The Theology of Wesley and Methodism Sunday school classes for my local church will cover the following themes: 1) Introduction and Overview: Methodism and the United Methodist Church 2) Foundation and the Influences of Founders: John and Charles Wesley 3) History: The birth of the Methodist movement 4) Religious Studies and Beliefs: Outlining the theology, and the church basic beliefs 5) Society and Governance: Structure of the United Methodist Church 6) Development of Wesleyan Thought: Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Each of the six Sunday school classes will meet for an hour on Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm. There will be assigned readings, in-class discussions, homework, interactive activities, and short pop-quizzes at the beginning of each class …show more content…
Also, to emphasis on how the beliefs of the Methodism coincide or differ from your personal theological beliefs.
Goal for the Participant
To explore areas of focus, mission and vision of the people of the United Methodist Church?
To reflect why you personally are Methodist?
To discover what is means to be Methodist? And what is the story of the United Methodist Church?
Week 2: Foundation and the Influences of Founders: John Wesley
Focus
To learn about England's greatest spiritual leader, John Wesley, whom played a major role in the revival of religion in 18th-century English life. Who was John Wesley and what contributions did he offer to the theology of Methodism?
Goal for the
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Week 4: Religious Studies and Beliefs: Outlining the theology, and the church basic beliefs
Focus
To learn about what Methodist believe, who we are and how we serve.
Goal for the Participant
To explore key United Methodist beliefs?
To reflect on Methodist means of grace and sacraments? And how United Methodists view things like communion and baptism?
To discover the central elements of Methodist understanding of justification, sanctification, and perfection? And original sin?
Week 5: Society and Governance: Structure of the United Methodist Church
Focus
To learn the central offices of the United Methodist Church, which reflects the representative nature of the church's organization. The church hierarchy consist of the: General Conference, its legislative branch, a Council of Bishops, District Superintendents, Clergy/Deacons/Deaconess and Lay Leaders that are elected by their state’s annual conferences and specialized bodies.
Goal for the Participant
To explore who speaks on behalf of the United Methodist Church?
To reflect the on the different structural branches and the General Rules of the United Methodist
I have been to several different types of denominations over the course of my life time. I was raised to go to where the Lord felt was right for me. So, as I was trying to decide what I wanted to write my research paper about the New Salem Association of the Old Regular Baptist stood the most. I find the New Salem Association of the Old Regular Baptist to be very interesting. Their beliefs stand out the most to me. The New Salem Association of the Old Regular Baptist has many different beliefs.
Parishioners often ask me if there is really any difference between United Methodist and the Baptists down the road. The answer, “quite a lot,” generally surprises them. When they ask me to explain, I often point them in the direction of our polity and the theology it reflects.
Square Peg: Why Wesleyans Aren't Fundamentalists, a book edited by Al Truesdale and published by Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, examines two significantly different ways of understanding the nature and role of the Bible that mark different parts of Christ’s church. The first is represented by fundamentalism; the second by Wesleyan theology. The goal of the book is to help persons in Wesleyan denominations clearly understand the differences between Wesleyan theology and fundamentalist theology, and that even though both are of the Christian faith, how the theology between the two are incompatible with one another. “Without becoming divisive or claiming perfection in Christian doctrine, the various denominations hold theological positions that reflect their Christian experience, history and understanding of the Scriptures.” (loc 124 Kindle, Truesdale) Wesleyans believe that the proof of the gospel reside primarily in how a person lives their life and “not in logic and argumentation.” (loc 160 Kindle, Truesdale) They support the policy of that to get a better understanding of their faith, is the result of all fields of human exploration and research, from scientific to historical.
Mead, Loren B. The Once and Future Church Reinventing the Congregation for a New Mission Frontier . The Alban Institute, Inc., 1991. Kindle eBook file.
Holstein, Joanne. "Free Methodists Church of North America." Becker Bible Studies Library. January 2006. Web. December 8th 2013.
John Wesley was born June 17, 1703 in Epworth, England. In 1729, he joined his brother Charles, Robert Kirkham and William Morgan in a religious study group called the “Methodists.” Taking over the leadership of the group, John helped it grow in numbers. The “Methodists,” also called the Holy Club, were known for fasting two days a week. From 1730 on, they added social services to their activities
In Walter B. Shurden’s The Baptist Identity, he looks at four of the core elements, or freedoms, that shape and mold Baptist theology and their identity. The four core concepts he explores in his book are Bible freedom, soul freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom. While looking at these four values, he examines how they mold and shape the Baptist identity and how they came to be. The origin to each of these values in the Baptist tradition is addressed as well as their benefits and draw backs. He explains their purpose and necessity in the Baptist denomination and how it effects the denomination as a whole.
...the transition between the two practices, where the Deists whom were once thought to be strict “rationalize” shifting into becoming “enthusiastic” and the Methodists whom were thought to be “enthusiastic” became more “rationalize”. As mention earlier, Deism may strictly seem as a rationalistic movement and Methodism as a totally enthusiastic, but both provided a lot of devotion and commitment to publicize addressing religious problems and liberated it from the four walls of the church. They used the benefit of the religious freedom that they gained in forming societies and organizations to further discourse and exercise alternative religious approaches. Even though they might not recognize that they have a lot in common, and claimed that one over another was unorthodox, but in the end they both sought to locate their religious belief based on their experience.
As the Church grew, so to did its ideology. It was very welcoming of the poor, stressing the wearing of casual clothing and providing places to sleep for those who needed it. Jones emulated the word and style of Father Divine, a preacher who had founded the International Peace Mission Movement. He spoke in a captivating manner, with passion and wisdom, directly interacting with members. His sermons would include ideas that Jones was the “Christ the Revolution”, a holy figure who had the power to heal. He also preached that the U.S. and capitalism were evil and comparble to the Antichrist and that Communism was the system of Christ. E also rejected the Bible and traditional Christianity...
I was intrigued by John Wesley’s family background. Of how, “John Wesley began life as a happy by-product of a family dispute” (p. 3, Abraham) of praying for King William III. I find it hard to consider that the leader of the Methodist movement was the result of conflict resolution. John was the fifteenth child of a family of nineteen children. His parents, “Susanna and Samuel Wesley was both Dissenter, those who rejected the vision of Christianity developed by the Anglican Church after the Reformation” (p. 4, Abraham). John grandfather, Susanna’s father, was a “distinguished Dissenting Preacher” (p. 4, Abraham). His family tree was rich with ancestors who did not go along with the establishment if it did not match with spiritual truths.
United Methodists are not supposed to contradict the church's doctrinal standards, but can "go beyond and expand
Wesleyans and Fundamentalist may have different views on different subject matter reguarding the doctrine and the theology because of their presupsitions. Although this book makes comparasionsleyans to between Wesleyans and Fundamentalists , the Authors of this book makes a clear message that although we may have differnt views on scripture tere is no way to be sure which one is correct however, "we recognize that Wesleyans and their sisters and brothers who are fundamentalists share a love for Jesus Christ and his inaugurated kingdom." (8) Meaning that we the readers should not discriminate between the two views because untimently they both love Jesus and it is for the glory of God.
Richardson, William E., and Dave Kidd. “Articles.” Pentecostal Evangel. General Council of the Assemblies of God. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.
The American Revolution had a profound impact on Methodism. John Wesley’s Toryism and his writings against the revolutionary cause did not enhance the image of Methodism among many who supported independence. Furthermore, a number of Methodist preachers refused to bear arms to aid the patriots.
Methodism began as a sect of the Anglican Church founded by John Wesley, an educated, articulate theologian and pastor who focused at least as much on the heart as on the head. Born in 1703, John Wesley was the “fifteenth of nineteen children born to Samuel and Susanah Wesley,” (Cairns 382). His father was the pastor of a small church called Epworth. His parishioners, to say the least, did not care for him. Bruce Heydt says that “their worldly ways and fierce independence left little room in their hearts for a curate who took his work too seriously,” (Heyd...