“Setting the Bible out of the Question”—Pursuing Justice: The (Non) Use of Scripture in John Wesley’s Antislavery Argument and Its Relevance for the Contemporary Pursuit of Justice

One of the core sources for Christian justification or critique of social justice matters is the Bible. One would think that a leading historic Christian figure, like John Wesley, whose theology was closely bound to biblical interpretation, would have used the Bible extensively to argue against an important matter such as (anti-)slavery. However, we find that his argument lacks his usual biblical-centeredness. This article explores this phenomenon and attempts to understand Wesley’s reasoning and argument in light of his limited use of scripture in this instance.