Introduction
Once one has a grasp on the concept of systematic theology, the next step is to discover just how to organize what makes Christian theology possible; that is, the sources on which our beliefs are based. Without having a set of established, legitimate sources, theologians would be unable to reliably interpret and relate the doctrines of the Christian faith to others. By sources of theology, we mean the events or artifacts that reveal God to us. Having these sources in place gives us a starting point on our journey to uncovering the crevices and depths of Christian theology. Here we will discuss the four major sources of Wesleyan systematic theology.
What Are the Four Sources of Systematic Theology?
The Bible
Naturally, the first and most important source of Christian theology is the Holy Book that God has given as a graceful, loving gift to us: the Bible. As put by H. Ray Dunning in Grace, Faith, and Holiness, “All sources carry only derivative authority… they are authoritative to the degree that they adequately bear witness to the primary revelation, what carries final authority. From the Christian perspective, this is the Christ-event and, in the light of it, the salvation-events of the Old Testament, of which it is the fulfillment.”[1]
God makes it clear throughout all of Scripture that He wishes to have a relationship with us[2]. Because of His great love for us, He gave us His words through the Holy Spirit giving inspiration to the writers of the collective work we call the Bible.[3] Our belief is that the primary way that God chose to reveal himself to us is through the Bible. Since we believe that His word is inerrant, this means that we can rely on everything in the Bible to teach us thorough and true theology; the challenge arises when we attempt to translate very complicated concepts into words that anyone can understand.
As the primary source of theology, all secondary sources should comply with the teachings of God’s word. If a source does not align with the Bible, there is one of two explanations; either the secondary source is incorrect, or it is being interpreted incorrectly. Whatever the reason may be, we need to carefully evaluate each and every source with each other to make sure that they are not contradictory – that is why systematic theology is very important.
Tradition
Tradition is defined as the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction.[4] Traditions have been present since the first generation to walk the earth, and they are still as prevalent as ever today. While many might think of tradition as nothing more than old people pushing their lifestyle and worldview on the younger generations, that is a viewpoint that ought to be reconsidered.
If we take a close look at the definition above, it can be drawn that not only is tradition a valuable set of teachings from the work and research of the people before us, but it is also something that we ourselves are making every day. As developing theologians, we should not underestimate the importance of tradition as a secondary source of theology. Rather, we should take a good look at the ways of the past generations and evaluate them in the light of the new knowledgeable discoveries we have today (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) and adjust them as necessary.
Reason
One of the most important sources that we have in theology is the very mind and conscience that God gave us. As humans, we do not go without a day in our life when we have an existential crisis. There are many questions that we cannot avoid as humans that point to this, such as: what is the purpose of humanity? What is the purpose of the universe? What is my purpose as an individual? Asking yourself these questions does not necessarily challenge the integrity of your faith; it is how you respond to them that shows where your faith lies. Everyone asks themselves these questions in at least one point in their life (often many more than that), and their answer to that question becomes what is known as their worldview.
A worldview refers to “a culture’s orientation to supernatural, human, and natural entities in the cosmological universe and other philosophical issues influencing how its members see the world.”[5] As Christians, we have taken upon ourselves the worldview answers (relative to the questions above) that God created humanity to have a relationship with Him, the universe was made for His glory and originally as our domain, and we are to live our life in pursuit of His kingdom.
Experience
The last and perhaps most overlooked of the four sources is experience. By experience, we mean what we call the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit. We discussed earlier how God wishes to reveal Himself to us so that we can have a relationship with Him (after all, that is ultimately what theology is about); one of the ways in which He does this is by living in us, walking beside us, and guiding us along the way. When you devote your life to the will of God and the expansion of His kingdom, you will find that your life changes in such a way that He is the only possible explanation. Many Christians, especially those who grew up in the church, do not recognize this power working in their life. While it is true that we might not see drastic changes being made in our life every day, it is also true that the righteous living we strive to attain day-by-day does make a difference, even if that difference does not become apparent right away. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it in this way, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”[6]
Overlooked as it may be, experience is one of the most impactful of the secondary sources. While tradition speaks to our nature and reason speaks to our mind, experience speaks to our soul. Jesus sent the Helper to us for a purpose; that purpose being to help guide us and reveal the Trinity to us in a way we could not otherwise hope to achieve.
Proper Application
Identifying the proper application of these sources can, at times, be challenging. However, as previously stated in this paper, the fact that all secondary sources must align with the theological teachings of the Bible is the best way to start. While it may be difficult for us developing theologians, with time and effort we will eventually find ourselves naturally comparing everything we learn from outside Scripture to what lies within it. When we accurately and effectively apply the technique of discovering the parallels between the primary and secondary sources, we begin our path to becoming good theologians.
Conclusion
If we properly apply all of the sources above to our study and to our lives, we will be able to build a relationship with God that will bring an understanding we could not otherwise attain. While this certainly does not mean that we will gain the wisdom to know every theological concept with certainty, it does mean that we will have sound doctrine in the essentials of the Christian faith. With this knowledge of and about God paired with our close relationship with the Holy Trinity, we will find that our lives will make an impact for the good of God’s kingdom that we could never hope to achieve on our own.
Bibliography
Dunning, H. Ray. Grace, Faith, & Holiness. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988.
“Tradition.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 24, 2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradition.
Quintanilla, Kelly M., and Shawn T. Wahl. Business and Professional Communication: Keys for Workplace Excellence. Thirded. Thousand Oaks, CA, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2020.
[1] H. Ray Dunning, Grace, Faith, & Holiness (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1988)).
[2] James 4:8a; 1 John 4:19 (NRSV).
[3] 2 Timothy 3:16 (NRSV).
[4] “Tradition,” Merriam-Webster (Merriam-Webster), accessed February 24, 2020, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradition).
[5] Kelly M. Quintanilla and Shawn T. Wahl, Business and Professional Communication: Keys for Workplace Excellence, Third (Thousand Oaks, CA, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2020)).
[6] Proverbs 3:5-6 (NRSV).