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Wesleyan Quadrilateral
1. Wesleyan Quadrilateral
2. Leap years
The Romans started their year in the spring with March. Winter months were added later with
February 28 as the
end of the year.
Later, the beginning of the year was moved to January 1.
Julius Caesar added one day to February every four year in the Julian Calendar.
To fix small errors, the Gregorian calendar adds the leap day using different rules.
Currently, the Julian calendar used by the Eastern Orthodox church is 13 days different than the Gregorian calendar. In 1752 when the United States changed, it was 11 days different.
[Benjamin Franklin]
3. Sola scriptura
The Latin phrase
"sola scriptura" ≈ "by scripture alone" is the idea that Bible truth can be derived from scripture alone.
Of course, since humans decide what scripture is the be included in the canon, this can effect the derived meaning.
Example: Disputed
James and
Hebrews put into the canon. Disputed
Barnabas excluded.
4. William of Ockham, Martin Luther, John Wesley
William of Ockham (1285-1347), as in "
Ockham's Razor", had an idea of "
sola scripture".
Martin Luther (1483-1546) promoted "
sola scriptura" as the Catholic Church often put "
church tradition" above the scripture.
So did
John Wesley (1703-1791), co-founder of Methodism. Apparently so did his brother
Charles Wesley (1707-1788).
5. The ring of the welkins
The song "
Hark the herald welkins ring" was written by
Charles Wesley (1707-1788), who helped found the Methodists and who wrote thousands of hymns.
The "
welkin" is the heaven or sky or cloud.
George Whitfield, a co-founder of Methodism, changed the words that Charles Wesley, a co-founder of Methodism, had written.
Wesley: "Hark the herald welkins ring"
Whitfield: "Hark the herald angels sing"
Wesley was not happy. Ever since, songs have the angels singing even though this is not found in the Bible (except in part of Revelation).
6. Wesleyan Quadrilateral
The phrase
Wesleyan Quadrilateral was coined by American Methodist theologian
Albert Outler (1908-1969) to describe how
John Wesley (1703-1791), co-founder of Methodism, organized belief. The four parts are as follows.
1. Scripture - core beliefs which are primary
2. Tradition - passed down through the ages
3. Reason - to logically and rationally defend the doctrine
4. Christian experience - some weaken this to personal experience
It appears that problems can arise when lower level aspects such as
experience are used to take precedence over what
scripture appears to clearly state.
These lower-level ideas (2, 3, 4) were to be used
only when scripture (1) itself was not clear.
7. Quadrilateral types
It appears that Outler did not intend to put the ideas into diagram form. However, when one uses a geometric figure term as an idea, one will see geometric figures for those ideas. Thus, one may have issues trying to use precise logic with the ideas.
In the case of a quadrilateral, there are
eight (8) different types (depending on how one organizes them).
What did the circle say to the square on the bus?
I am on the rhombus!”
Why did the rhombus break up with the triangle?
It found someone with more angles.
8. Wesleyan Quadrilateral
Though Outler did not intend to put the ideas into diagram from, the way diagrams depict the ideas may help or may be misleading. In some diagrams, the precedence of each part may not be evident.
9. Methodist understanding
In United Methodist understanding, both laypeople and clergy alike share in "our theological task." Wikipedia. (as of 2024-01-29)
Small groups to discuss the pastor's sermon, look at ways to bring the concepts of the church to life by actual interactions with other humans.
Warming of the heart. Emotional component not present in the bigger church organizations.
10. Pietism
Pietism. Popular in late 1600's until mid 1700's. Put life back into the dry top-down control structure. Priesthood of all believers.
When Wesley encountered the Moravians (after first failed experience in America), he developed additional ideas.
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Details are left as a future topic.
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11. The Christian Hedonism fallacy
Christian Hedonism is a phrase coined about 1986 by John Piper and appeared in his book
Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist .
His summary of the concept is that "
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.". John Piper is currently Chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A leading figure in
Christian Hedonism today is American evangelical and Christian pastor
Matt Chandler and his church based in Flower Mound, Texas.
[PIT fallacy]
12. Rick Warden
Here are the five main points (just the claimed
false points) of Rick Warden's outlining of
Five Heresies of Christian Hedonism from his blog of January 25, 2017. Each idea is from Piper's writings.
1. "...we should pursue happiness, and pursue it with all our might."
2. "The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed."
3. "You cannot please God if you do not come to him as rewarder."
4. "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever."
5. "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him."
http://templestream.blogspot.com/2017/01/christian-hedonisms-false-dichotomy.html (as of 2024-02-24)
Note that while Warden calls these
false points, a better way to phrase it would be that the Bible does not appear to support the ideas claimed by Piper. It is up to each person to decide, based on the evidence, whether the claims in the book are valid. There may be undesirable consequences for certain answers.
13. James 4:3
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. [kjv]
αιτειτε και ου λαμβανετε διοτι κακως αιτεισθε ινα εν ταις ηδοναις υμων δαπανησητε [gnt]
In the previous verse, they were
not "
asking". In this verse, they are "
asking"
badly. Is James saying that if we "
ask" in the
right way, we will get what we "
ask" for? What's the "
ask"?
The
KJV (King James Version) translates as
"amiss" a Greek word that means
"bad".
"κακῶς" ≈ "badly, miserably, maliciously" (as used here)
"κακός" ≈ "bad, ugly, wretched, mean" (related word)
These words are used by Jesus to refer to those who have fallen and need the Good News.
The ancient Greek word
"ἡδονή" ≈ "delight, pleasure, taste"and is the source of the English word
"hedonism".
14. James 4:4 Enemies of God
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. [kjv]
μοιχαλιδες ουκ οιδατε οτι η φιλια του κοσμου εχθρα του θεου εστιν ος εαν ουν βουληθη φιλος ειναι του κοσμου εχθρος του θεου καθισταται [gnt]
Does "God" consider the "world" an enemy?
Does the "world" consider "God" an enemy?
This appears to be a (not uncommon)
converse logical error by James.
The world considers God an enemy does not mean that God considers the world an enemy.
The Greek phrase «
του θεου» appears in
496 verses in the
GNT (Greek New Testament). In
494 verses this is translated as "
of God" or "
of ... God" (with an adjective, etc.). There are only
2 places where this is translated "
with god". These are translated as "
with God" for reasons that are not clear.
15. Matt Chandler: The Beatitudes
A leading figure in
Christian Hedonism today is American evangelical and Christian pastor
Matt Chandler. Here is a description of his study of the Beatitudes.
What does it mean to be blessed? And, more importantly, how do we become someone who is blessed? The kind of life God is calling us to may not look the way we imagined, but it will be better than we could have hoped. In this eight-session series, pastor Matt Chandler takes us through the Beatitudes and shows us what it means to live in the kingdom of God. Through Jesus’s teaching, learn what a blessed life really looks like.
Do you see any hints of
Christian Hedonism in the description? Note the following of the Greek words in the Beatitudes.
The Greek word "blessed" in the Beatitudes means "happy".
The "Kingdom of God" is not in the Beatitudes. The "Kingdom of heaven" is a code phrase for a different idea.
The description says "may not look the way we imagined". How might it be different?
16. 2 Timothy 3:1,4-7 Review
2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. [kjv]
Verses 2-3: 15 words describing men. Verse 4 has 5, the last 2 a comparison.
3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; [kjv]
προδοται προπετεις τετυφωμενοι φιληδονοι μαλλον η φιλοθεοι [gnt]
3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. [kjv]
3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, [kjv]
3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. [kjv]
17. End of page
