Freemasonry and the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Nineteenth Century

Virtually nothing has been written on the presence and impact of Freemasonry within the Methodist Episcopal Church. This article begins to fill this lacuna by shedding some light on the topic. It has been claimed that John Wesley was himself a Freemason. In his journal he briefly discusses a book by an ex-Mason. In this article some of the similarities and differences between the two systems are highlighted. The Morgan Affair temporarily weakened the position of Freemasonry in the Methodist Episcopal Church and in broader American society. Twelve short biographies of Methodists who joined the lodge show that the influence remained. Freemasonry played a role in the schism in New York between 1858 and 1860, which led to the formation of the Free Methodist Church. In the second half of the nineteenth century newspapers like The Christian Cynosure, Der Lutheraner and Leaves of Healing highlighted the continuing influence of Freemasonry on decisionmaking within the MEC. At the end of the nineteenth century the Freemason William McKinley became the first Methodist President of the USA. Right up to World War II Freemasonry continued to spread within the MEC. Two hundred years after the Morgan abduction Freemasonry needs to be seriously discussed again. Wesley’s remarks on Freemasonry provide the starting-point for Methodist reflection on the subject.