Dr. Matt O’Reilly explains why the new Articles of Faith provide a strong foundation for the GMC, but are only a beginning.
His subtitle, “From Theological Pluralsim to a Common Confession,” explains his premise that the foundation of our previous connection was made of sand from the beginning, being based on mid-20th century pluralism rather than doctrinal clarity.
Like many GMC theologians, he puts much of the blame on the foundational “Wesleyan Quadrilateral,” which focused on shared theological process rather than shared doctrine.
The United Methodist Church was born shortly before the time I started becoming theologically aware, so I grew up with the quadrilateral being the norm for my understanding of Wesleyan doctrine. Since I always had a more traditional understanding of it–that scripture was determinative and experience, tradition and reason merely contributed context–I don’t completely share his dismissal. I understand, though, that it has been misused by some to undermine the primacy of scripture.