1. What’s So Special About Methodism Session 3: Theology and Books

2. Theology Theology = talking about God Theology and practice are dependant on each other Theology matters

3. The Methodist Quadrilateral Scripture Tradition Reason Experience

4. Scripture

5. Tradition

6. Tradition... You’re doing it wrong

7. Tradition

8. Reason

9. Experience

10. Scripture Tradition ReasonExperience The Methodist Quadrilateral

11. Scripture Tradition Reason Experience The Methodist Quadbike

13. Arminianism vs Calvinism Calvinism Total depravity Unconditional election Limited atonement Irresistible grace Perseverance of the saints Arminianism Universal prevenient grace Conditional election Universal atonement Resistible grace Uncertainty of perseverance

14. Arminianism vs Calvinism Libertarian free will Equal, impartial, and undifferentiated love The universal call of salvation

15. The four alls All need to be saved All can be saved All can know they are saved All can be saved to the uttermost

16. Holiness John 4:19 “We love (him), because he first loved us.” "This is the sum of all religion, the genuine model of Christianity. None can say more: why should anyone say less, or less intelligibly?“ - John Wesley

17. Break

18. Books The Bible CPD Wesley’s 44 Sermons The Plan

19. CPD

20. Hymn Book(s)

21. “What shall I do, My God to love?" Hymns & Psalms 46 v2 Thy sovereign grace to all extends Immense and unconfined From age to age it never ends It reaches all mankind Charles Wesley

22. Testimony – “When I Survey” When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? His dying crimson, like a robe, Spreads o’er His body on the tree; Then I am dead to all the globe, And all the globe is dead to me. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. Isaac Watts

23. Prayer – “Be thou my vision” Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart, be all else but naught to me, save that thou art; be thou my best thought in the day and the night, both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light. Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word, be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord; be thou my great Father, and I thy true son; be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one. Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight; be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might; be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower: O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power. Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise: be thou mine inheritance now and always; be thou and thou only the first in my heart; O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art. High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright sun, O grant me its joys after victory is won; great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all. Ancient Irish Prayer trans. Mary Byrne, 1905, versified by Eleanor Hull, 1912

24. Preaching – “The Church of Christ” The church of Christ in every age, beset by change but Spirit-led, must claim and test its heritage and keep on rising from the dead. Across the world, across the street, the victims of injustice cry for shelter and for bread to eat, and never live until they die. The let the servant church arise, a caring church that longs to be a partner in Christ's sacrifice, and clothed in Christ's humanity. For he alone, whose blood was shed, can cure the fever in our blood, and teach us how to share our bread and feed the starving multitude. We have no mission but to serve in full obedience to our Lord: to care for all, without reserve, and spread his liberating word. F Pratt Green

25. Pitfalls – Great is the Lord Great is the Lord and Most worthy of praise, The city of our God the holy place, The Joy of the whole earth Great is the Lord in whom we have the victory He aids us against the enemy We bow down on our knees And Lord we want to lift your name on high And Lord we want to thank you for the works you've done in our lives And lord we trust in your unfailing love for you alone are God eternal Throughout earth and heaven above

26. Where it comes from - Psalm 48 A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. 1 Great is the L ORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. 3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. 4 When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, 5 they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror. 6 Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labour. 7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind...

27. “Great is our Redeeming Lord” 1 GREAT is our redeeming Lord, In power, and truth, and grace Him, by highest heaven adored, His church on earth doth praise: In the city of our God, In his holy mount below, Publish, spread his name abroad, And all his greatness show. 2 For thy loving-kindness, Lord, We in thy temple stay; Here thy faithful love record, Thy saving power display: With thy name thy praise is known, Glorious thy perfections shine; Earth's remotest bounds shall own Thy works are all divine. 3 See the gospel church secure, And founded on a rock; All her promises are sure; Her bulwarks who can shock? Count her every precious shrine; Tell, to after-ages tell, Fortified by power divine, The church can never fail. 4 Zion's God is all our own, Who on his love rely; We his pardoning love have known, And live to Christ, and die: To the new Jerusalem He our faithful guide shall be: Him we claim, and rest in him, Through all eternity. - Charles Wesley

28. Next session: Session 4: Methodism; past, present and future