The church I serve is working on a new web page. In a link
on beliefs, I attempted to craft a way of phrasing Methodist spirituality in my
own words. I tried to be brief and understandable, without using too much
jargon. Here is what I came up with:
Arab First is a United Methodist Church, part of a
12.5-million strong faith group who follows Jesus Christ and is shaped by the
spirituality of English reformers John and Charles Wesley. But we are a people
of “Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors” and value diversity of thought. There
are many people from other faith traditions who find a place here. Just make
yourself at home.
We do not believe that we are “right” and everyone else is
“wrong.” But we have a unique flavor. Methodists believe that while we are
sinners in need of grace, our most essential identity is that we are
beautifully created in the image of God. We trust in the expansive nature of
God’s grace, which reaches to us before we even know it and continues to
transform us long after we embrace it. We believe that God gives us the free
will to respond, and we cooperate with God through spiritual practices such as
scripture, prayer, worship and sacraments, sacrificing for God, and developing
Christian relationships to hold us accountable. These are the
"methods" of Methodism, the ways we open ourselves to God's
incredible grace.
Jesus calls us to be followers, not just fans, and personal
relationship with Christ nourishes us for that great adventure. We believe in the
essential nature of God as Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We affirm
that the scripture is the inspired revelation of God, and we believe that Jesus
Christ is the Word made flesh to dwell among us. We assume that faith is informed by a healthy
balance of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. We believe that faith in Christ warms the heart and changes the world around us.
There is a website on United Methodist beliefs which
includes sections on basics of faith, sacraments, and spiritual living. Check
out What We Believe.
