T605 M Doctrine and Polity: Lecture on Doctrine and Doctrinal Standards

Overview

• This lecture discusses the concepts of Doctrine and Doctrinal Standards.
• Lecture divided into three parts:
  1. What is Doctrine?
  2. Doctrinal Standards of the United Methodist Church (UMC).
  3. Doctrinal Standards of the Global Methodist Church (GMC).

Part 1: Doctrine

Definition

• Doctrine viewed negatively as divisive, but it actually unites communities.
• George A. Linbeck's definition: "Church doctrines are communally authoritative teachings regarding beliefs and practices essential to the identity or welfare of the group."
  • Important as they set authoritative teachings agreed upon by a community.
• Doctrine unites by providing a baseline definition of beliefs and practices.

Part 2: Doctrinal Standards of the UMC

• Found in Part 3 of the Book of Discipline (2016).
• Doctrinal Standards include:
  1. Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church (Paragraph 104).
  2. Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church.
  3. Standard Sermons of Wesley.
  4. Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament.

Details

• Articles of Religion: Developed by John Wesley, 24 articles originally.
• Confession of Faith: Unified statement from the merged Evangelical and United Brethren Churches.
• Standard Sermons: 53 sermons by Wesley, crucial for defining Methodist doctrine.
• Explanatory Notes: John Wesley's commentary on the New Testament.

Part 3: Doctrinal Standards of the GMC

Organization

• Found in Part 1 of the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline.
• Categorized into three sets:
  1. Normative Documents
  2. Normative Standards
  3. Foundational Wesleyan Standards

Normative Documents

• Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed: Affirmations of Orthodox Christian teaching.
• Chalcedonian Definition (451 AD): Not as broadly accepted but affirmed by GMC.

Normative Standards

• Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith: Define doctrinal boundaries, similar documents to UMC.

Foundational Wesleyan Standards

• Standard Sermons of John Wesley: A total of 53, foundational for Methodist doctrine.
• Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament: Provide detailed teachings.

Additional Points

• GMC emphasizes a connection to Orthodox Christianity and Wesleyan witness.
• GMC has seven doctrinal standards compared to four of the UMC.

Key Takeaways

• Doctrine is crucial for unity and identity in faith communities.
• Both UMC and GMC have defined sets of doctrinal standards to guide beliefs and practices.
• GMC's standards encompass a broader array of documents, reflecting both traditional Orthodox beliefs and specific Wesleyan principles.

This lecture provides a detailed view of how doctrine and doctrinal standards play a role in shaping the identity and unity of Methodist communities.