What United Methodists Believe
United Methodist Share Common Heritage with Other Christians
conviction that God has mercy and love for all people
belief in a triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit
faith in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ
celebration of the sacraments
In these and many other ways, Methodism affirms the unity of all Christians in the Body of Christ.
United Methodists Share Four Main Guidelines for Belief
These guidelines help them understand their faith, and include:
Scripture
Tradition
Experience
Reason
They are interdependent and allow for variety in theology.
Sources for Their Faith Include
The Bible
John Wesley's writings
The Articles of Religion
The Confession of Faith
The United Methodist "Book of Discipline"
Theologians and Educators
Primacy of Grace
God, who is revealed through Jesus Christ, loves human beings and all creation.
Grace is God's loving action in human existence through the Holy Spirit.
Holiness
Christians are to allow the Holy Spirit to shape them more and more into the image of Christ.
Faithful disciples work for world reconciliation, peace, justice and love.
Human Worth
Even though all human beings are sinners, God endows each person with worth and moral responsibility.
Reconciliation between humans and God is chief among God's purposes.
The full splendor of true humanity is seen in Jesus Christ.
Conversion and New Birth
God forgives sins and changes the human heart when persons repent and trust in Christ.
Not all Christians experience the workings of divine grace in the same ways.
Prevenient Grace
This is the Grace - the divine love - that "runs ahead" of our conscious impulses and leads our hearts toward faith.
Faith and Good Works
They belong together. Personal salvation leads to involvement in Christian Mission in the World.
Personal religion and Christian social action are mutually reinforcing.
Tolerance
While United Methodism retains much from its several heritages, different theological positions grow out of the circumstances and experiences of different groups. It acknowledges the virtues of different points of view even within the same community of believers.
