WHAT WE BELIEVE
As United
Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to
Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church’s life and
witness. To fulfill this obligation, we reflect critically on our biblical
and theological inheritance, striving to express faithfully the witness we
make in our own time.
Two considerations are central to this endeavor: the sources from which we derive our theological affirmations and the criteria by which we assess the adequacy of our understanding and witness.
Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.
SOCIAL PRINCIPLES
The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice. Its members have often taken forthright positions on controversial issues involving Christian principles. Early Methodists expressed their opposition to the slave trade, to smuggling, and to the cruel treatment of prisoners.
