Methodism

===Sources of teaching===
{{Further|Wesleyan Quadrilateral|Prima scriptura}}
American Methodist theologian [[Albert Outler]], in assessing John Wesley's own practices of theological reflection, proposes a methodology termed the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral".<ref name="Outler1985">{{cite web |first=Albert C. |last=Outler |author-link=Albert C. Outler |url=http://wesley.nnu.edu/fileadmin/imported_site/wesleyjournal/1985-wtj-20-1.pdf |title=The Wesleyan Quadrilateral in John Wesley |editor=Jason Gingerich |publisher=Wesley Center for Applied Theology |year=1985 |access-date=10 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329052011/http://wesley.nnu.edu/fileadmin/imported_site/wesleyjournal/1985-wtj-20-1.pdf |archive-date=29 March 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Wesley's Quadrilateral is referred to in Methodism as "our theological guidelines" and is taught to its [[Minister (Christianity)|ministers]] (clergy) in [[seminary]] as the primary approach to interpreting Scripture and gaining guidance for moral questions and dilemmas faced in daily living.<ref name="Patterson">{{cite book |last=Patterson |first=Ronald |title=The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church |date=1984 |publisher=United Methodist Publishing House |location=Nashville, Tennessee |language=en-us}}</ref>{{rp|76–88}}

Traditionally, Methodists declare the [[Bible]] ([[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s) to be the only divinely inspired Scripture and the primary source of authority for Christians.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chilcote |first1=Paul |title=Methodist Theology |url=https://www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/MethodistTheology#section1.2.4 |journal=St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology |date=2022}}</ref> The historic Methodist understanding of Scripture is based on the superstructure of [[Wesleyan covenant theology]].<ref name="Rodes2014">{{cite book |last=Rodes |first=Stanley J. |title=From Faith to Faith: John Wesley's Covenant Theology and the Way of Salvation |date=2014 |publisher=James Clarke & Company |isbn=978-0227902202 |language=en}}</ref> Methodists also make use of [[Christian tradition|tradition]], drawing primarily from the teachings of the [[Church Fathers]], as a source of authority. Tradition may serve as a lens through which Scripture is interpreted. Theological discourse for Methodists almost always makes use of Scripture read inside the wider theological tradition of Christianity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wesleyan Quadrilateral, the |url=http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/glossary-wesleyan-quadrilateral-the |work=Glossary |publisher=United Methodist Church |access-date=13 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Boaheng |first1=Isaac |title=The Wesleyan Quadrilateral and Contemporary Biblical Exegesis |journal=Journal of Mother-Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics and Theology |date=2 September 2020 |pages=87–95|volume=2|issue=3 |doi=10.38159/motbit.2020091|doi-access=free }}</ref>

John Wesley contended that a part of the theological method would involve experiential faith.<ref name="Outler1985"/> In other words, truth would be vivified in personal experience of Christians (overall, not individually), if it were really truth. And every doctrine must be able to be defended rationally. He did not divorce [[faith]] from [[reason]]. By reason, one asks questions of faith and seeks to understand God's action and will. Tradition, experience and reason, however, were subject always to Scripture, Wesley argued, because only there is the Word of God [[Revelation|revealed]] "so far as it is necessary for our salvation."<ref name="Patterson"/>{{rp|77}}

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