"The United Methodist Story"
United Methodist preaching and teaching is grounded on Scripture, informed by Christian tradition, enlivened in personal experience. and tested by reason.
Scripture
The Holy Bible is our primary source for Christian doctrine. Biblical authors testify to God's self-disclosure in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as in God's work of creation, in the pilgrimage of Israel, and in the Holy Spirit's ongoing activity in human history.
Tradition
Our attempt to understand God does not start anew with each generation or each person. Our faith also does not leap from New Testament time to the present as though nothing could be learned from all Christian thinkers and preachers in between. We learn from traditions found in many cultures, but Scripture remains the norm by which all traditions are judged.
Experience
In our theological task, we examine experience, both personal and church-wide, to confirm the realities of God's grace attested in the Scripture. Experience is the personal appropriation of God's forgiving and empowering grace. Experience authenticates in our own lives the truths revealed in Scripture and illumined in traditon.
Reason
Although we recognize that God's revelation and our experiences of God's grace continually surpass the scope of reason, we also believe that disciplined theological work calls for the careful use of reason. By reason we read and interpret Scripture. By reason we determine whether our Christian witness is clear. By reason we ask questions of faith and seek to understand God's action and will.
Why I Am a United Methodist In his book Why I am a United Methodist, Bishop William Willimon writes: "I find that United Methodism has five great gifts to offer our troubled, but still blessed and beloved-by-God world:
(1) Stress on the need for a personal, engaging, experienced relationship with Jesus Christ. (We can know Jesus Christ, not just know about Jesus Christ.)
(2) The need for structure, discipline, and form in meeting the challenges of living a Christian life today. (Some things are too important to be left to chance.)
(3) The importance of lifelong journey and self-exarnination, assisted by others, in developing our lives in Christ. (We can actually grow and be better people than we are right now.)
(4) The refusal to separate spiritual needs from human, material needs. (God loves whole persons, not just detached "souls".)
(5) The stress upon the church, its proclamation, sacraments, and other "ordinary means of grace" against our rampant individualism and subjectivism. (Religion - the Christian one, that is - is not a private affair.) | Some Basic Beliefs (The following information was prepared by Mitchell Williams , Senior Pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Huntsville. He has graciously consented to its use on this web page.)
"Here is a summary of United Methodist Beliefs as I see them:
WE BELIEVE IN the Living God. Christianity is not merely a set of doctrines, a list of do's and don'ts, or even profound emotions. The faith is first a vital relationship with God through Jesus Christ made real in us by the Holy Spirit. This relationship of love transforms us and make us know that we are worth something.
WE BELIEVE IN God's love - first as a gift that is free rather than a wage that is earned by being good;" then as a demand to respond to God's love with love toward God and everyone else; and finally as a power to become more like Jesus.
WE BELIEVE IN Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Christ not only saves us from anything that would enslave or destroy our inmost selves, he is also our "boss," the one we report to and the one we live to please.
WE BELIEVE IN a balance of heart and head. The love of God does touch us deeply and move us emotionally. At the same time, we do not accept everything that "feels" right, nor are we asked to believe in nonsense. God gave us a heart and brains, We strive to use both.
WE BELIEVE IN the Bible as the guide and "measurement" of our beliefs and actions. We have different ideas about how the Scriptures are divinely inspired. But whatever we believe, we are not satisfied until the Bible connects with THE Word of God -- Jesus Christ. We have found that theories do not save, Christ does.
WE BELIEVE IN certain means of grace. That is, we find that God continually uses some familiar ways to give us gifts of the Spirit: such as Holy Communion, Baptism, prayer, reading the Bible, fellowship and the acts of service. Yes, God is in everything, but we are more likely to encounter God when we are praying (for instance) than when we are not.
WE BELIEVE IN tradition. The Church has learned deep truths over the centuries and we receive these lessons gratefully. Meanwhile, we are called to interpret the "old story" in new ways for today (just as our grandparents did in their day).
WE BELIEVE IN disciplined living. We "press on" to ever more faithful and courageous lives. This does not happen if we pay attention to God only when the whim hits us. If we fail to be committed, we remain shallow in our personal lives and fearful in our public witness."
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