Wesley and Heffner: Reclaiming the Playboyism of Early Methodism

Abstract

ABSTRACT In a 1965 installment of the Methodist radio show Night Call, the popular magazine Playboy was considered as a religious alternative for the youth of the time, as it had amassed a significant cult following. Playboy was able to impact the lifestyle choices of countless young men and women largely by addressing real-world issues frankly, especially issues of sexuality and identity in the face of the so-called “new morality” of the 1960s. This relevance to young people parallels the rise of the Methodist movement, which sought to directly address how people interacted with the world. Over time, however, the rhetoric of the Methodist movement began to drift away from providing concrete moral direction. This left people seeking direction either in Playboyism or in the Evangelical movement of the twentieth century. The challenge for today’s Methodists, therefore, is to reclaim the Playboyism of early Methodism by providing relevant moral direction.