With Christians of other communions, we confess belief in the triune
GOD
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
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This confession embraces the biblical witness to God's activity in creation, encompasses God's gracious self-involvement in the dramas of history, and anticipates the consummation of God's reign.
The created order is designed for the well-being of all creatures and as the place of human dwelling in covenant with God.
As sinful creatures, however; we have broken that covenant, become estranged from God, wounded ourselves and one another, and wreaked havoc throughout the natural order.
We stand in need of redemption.
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~Scripture~
United Methodidts share with other Christians the conviction that Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian doctrine. Through Scripture the living Christ meets us in the experience of redeeming grace. We are convinced that Jesus Christ is the living Word of God in our midst whom we trust in life and in death.
~Tradition~
The story of the church reflects the most basic of tradition, the continuing activity of God's Spirit transforming human life. Tradition is the history of that continuing environment of grace in and by which all Christians live, God's self-giving love in Jesus Christ. As such, tradition trancends the story of particular traditions.
~Experience~
Some facets of human experience tax our theological understanding. Many of God's people live in terror, hunger, lonliness, and degradation. Everyday experiences of birth and death, of growth and life in the created world, and an awareness of wider social relations also belong to serious theologial reflection.
A new awareness of such experiences can inform our appropriation of scriptual truths and sharpen our appreciation of the good news of he Kingdom of God.
~Reason~
Although we recognize that God's revelation and our experiences of God's Grace continually surpass the scope of human language and reason, we also believe that any disciplined theological work calls for the careful use of reason. By reason we read and interpret Scripture. By reason we determine whether our Christian witness is clear. By reason we ask questions of faith and seek to understand God's action and will.
