trying again... ? for free methodists

[kayanne]

Hi! I think my question from sunday got wiped out in the crash. I hadn't gotten any responses yet, so I'll try again.

I'd like to know what free methodists consider their authority for their doctrinal beliefs and as their guide for Christian living.

To elaborate, some denominations consider themselves "sola scriptura," Bible only. The denom I grew up in looked to Scriptures + tradition + experience + reasoning.

Does the free meth church have an official statement on what they use to support their beliefs?

respectfully, kayanne

 

[WesleyJohn]

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[kayanne]

Thanks WJ. Since you said the Wesley Quad. would be followed by all wesleyan churches, I guess my next question would be for anyone on this board.

How does "tradition" work in determining truth for wesleyans? I have learned here at CF how catholics view Tradition (with a capital T) and they must all accept what is passed down as Tradition. (in other words, one cath can't have his own tradition, and someone else has another).

And I guess my question would also include reason and experience. Everyone's reason and experience will be different......so how does it work to include that in determining truth? Or is it more that the church fathers (Wesley and whoever else established the beliefs) used their reasoning and experience to determine what your doctrine would be?

thank you, kayanne

 

[Gwynne]

I know in the United Methodist Church (and the Free Methodist Church is similar) personal beliefs are honored, you don't have to agree with every little detail or statement and you are encouraged to think for yourself. That's why I love my church!

For more info on the Free Methodist churches you might want to try their website:

http://www.freemethodistchurch.org/

You'll find that there are a wide range of beliefs among members of the Wesleyan traditions, ranging from conservative to liberal to everything in between.

The focus of most Wesleyan/Methodist churches is social improvement, peace, feeding the needy, health care for the poor, etc. They believe in walking the walk, living a Christ like life, not condemning others and offering unconditional support.

 

[Origen]

Hi Kayanne:

I think you'll get a better, more accessible and personal answer from WesleyJohn, but this would be a book answer:

Theological Guidelines: Sources and Criteria​

As United Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church’s life and witness. To fulfill this obligation, we reflect critically on our biblical and theological inheritance, striving to express faithfully the witness we make in our own time.

Two considerations are central to this endeavor: the sources from which we derive our theological affirmations and the criteria by which we assess the adequacy of our understanding and witness.

Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.

Scripture is primary, revealing the Word of God "so far as it is necessary for our salvation." Therefore, our theological task, in both its critical and constructive aspects, focuses on disciplined study of the Bible.

To aid his study of the Bible and deepen his understanding of faith, Wesley drew on Christian Tradition, in particular the Patristic writings, the ecumenical creeds, the teachings of the Reformers, and the literature of contemporary spirituality.

Thus, tradition provides both a source and a measure of authentic Christian witness, though its authority derives from its faithfulness to the biblical message.

The Christian witness, even when grounded in Scripture and mediated by tradition, is ineffectual unless understood and appropriated by the individual. To become our witness, it must make sense in terms of our own reason and experience.

For Wesley, a cogent account of the Christian faith required the use of Reason, both to understand Scripture and to relate the biblical message to wider fields of knowledge. He looked for confirmations of the biblical witness in human Experience, especially the experiences of regeneration and sanctification, but also in the "common sense" knowledge of everyday experience.

The interaction of these sources and criteria in Wesley’s own theology furnishes a guide for our continuing theological task as United Methodists. In that task Scripture, as the constitutive witness to the wellsprings of our faith, occupies a place of primary authority among these theological sources.

In practice, theological reflection may also find its point of departure in tradition, experience, or rational analysis. What matters most is that all four guidelines be brought to bear in faithful, serious, theological consideration. Insights arising from serious study of the Scriptures and tradition enrich contemporary experience. Imaginative and critical thought enables us to understand better the Bible and our common Christian history.

http://umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1664

 

[kayanne]

I know in the United Methodist Church (and the Free Methodist Church is similar) personal beliefs are honored, you don't have to agree with every little detail or statement and you are encouraged to think for yourself.

I truly don't intend this to be critical, but I'm afraid it may sound that way. Please know that I am just trying to learn. You talked about personal beliefs---but I assume there must be some essentials that bind you together? Or, for example, if a teacher is leading a Bible study, aren't there some parameters, or basic doctrines that must not be contradicted? (by the teacher I mean--not saying no one could question anything).

The focus of most Wesleyan/Methodist churches is social improvement, peace, feeding the needy, health care for the poor, etc. They believe in walking the walk, living a Christ like life, not condemning others and offering unconditional support.

Yes, the compassion and concern in social issues characteristic of wesleyan churches is indeed admirable. It's one of the reasons I'm trying to learn more about your churches.
And perhaps I am misunderstanding, but I want to ask more about "everyone is encouraged to think for himself." Now on the surface that sounds ok, but are you saying that there are no "absolutes" according to your church? (again, not being critical, just trying to learn).
If, for example, in "thinking for myself" I think it's ok to get drunk, or to leave my husband so I can live with my new boyfriend, or I don't believe in a literal resurrection, or whatever.....would that be totally acceptable/encouraged? Or would those things be seen as sin, but that it's just not your place to judge me, or.......?
I have more questions, but I'll wait for answers on this first.
respectfully, kayanne

 

[Islander]

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral was invented by a United Methodist writer Outler in the late 1960's and he later said creating the Quadrilateral was a mistake. The Quadrilateral is United Methodst not Free Methodist doctrine although some Free Methodist pastors now support it having attended United Methodist seminaries. Methodists have historically put the Bible far ahead of everything else. After that came the teachings of John Wesley second and church tradition third. I attended a Free Methodist church briefly a long time ago and think they would agree with that but I'm not sure.