Wesley and the Quadrilateral

by Rebekah L. Miles, Ted A. Campbell, W. Stephen Gunter, et al.

Book Overview

According to The Book of Discipline, Wesley believed that the "living core of the Christian faith" is revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, "vivified" by personal experience, and confirmed by reason. The thesis of Wesley and the Quadrilateral is that the Church needs serious conversation about reappropriating the Quadrilateral in a manner that is consistent with historical Methodist identity (beginning with Wesley), a conversation that takes the church's past identity with the utmost seriousness while recognizing present and future cultural trends.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0687060559
• ISBN13: 9780687060559
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Specific Text

Since 1972, when the United Methodist Church first added the idea of Wesley's Quadrilateral to its book of discipline, Wesleyan scholars have debated its importance and exact meaning. According to prevailing theory Wesley leaned heavily upon four paths to knowledge, Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience.The disagreements are many. Did Scripture form the ultimate while the other three formed the support base? Were all four of equal importance? Since Wesley described himself as a man of one book, was Scripture alone his authority for knowledge? Did Wesley really have 5 paths to knowledge? (The Church of England being the 5th.)If these questions have made you itchy to write a comment of your own, this is a good book for you.