Is the Wesleyan denomination considered to be mainline or liberal?

[ClementofRome]

I don't believe the words "extremely liberal" can be used until they start denying the resurrection, deity of Christ, or miracles.

WJ make a GREAT point here. The question is "what is liberal?" I think that WJ hits the nail on the head: no ressurection, no miracles, no diety of Christ and no predictive prophecy (ok, I added this last point, but I think that WJ would agree) is LIBERAL...anything other than this is something other than LIBERAL.

My father-in-law always said, it all starts in Genesis 1...you reject a literal 6, 24 hour creation days, and you are on the slippery slope to liberalism. Well, that is just baloney....it is not an essential. I would say that those things that WJ has mentioned are essentials to Christianity....any thing else is something else.

 

[alaurie]

The issue that comes to mind to me when the words "liberal" or "conservative" are discussed are social issues rather than basic theological issues such as miracles, virgin birth, diety of Christ.

In the Southeast, in this context, a good many small-town UMC churches are conservative/evangelical. In southern cities I've lived in, it depends on the church.

 

[desert_island_1]

From my personal experience Nazarenes can be very conservative or not. Yes we may not dance, drink etc. but in my church we have all types of people, the old ladies who only wear dresses th church and still dress in their 'Sunday best' and then we have teenagers who come in their pj's. Our worship is more contempory than most churches and our children's minustry has been described as 'sesame street, the circus and sunday school all put in a blender'... (for more info head over to www.kidztown.net) However I have been to other Naz. churches and they are very traditional and you wouldnt hear a song that wasn't written less than 25 years ago... personally I believe how liberal/fundalmentalist (i dont know if those are the right words) a church is really depends on the Pastoral Staff and the Congregation (sp?)

 

[Texas Lynn]

I'd be suprised to see a church who held very liberal views and still said that they were Wesleyans.

The United Methodist Church is a Mainline Denomination and has a mixture of conservatives and liberals. The liberals therein are certainly no less weslayan than the conservatives.

As others have mentioned how one defines such terms is required to be discussed to understand such things. Many of the more conservative or fundamentalist bodies would dismiss both the UMC and Free Methodists as liberal because both have female clergy.

No offense, but I would consider your assertion which I quoted there as somewhat naive.

 

[Texas Lynn]

From what I have observed Wesleyans and Nazarenes are evangelical.

The UMC is evangelical as well. To be "evangelical" does not mean to not be Mainline or liberal at all.

 

[WesleyJohn]

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[California Dreamin']

I'm Wesleyan!

 

[Plan 9]

I'm Wesleyan!

Yay!

 

[Texas Lynn]

Nazarenes have also ordained female clergy since the denomination began in 1908

Thanks for the information. That is quite significant. It does more than temper the indignity The Naz's endure when people hear James Dobson is one.