gaoled debtors whenever possible, and cared for the sick.{{sfn |Iovino |2016}}

Given the low ebb of spirituality in Oxford at that time, Wesley's group provoked a negative reaction. They were considered to be religious "enthusiasts", which in the context of the time meant [[Religious fanaticism|religious fanatics]]. University wits styled them the "Holy Club", a title of derision. Currents of opposition became a furore following the mental breakdown and death of a group member, William Morgan.{{sfn |Tomkins |2003 |p=37}} In response to the charge that "rigorous fasting" had hastened his death, Wesley noted that Morgan had left off fasting a year and a half since. In the same letter, which was widely circulated, Wesley referred to the name "Methodist" with which "some of our neighbors are pleased to compliment us".{{sfn |Wesley |1931 |loc=letter 1732}} That name was used by an anonymous author in a published [[pamphlet]] (1732) describing Wesley and his group, "The Oxford Methodists".{{sfn |The Methodist Church |2011}} This ministry, however, was not without controversy. The Holy Club ministered and maintained support for Thomas Blair who in 1732 was found guilty of [[sodomy]].{{sfn|Heitzenrater|1972|p=393}} Blair was notorious among the townspeople and his fellow prisoners, and Wesley continued to support him.{{sfn |Heitzenrater|1972|p=392}}

For all of his outward [[piety]], Wesley sought to cultivate his inner holiness or at least his sincerity as evidence of being a true Christian. A list of "General Questions" which he developed in 1730 evolved into an elaborate grid by 1734 in which he recorded his daily activities hour-by-hour, resolutions he had broken or kept, and ranked his hourly "temper of devotion" on a scale of 1 to 9. Wesley also regarded the contempt with which he and his group were held to be a mark of a true Christian. As he put it in a letter to his father, "Till he be thus contemned, no man is in a state of salvation."{{sfn |Wesley |Benson |1827 |p=108}}