Wesley (2009)

Actors: R. Keith Harris (actor), Kevin McCarthy (actor), June Lockhart (actress), Bill Pacer (actor), Bill Oberst Jr. (actor), Ted Johnson (producer), David Lowe (actor), Ted Johnson (actor), Christy Johnson (actress), Norman Stone (writer), Cricket Ellis (actress), Catherine Sewell (actress), Carrie Anne Hunt (actress), Burgess Jenkins (producer), Burgess Jenkins (actor),

Plot: The year is 1732. John Wesley, an irritatingly self-righteous instructor at Oxford is offered the chance to go to the new colony of Georgia, where he hopes to preach to the Indians. During the voyage, the ship encounters a violent storm; overwhelmed with the fear of death, Wesley begins to doubt the validity of his faith In Georgia, Wesley's plans are waylaid: he is not able to do much preaching among the native tribes, and falls in love with Sophy Hopkey, the beautiful niece of the local magistrate. When the star-crossed romance fails to produce a proposal from the angst-ridden young minister, Sophy marries another; bitterness explodes between the two until one day Wesley publicly refuses to serve Holy Communion to Sophy. He is arrested for defamation of character - and is to be tried by Sophy's uncle! There will be no fair trial here. Escaping from Savannah, he returns to England in failure and shame. Back in London, he meets a Moravian missionary, Peter Boehler, who counsels the disturbed and depressed young man. John struggles with his failure and fears and is finally experiences the peace he longed for: "I felt my heart strangely warmed." Wesley begins to preach about his experience of saving faith, but is turned out of most churches in London. Undaunted, he begins preaching in fields, and discovers a hungry audience in the downtrodden poor of England. Appalled by the terrible needs of families overwhelmed with alcoholism, abuse, and poverty, John and his hymn-writing brother Charles begin revolutionary (and controversial) social ministries to better the lives of the poor while also preaching to them of the transformation of the heart. Despite opposition, mob violence that seeks to break up their meetings, Wesley and his "Methodies" establish social ministries to the poor that transformed the face of England. Today, almost 75 million people worldwide trace their spiritual heritage back to John Wesley.

An Uncommon Union: The Life and Love of Sarah and Jonathan Edwards (2004)

Actors: John Jackman (producer), John Jackman (director), Ken Curtis (producer), Maggie Rowe (actress), Jay Parsons (actor), Maggie Rowe (writer), Pete Bedrossian (actor), Sara Johnson (composer), Cliff Lewis (actor),

Plot: This is the story of Edwards and his remarkable wife Sarah as seen through her eyes. Leaders of a prestigious colonial American church parish, the Edwards survived the death of children and grandchildren, international fame for spiritual leadership, and local humiliation and public ridicule from opponents. Edwards paved the way for deeper understanding of the ways and working of God in the world that has inspired every generation since, yet he was voted out of his own congregation by resentful agitators. Through it all was his faithful wife Sarah. Mother of 11 children, she supported him through the peaks and valleys, even though she was herself subject to bouts of depression. Edwards is often remembered for his famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," delivered in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741. Here he's seen through the eyes of his beloved wife as a minister whose emphasis was far more on the grace and mercy of God. Through the intimacy of their gentle and faithful love for each other, we are provided a look into into a home and marriage, one that left a legacy in American history, as well as insight into an unusual man who stands among the most influential in all of church history.

Church vs State (1998)

Actors: William G. Wagner (director), William G. Wagner (writer), William G. Wagner (producer), Michael Durling (miscellaneous crew), Jim Survil (miscellaneous crew), Mary Stutz (miscellaneous crew), Richard McCluney Jr. (producer), Jodi Norman (miscellaneous crew), Carson Hudson (actor), Carson Hudson (writer), Frances Mitchell (miscellaneous crew), Pete Pitard (miscellaneous crew), Bill Weldon (actor), Richard Schumann (actor), Elizabeth Schmidt (miscellaneous crew),

Plot: Church vs State brings students to a time in America when church and state were often allied. Though many came to America for religious freedom, in some places there was little tolerance for anything but the dominant belief. While those beliefs might vary from colony to colony, the effect was often a state of religion. That began to change with the dissenter's movement in the 1740's. The dissenters challenged the established Church of England and ultimately transformed American ideas about religious toleration. Students will meet Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson and learn the roles each played in the debate over religious freedom, a debate that ultimately resulted in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

The Puritan Experience: Making of a New World (1975)

Actors: Siân Phillips (actress), David Warner (actor), Lalla Ward (actress), Garfield Morgan (actor), Freda Dowie (actress), Richard Marquand (producer), Richard Marquand (director), Richard Marquand (writer), Joseph Horovitz (composer), Tony Cyrus (actor), Elizabeth Proud (actress), Michael Gwynn (actor),

John Wesley (1954)

Actors: Roddy Hughes (actor), Vincent Holman (actor), Leonard Sachs (actor), Harry Towb (actor), Erik Chitty (actor), Patrick Holt (actor), Milton Rosmer (actor), Michael Goodliffe (actor), Joss Ambler (actor), John Slater (actor), Norman Walker (director), Andrew Cruickshank (actor), Jack May (actor), Edward Jewesbury (actor), Henry Hewitt (actor),

Plot: When young John Wesley is saved from the flames burning his family's home, he believes God has chosen him for a higher mission. He grows up to become a minister in the Church of England but disapproves of concern within the church over the social position of the clergy. He concerns himself more with the common people and with individual religious experiences. He tries to accomplish his purposes by remaining within the church but the methodical way in which he and his followers go about their duties soon sets them apart as a special group jeeringly called Methodists. (Produced by the Radio and Film Commission of the Methodist Church in cooperation with J. Arthur Rank.)