After full examination, do you believe that our doctrines are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures?

This is an important question for me—the question reveals that our hope as United Methodists is that our doctrines are in harmony, in unity, in agreement, in accord, in sync with what is revealed in Holy Scripture.

Scripture is very important to me and to the Church. John Wesley famously wrote “Let me be a homo unius libri”—a man of one book. Of course this didn’t mean that Wesley intended to only read the Bible or expected that of his preachers. Rather, he wanted them to read all sorts of books, but Scripture was supreme as the authority for the faith. United Methodists hold that “Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian doctrine.”[1] Scripture is interpreted through the lenses of tradition, reason, and experience. Scripture is informative and transformative for the community of faith. All things necessary for salvation and growth in holiness are revealed in God’s Holy Word.

I believe that pastors and laypeople must be students of Scripture and theology. The Church must always examine its doctrines in light of Holy Scripture to make sure that they stand in harmony with God’s revelation through Scripture and not in opposition to it.

Obviously, I feel that that doctrines of the United Methodist Church are in agreement with what is revealed in the Bible. I am proud to be a part of a tradition that takes Scripture so seriously and finds its doctrinal expression through what is revealed in God’s Word.

After full examination, do you believe that our doctrines are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures? I believe that they are.

[1] http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/theological-guidelines-scripture