Thank you. I suppose to ask questions properly I need a better understanding of what John Wesley actually taught. I'm working on this. An online article by Dennis Hartman raised questions about the UCC's view of the authority of the Bible and salvation by grace through faith Jesus Christ alone (or being "born again").
"John Wesley had supreme confidence in the Bible. Here is what he said of it. "God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end he came from heaven. He has written it down in a book! Oh, give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri: A man of one book". So we see that our founder did not dilly dally about his convictions or what he thought. Neither did many who followed him. Bishop Asbury loved the Book. Other great Methodist leaders greatly esteemed the Book too. We Methodists are people of The Book. Therefore, let us be like Wesley and be "homo unius libri" people of The Book.
Real Methodists, while concerned with the social aspects of life, should be equally concerned with the spiritual necessities of life. Wesley once again makes that clear when he says, "I have thought, I am a creature of a day, passing through life, as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: just hovering over the great gulf; till a few moments hence, I am no more seen! I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing, the way to heaven: how to land safe on that happy shore." Methodists first take care of their own soul, by knowing the way to Heaven. Being born again. Then we go out to win others to Christ. For the real Methodist it is not church membership and good works first, but salvation by grace through faith. We always want to make sure that those who we love will be with us in eternity. We want them to be born again. We are not talking about a psychological or an emotional events here as some current Methodist leaders would have us believe. We are talking of a real personal relationships to the One who shed his blood for us."
So, my question is, has the UCC dropped Wesley's teachings in these areas?
