Christian Outside the Church: Exploring Prevenient Grace Through Simone Weil

Abstract This article seeks to read prevenient grace through the lens of Simone Weil, interpreting the Methodist understanding of prevenient grace in terms of Weil' account of grace through attention. It highlights John Wesley's optimism of grace—his conviction that God's prevenient grace is free for all—as a framework that resonates with Weil' vision of attentive openness amid suffering. It considers how this dialogue between Wesley and Weil can inform Christian engagement in pluralistic societies. It concludes with a holistic proposal for rethinking what grace could look like in a multireligious and multicultural context as a theological authority.