Teaching a Denomination to be Wesleyan: The Quadrilateral as a Tool of Education and Ecumenism

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 1972, the United Methodist Church’s Theological Study Commission for Doctrine and Doctrinal Standards received near-unanimous approval from the General Conference for its formulation of a quadrilateral framework of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience for understanding John Wesley’s norms of theology and Methodist doctrine. Despite the overwhelming support of the Conference, the quadrilateral would go on to become one of the most contentious expressions of Methodist doctrine in ensuing years. In this discussion, however, Outler’s original intent for the quadrilateral has often been obscured. This article examines the formation of the quadrilateral in the Theological Study Commission and argues that the intended function of the quadrilateral was educational and ecumenical. It was intended to help Methodists discover the “wellsprings” of their own theological heritage, as well as offer opportunities for ecumenical engagement through processes of theological reflection and discourse.