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Invitation to a Journey Session Seven: Authoritative Travel Guides
Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illuminated by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason. (The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 1996, p 74)
[Wesley's via media was] a way of theologizing in which the concern for connecting theological thinking with daily living required that the authoritative written sources of Christian theology be in a living relationship with the visible church (tradition and reason) producing an experience of divine reality that graciously gives rise to even the smallest beginnings of each. (W. Stephen Gunter, "The Quadrilateral and the 'Middle Way'," in Wesley and the Quadrilateral: Renewing the Conversation [Nashville: Abingdon, 1997], p 38)
I. The "Myth" of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral:
Origin. Wesley did not invent the Quadrilateral, and so ambitious claims regarding originality or distinctiveness regarding Wesley and the Quadrilateral must be avoided. (Cf. Albert Outler, "The Wesleyan Quadrilateral - In John Wesley," in Doctrines and Theology in the United Methodist Church, ed. Thomas A. Langford [Nashville: Kingswood, 1991], pp 75-88. Also see Randy Maddox, et al, Wesley and the Quadrilateral: Renewing the Conversation, p 13).
The term "quadrilateral" has a relatively recent history, though its constituent parts have functioned at least tacitly throughout church history...all four sources were implicitly employed by ancient ecumenical teachers, but we do not find an adequate, explicit clarification of the relation of experience and reason to Scripture and tradition until the Reformation and modern periods.
While Wesley did not invent the Quadrilateral, the four elements involved were very mportant in his theological method.
Nature. The term "Quadrilateral" can connote or imply an equal relationship or "authority" among all four of its constituent parts.
Yet for Wesley, while the four elements were interdependent, they were not equally authoritative. The principle which the Quadrilateral seeks to display is the interdependence of all four authorities under the primacy of Scripture. Scott Jones notes:
The Quadrilateral is used as a summary of how Methodists understand theological authority. To be faithful to John Wesley, however, this must always be understood as a single locus of authority with four unequal parts. Scripture is primary, and always interpreted in the light of the other three. For Wesley, all four terms are mutually interdependent. Reason correctly employed testifies to the authority of Scripture, and Scripture must always make sense. Not all Christians tradition is authoritative - only the parts where Christians were faithful to Scripture. Only those experiences where the goals of Scripture are actualized count in theological arguments. Thus, it is thoroughly non-Wesleyan to play off any part of the Quadrilateral against the other parts, and particularly so if one part is used to nullify the authority of Scripture. [Emphasis added] (Wesley and the Quadrilateral, p 42) II. The Role of Scripture in Wesley's Theology
The Bible as divinely inspired:
Concerning the Scriptures in general, it may be observed, the word of the living God, which directed the first Patriarchs also, was in the time of Moses, committed to writing. To this were added, in several succeeding generations, the inspired writings of the other Prophets. Afterwards, what the Son of God preached, and the Holy Ghost spake by the Apostles, the Apostles and Evangelists wrote. (Wesley's Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, Preface, Par. 10)
Wesley believed that God was the author of Scripture - ie, that the content of the Bible is what God said to Moses, what Jesus said on earth, and what the Holy Spirit said to the apostles - which was then put into writing. Yet, God used human beings in this process in such a way that their personalities and perspectives were brought to bear on how the message was communicated.
The Bible as authority:
The Bible was authoritative for Wesley in a two-fold sense:
As the source of theology. The Scriptures are the place from which the basic teachings of the Christian faith are obtained. Wesley adhered to the Reformation slogan, "sola scriptura" (Scripture only). This was the Reformers' was of countering authoritarian claims of church, later tradition, and other competitors to the revealed Word of God as the foundational basis for construing doctrine. The simplicity of "sola scriptura," enabled all Christians to understand the basis on which our claims to truth are made. (Cf. Jones, Wesley and the Quadrilateral, p 41, 55).
Wesley repeatedly appeals to the Bible as the primary justification for his teachings. In the Preface to his Sermons, he calls himself homo unius libri, a "man of one book," to expound his commitment to the Bible. In his appeals to religious authority, Wesley mentions and quotes the Bible more than any other source. In his "Principles of a Methodist Farther Explained," he notes:
These need no outward miracle to show them his will: they have a plain rule, the written Word...Through this they are enabled to bring all doctrines "to the law and to the testimony." And whatsoever is agreeable to this they receive without waiting to see it attested by miracles. As on the other hand, whatever is contrary to this they reject - nor can any miracles move them to receive it. (Par V.4; cf. WJW, volume 9).
Scott Jones summarizes Wesley's commitment to the authoritative source of Scripture:
Any accurate understanding of Wesley's view of the Bible must first start here, with a strong statement that Scripture alone is the authority for Christian faith and practice. On this point Wesley is definite. It is the Bible that serves as the final court of appeal. (Wesley and the Quadrilateral, p 41)
The Bible as the norm for theology.
That is, the Bible is the final arbiter, the final court of appeal in disputes about which teachings or behaviors are specifically Christian or not - not experience, tradition, or even miracles. Other sources of authority must be seen as essentially related to the one, central authority, which is Scripture. (Cf. Jones, Wesley and the Quadrilateral, p 48).
Puritan vs Anglican views re: Biblical Authority
Puritans (Dissenters): Scripture was authoritative for everything
Anglicans: Scripture was authoritative for issues specifically related to salvation knowledge (cf. W. Stephen Gunter in Wesley and the Quadrilateral, p 17)
Wesley espouses the Anglican position re: Biblical authority, affirming the Bible's divine inspiration in all things pertaining to salvation.
Excursus: Five Uses of Scripture in Wesley
Wesley typically appeals to the authority of Scripture by utilizing it in at least five different ways: textual, explanatory, definitional, narrative, and semantic (cf. Jones, Wesley and the Quadrilateral, pp 44-47 for fuller discussion).
Textual: corresponds to Wesley's method of writing theological treatises in sermonic form. Scripture forms the starting point in each case/sermon, either in terms of content (e.g., the Sermon, "The Means of Grace," where Wesley begins with Malachi 3:7 but departs from it in the bulk of the sermon).
Explanatory: Wesley calls on the Bible to explain other portions of Scripture or to justify conclusions which he has drawn. (e.g., he uses Eph. 4:13 to bolster his position regarding Christian perfection, especially as he argues it to others. Cf. WJW, 11:369).
Definitional: Wesley appeals to Scripture as the source of a correct definition crucial to the issue being considered. (e.g., Wesley's definition of "faith" from Hebrews 11:1).
Narrative: Wesley appropriates Scripture to provide a rationale for his actions (e.g., in his An Earnest Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion, he justifies his practice of field preaching based on stories of Paul preaching to Gentiles in response to being opposed by the Jews).
Semantic: Wesley uses Scripture to make a point that could easily be made using non-biblical words. In using Scriptural words/phrases, Wesley takes advantage of the authority of their source. This is the most prevalent use of Scripture in Wesley. (Cf. "The Scripture Way of Salvation," Par. I.8)
III. Wesley's Rules for Interpreting Scripture
When possible, use Scriptural language to express Scriptural ideas. E.g., the NT term "perfection."
Use the literal sense of Scripture unless it leads to a contradiction with another Scripture or implies an absurdity. (Medieval exegesis held that there were four "senses" of Scripture, two of which were the literal sense and the allegorical. Wesley is here arguing to give preference to the plain, literal sense of Scripture as opposed to the allegorical.)
Interpret biblical texts with reference to their literary contexts. (individual passages/texts should be interpreted in light of the context of the book as a whole, and of the Bible as a whole)
Key points:
the biblical book is the basic unit of meaning;
C.I.E. (context is everything!)
Scripture interprets Scripture according to the "Analogy of Faith."
The Analogy of Faith: Scripture interprets itself apart from any external authority standing outside of it; individual passages are to be interpreted in the light of the entire Bible; and, complex or obscure passages are to be interpreted in the light of clearer passages.
The Analogy of Faith was a key Reformation principle of biblical interpretation. In particular, the view that the whole Bible ought to shape interpretation of individual passages was seen as a corrective to "proof-texting," or isolating a single passage of scripture and building doctrine or theological practice on it.
Wesley believed he was operating according to the analogy of faith in refuting Whitefield's doctrine of predestination. In his sermon, "Free Grace,")
For Wesley, the Bible as a whole was internally coherent and consistent. Further, for him the wholeness of Scripture was constituted by its doctrine of salvation, or soteriology. The Bible proclaims the same "message of salvation," throughout, which has three main points: 1) original sin; 2) justification by faith; and 3) sanctification. (Cf. Sermons, "On the Inefficacy of Christianity," and "The End of Christ's Coming" for two among many examples)
Biblical commandments are veiled promises.
(What God commands in Scripture, by grace he empowers; Cf. The Ten Commandments; Mt. 5:48, etc.) God empowers persons to live the Moral Law.
Interpret literary devices appropriately.
(There must be a sensitivity to the many and various forms in which Scripture comes to us: poetry, parable, law, narrative, miracle story, epistle, apocalyptic, etc. The form in which a text comes determines how the the text is to be interpreted. This is a key interpretive principle in any age!)
Seek the most original text and the best translation(s).
(Principle of textual criticism, e.g., of establishing the oldest, most accurate biblical text; e.g., John 3:16, etc.)
Summary of Wesley on Scripture
For Wesley, the divine authority of Scripture was basic, foundational, and primary. Yet, for Wesley, all truth was one:
It is characteristic of Wesley's method to claim a unity between all parts of religious authority. For Wesley, the Quadrilateral would really be one locus of authority in four parts. Wesley criticized his preachers who relied only on the Bible, and we can assume he would oppose "biblicists" today who pit the Bible against all secular knowledge. (Jones, Wesley and the Quadrilateral, p 58)
Wesley was committed to a particular reading of Scripture in its wholeness, e.g., a soteriological reading comprised of
original sin
justification by faith
sanctification
A Modern Wesleyan Approach to Scripture: Some Proposals
The authority of Scripture must be maintained at a high level.
Wesleyans must remain a people "of one book," in the sense that Scripture is the final arbiter of theological truth and normative Christian practice. Yet, Scripture is never completely alone. Including tradition, experience and reason does not negate, but rather enhances, Scripture's foundational truth. (Cf. Jones, Wesley and the Quadrilateral, 60; Cf. Also Gunter's argument that the Quadrilateral is not static or formulaic, but a living, dynamic relationship between the living church and its written sources of revelation.)
The general message of the Bible in its wholeness must be seen as the "Way of Salvation." That is, the center of Scripture is soteriology, the doctrine of salvation for individuals, the nation, and the nations. The Bible is fundamentally about the saving work of God and the relationship of the Creator to his creatures. Some of Wesley's rules for interpreting Scripture remain valid today: commands as veiled promises - reflects our understanding of grace the Analogy of Faith - corrects the "atomizing" of Scripture Use of the best scholarly texts, translations The Wesleyan approach is NOT the only approach We are not the "true" church; we are part of the universal church; faithfulness to Wesley must always lead to this "greater" faithfulness to the one, holy, catholic, apostolic faith.
Imagine a baseball diamond. Home plate is Scripture. First base is tradition. Second base is reason and third base is experience. (Richard Lovelace, "Recovering Our Balance
Presumably, one must begin theological reflection with home plate - Scripture. But to "score a run," one must cross the bases of tradition, reason, and experience before completing the return to Scripture - the start and finish of theological reflection.
For Further Reading:
Donald A.D. Thorsen. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience as a Model of Evangelical Theology. Indianapolis, IN: Light and Life Communications, 1997.
Thomas A. Langford, ed. Doctrine and Theology in the United Methodist Church. Nashville: Kingswood, 1991.
Albert Outler. "The Wesleyan Quadrilateral - in John Wesley." In Doctrine and Theology in the United Methodist Church, pp 75-88.
W. Stephen Gunter, et al. Wesley and the Quadrilateral: Renewing the Conversation. Nashville: Abingdon, 1997.
Scott J. Jones. John Wesley's Conception and Use of Scripture. Nashville: Kingswood, 1995.
Mack B. Stokes. The Bible in the Wesleyan Heritage. Nashville: Abingdon, 1979.
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