Doing Theology as Wesleyan-Arminians: Biblical, Systematic, Consensual
The reflections below spring from ruminations on what has been called paleo-orthodoxy or consensual theology. As a person deeply committed to the Bible as the source and substance of all that I believe and teach, I want to avoid the shoals of solipsistic theology. How does a Wesleyan-Arminian avoid the stagnation of clubbish, intramural theology? First, he must be humble. Humility recognizes that we are finite. We are neither omniscient nor omni-competent. We are limited in perspective. We need the wisdom that comes from corporate perspective. It will be only as we listen attentively and appreciatively to the perspectives of others within the Christian community that we can extend the bounds of our vision past the categories of our own mind, hence the need for consensual theology. When we listen to our brothers and sisters, how shall we listen? Is consensual theology a potluck buffet? All ideas are presented; we each choose the combination that appeals to us? This cannot be the...