Scripture, Tradition, Reason, And Experience

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My understanding of this theological position of the Church is United Methodist use four guidelines when doing theology: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Scripture is the foremost and primary source and criterion for Christian faith. Scripture is the source of what is necessary and sufficient for salvation. Scripture contains a dependable account of how God has provided a way of salvation; especially, as revealed through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Tradition connects our past to our present by showing what God has done for and through God’s people. It is important that we look at the teaching and writings of the Fathers of the church such as the apostles, Calvin, Luther, and Wesley. It is also important to see what the ancient Church taught through the years. God has revealed God’s self through tradition as a witness to God’s presence throughout the history of …show more content…

Personal experience is the result of the living relationship with God to which it bears witness. According to Thorsen, “Wesley believed faith relies on the evidence of religious experience and is not a matter of reason alone.” Wesley also believed that experience should be verified by Scripture, tradition, and reason. There are diversities of religious experience, such as outward, inward, empirical and observed. Experience helps to validate our understanding of Christian doctrine, and life. Whatever we believe should be confirmed by reason within the bounds of the scripture by asking ourselves the question, “Is it within reason?” Reason can be useful in convincing the Christian that a revelation is from God. So my understanding of the theological position of the church is that Scripture, tradition, experience and reason all play a part in revealing the core of Christian faith. But Scripture is foremost and the primary source for belief and

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