John R. Tyson

By his earlier publications, John R. Tyson established himself as an authority on the Wesley brothers and early Methodism. Although the book lacks footnotes, Tyson has done his homework and the biography allows Charles to step out of John's shadow. He was a preacher and churchman in his own right. Although we continue to sing his hymns, Charles usually just contributed the poetic words and others set the words to music. In fact, his biography is told with poems because he typically expressed the lows and the highs of life in poetry. Unlike John, Charles focused on his family, seeking the spiritual and musical development of his sons but his concern distanced him from the other Methodist leadership and, in the end, drove one at least one of his sons from Methodism. Tyson's subject awakened new areas of interest and his style kept me turning the pages.… (mehr)