The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism · Character
John Wesley
The Methodist founder whose preaching on industry and wealth left his followers rich, devout, and increasingly unsure what to do about it.
supporting
Also known as Wesley, John Wesley
First appearance: C. Methodism
As a supporting figure in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, John Wesley is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Founder of Methodism, whose emphasis on emotional conversion and sanctification is analyzed.
Wesley represents the late stage of the ascetic story, where religious discipline has done its economic work and produced prosperity it never intended. His teachings on work and wealth sit uneasily beside the otherworldliness he demanded, and Weber uses him to show how the Protestant ethic tends to generate the very conditions that erode it. He is the quiet irony at the edge of the argument.
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Character Web
17 connectionsA slice of how John Wesley sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Historical and Theological Interlocutors
- Ascetic Protestant Founders
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Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
The emotional peak occurs in the sheer accumulation of scholarly citations, each footnote a desperate, obsessi…
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John Wesley appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
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See John Wesley in C. Methodism