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John Wesley's theological essays
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John Wesley never used the term, “Wesley Quadrilateral” in any of his writings. This was given the name by a twentieth century Methodist scholar named Albert Outler. Outler saw that Wesley used four resources or pattern in coming to a conclusion: Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience. Wesley believed that Scripture was the very core of the Christian faith, but reason, tradition and experience can support our understanding of Scripture. He believed that when a person is facing a big question of faith the first place to turn to is the Scriptures to find an answer. Wesley did not stop at the Scriptures though. He realized that we probably are not the only ones who have faced such questions about our faith. John Wesley believed
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.
Martin Luther inspired another thinker of the time that questioned the Church’s beliefs. That man was John Calvin. The Catholic belief during the Renaissance and Reformation was that one’s good deeds hel...
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.
Wolterstorff then took the stance that God changes based on the biblical proof in Malachi 3:6; John 8:58; James 1:17, in chapter
Wesley believed that the doctrine of the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit was a "fundamental belief" of Christian faith
To have a desire to know truth you have to be willing to work, read, ponder or meditate, and have sincere prayer. We have to be willing to take those words that we have ponderized and act upon them. This type of studying takes time and patients. This is not something we do for a few minutes just to say we read for today. Tanner says (p.497-498) “We are to learn spiritual truth by heart and then retain in remembrance what we have placed deep in our hearts.” Retaining a remembrance means we should be ready to use, display, and act on the knowledge that we have. Which means you take the things that you have read and study them all day. As I have read these two essays I have come to a greater understanding of what to do with the truth that I have. I should not take for granted the words of God. That just reading a verse or two does not constitute a desire to know truth nor is it deepening my understanding of gospel learning. I must ensure this desire of Spiritual learning does not fall by the waste side that I have a true desire to learn truth. Whichever method is used we can be sure that our desire to know the truth will put us on the path of enlightenment, preparedness, and become a son or daughter of Jesus
not the gospel of the good doctrine which led to many interpretations of the teachings of the gospel.
The term Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a theological method used to study scripture. It was believed that theologian John Wesley studied scriptures in the Bible using three lenses, hence where the Wesleyan Quadrilateral gets its name. These three lenses are tradition, reason, and experience. While quad means four and tradition, reason, and experience are only three terms, they each communicate a way that scripture can be studied, therefore the term scripture completes the quadrilateral. It is important to study scripture using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral because Wesley was known as being a relevant theologian and his views on scripture have lasted over two centuries.
For example, he quotes 1Timothy 1:17 and then declares “As I read the words, there came into my soul . . . a sense of the glory of the Divine Being; a new sense, quite different from anything I ever experienced before.” (313-314). This declaration shows that as he becomes more familiar with scripture, he is able to open his heart and grow more in love with God. Edwards later states how upset he is that he had not sought out a close relationship with God sooner because he deeply wishes he would have had more time to “grow in grace”(315); this statement comes after he quotes Psalms 119:28 “My soul breaketh for the longing it hath.” (315). It’s evident through the use of this verse how strongly he longs for a fuller and closer bond with God and Christ. Furthermore, he expresses that same sense of yearning when he states “I very often think . . . of being a little child, taking hold of Christ, to be led by him through the wilderness of this world.” (316) and follows it with the verse Matthew 18:3. Through quoting this verse, he once again reinforces how greatly affected by scripture his bond with God is, and how it leaves him seeking to be led even more by
Most of geometry is based on two main constructions, circles and straight lines. In geometry, there are many different tools used for construction such as the compass, the straightedge, carpenter’s square, and mirrors. (Princeton) A compass is an instrument that is used to help draw circles. The two most well-known compasses are the modern compass and the collapsible compass. The straightedge is a tool that has no curves. It is used to draw straight line when knowing two points. (Princeton) The only difference between a straightedge and a ruler is that a ruler has measurements while a straightedge does not. A carpenter’s square is two straight edges connected to look like an “L”. This tool allows others to construct right angles. (Princeton) Finally mirrors are used to see an object’s reflection. These tools have been used for years to make the construction of geometric shapes easier. (Princeton)
beliefs of John Calvin, and one of the major ideals they focused on was the
John Wesley is one of the most influential men in Christian history, a man known for his rigorous devotion to personal holiness. He not only is the founder of the Methodist Church, but also influenced the Wesleyan Church, the Free Methodist Church and the Nazarene Church, among others. His passion for the nonbelievers led him to travel 250,000 miles, give away over £30,000 and preach over 40,000 times around the globe. Wesley lived his life with vigor, rising each morning at four to prepare for the day. John Wesley pioneered spiritual revitalization in Europe and North America, devoted himself to personal holiness, and redefined experience and the Holy Spirit in his lifetime, changing the course of Christian history.
I have been a firm believer that if one does not understand where you come from you can have little understanding of where your heading. The first thirty-two pages of the book on “Methodism and the Christian Heritage in England” gave a background as to Wesley’s foundation that so many authors overlook. The first page summed it up best in: “The long course of English ecclesiastical history met the force of a new concern for renewal, both individual and institutional. A long tradition of propositional certainty of faith met the power of a personal experience of faith. An institution built by and for the establishment met a concern for the souls and bodies of the disenfranchised” (p.1, Heitzenrater). This explained the transformation of both individuals and the Church at this moment in history. Of how a small congregation in Stanton Harcourt would be the starting point for a “guest preacher, would shortly become the leader of an evangelical revival that would, during his lifetime, spread across the lands and become a trans-Atlantic movement” (p. 1, Heitzenrater). How many present at St. Michael’s on that June 11 Sunday morning in 1738 realized just how important this day would be in the history of the Church in the British Isle, America and throughout the world.
For anyone who does not understand the distinction between law and gospel, Scripture will remain incomprehensible. In order to fully understand the bible one must first educate themselves with the distinguishing characteristics of both law and gospel otherwise they will regard the bible as being filled with discrepancies. According to Luther, law and gospel are two different ways the Word of God comes to us. Luther believed the Church has lost the message that God is forgiving and compassionate, instead the church adopted the view that God is a lawgiver. Luther acknowledged that law and gospel are in both the Testament but he linked Law more with the Old Testament and gospel with the New Testament.
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...