It’s been written about, preached, and discussed many times over. Yet some of us are still a little uncertain about what it means to be a Methodist. Methodist Message decided to pose candid questions to the Rev Dr Daniel Koh to get a clearer idea in simple language. This is the first of a two-part series.
SO WHAT’S UNIQUE about Methodism?
I once heard a senior clergy boldly proclaim: “Nothing.” In a sense, he’s right, as all Christians share the same historic creeds in which we affirm in our churches. We all share a common faith in God who revealed Himself to us in and through Jesus Christ. Yet we are unique in a different sense. Like other church traditions, Methodists place peculiar emphasis on certain doctrines and practices.
We are not claiming to be better or more superior to other denominations. Our uniqueness is found in learning from John Wesley how we can be responsible disciples of Christ. And we do this by holding on to the demands of Gospel and law; faith and reason together in healthy and wholesome balance, without falling into the temptation and trap of legalistic or licentious religiosity.
John Wesley’s teachings are based on Scripture. Can you please explain to me, Pastor, how did John Wesley put forth these teachings that today are embraced by all Methodists?
This is not an easy question to answer in a short paragraph. Suffice it to say that John Wesley claims to be homo unius libri, meaning, a person of one book and that is the Bible. In the early days when he depended on local preachers to help him spread God’s word, Wesley prepared Bible study notes for his itinerant preachers. By his example, as a man who searched the Scripture, he has shown us the importance he has placed on the Bible to guide us in our faith journey.
What are the key doctrines and practices?
I can name three broad areas – grace and responsibility, works of piety and works of mercy, and the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.
Pastor, sorry – Wesleyan what?
Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Renowned American Wesleyan scholar, Albert Outler (1908-1989) coined this term in the course of his research into how John Wesley framed and understood his theology. He concluded that Scripture, tradition, reason and experience were key to how we assess the soundness of doctrines, how our faith is to be applied and how we meet the challenges we encounter in this world.
So how did Outler come to conclude this?
Well, it was clear to Outler that John Wesley depended very much on the primacy of Scripture, enriched by the tradition of the church, supported by reason and affirmed by shared experience. However, the four segments of the Quadrilateral are not equal. In John Wesley’s theological reflection, Scripture plays a primary role, while the other three areas have supporting roles.
Tell me the significance of grace and responsibility.
Grace is simply defined as this: God reaching out to us because He loves us, and not because we have accumulated enough merit to gain His favour. But at the same time, we are also to take responsibility in how we ought to live our lives to please God and follow His way. His grace liberates us to be responsible and accountable. It does not give us a licence to dwell in sin or to embrace the values of this world.
Tell me about works of piety and works of mercy.
“Works of piety” include studying the Bible, prayer, fasting and the holy sacraments, which work together to help us nurture holiness. “Works of mercy” remind Methodists that our “holiness” should not be kept to ourselves, only for our own benefit. Hence, our Methodist understanding of holiness comes with a social dimension where we attend to and care for the poor and powerless of society, and the disadvantaged. Works of piety and works of mercy combined to foster “social holiness”.
I’ve heard that Methodists must use logic and reason in matters of faith. Is this true?
We must not pit faith against reason. Faith is required to receive the gift of salvation. But when we love God we need to love Him with our mind apart from loving Him with our heart, soul and strength (Mark 12:30). Moreover, we have been reminded to be ready to give the reason for our belief in God (1 Peter 3:15-16). Clearly, faith and mind are needed for wholesome growth, and Methodists should not be afraid to cultivate and exercise both.
I heard that Methodists have some connection with the Anglicans. Please explain.
The 26 “Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church” listed in our Book of Discipline of The Methodist Church in Singapore were selected by John Wesley from the Anglican Church’s 39 Articles of Religion. And of course, John Wesley was born into an Anglican family where he was exposed to Anglican teachings and he was nurtured by his parents in an Anglican home.
The Rev Dr Daniel Koh Kah Soon, a Methodist minister, is a full-time lecturer at Trinity Theological College. He teaches Christian Ethics, Pastoral Theology and Methodism.