Some state that our doctrine is defined solely by the General Rules, The Articles of Religion, The Confession of Faith, The Standard Sermons of Wesley, and Wesley's Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament. The Discipline, however, begins with the ecumenical context of our United Methodist heritage, reminding us that we are part of the whole body of Christ. It presents our distinctive United Methodist witness in the light of our common heritage as Christians. These are as much a part of our tradition as the teachings of Wesley, Albright, and Otterbein.
The so-called "confessional" approach violates the Wesleyan spirit of our tradition. The Discipline further affirms that our theological task is open-ended: critical and constructive, individual and communal, contextual and incarnational, as well as practical. We believe that it is transforming and transformational as well, because Wesley believed in Christian perfection. That is, every generation must re-think its faith responses to society's ills. For instance, our Wesleyan tradition has helped us overcome some of the 18th century prejudices (which Methodism shared) against women and Roman Catholics.
The Discipline cites the Wesleyan quadrilateral: "Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason" (¶ 68). It points out that there is always a present challenge to theology in the church which must not be ignored or evaded.
How can we do theology (as opposed to just reading, writing, studying or teaching it) if God's revelation to Methodism ceased somewhere in the 18th century? Wesley's world gave him a historical perspective on the social ills of his day. He ministered to the poor, the miners who were victims of the Industrial Revolution, and other oppressed groups such as women and children. If Wesley had accepted the New Testament writers' tolerance of slavery and sexism at face value, simply because it was biblical, he never would have become the theological and ecclesiastical hero that his commitment to social holiness made him. That is what he meant by "going on to perfection."
Just so, we are called in our generation to continue the struggle for the elimination of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and all forms of spiritual and social oppression. Paul says that we are new creations in Christ. In the spirit of Abraham, Hagar, Mary, Wesley, Albright, Otterbein, and other faithful servants of God, we are called to discern the outward cry of that spirit in our historical context.
Therefore, the 1996 General Conference of The United Methodist Church affirms its commitment to our historic standards for understanding the Christian faith as contained in Parts II, III, and IV of The Book of Discipline, entitled, "Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task," "Social Principles," and "The Ministry of All Christians," respectively. Efforts to lift certain of these standards to the exclusion of the rest constitute a call for a loyalty oath in The United Methodist Church, which is not in keeping with the spirit of Our Theological Task.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 22411-DI-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference