Methodism and Other Traditions

When it comes to discussions of doctrine, Wesleyan works are no doubt placed at the head of most Methodist theology subsequent to Holy Scripture. Wesley's practical theology provides Methodist pietist roots with plenty of fodder for discourse. Wesley's Anglican roots provides Methodism with a rich historical development of dogma.  But often times Wesley's "methodism" lacks a certain attention to metaphysics (probably because of his historical situation and the epistemological philosophy of his day). But where we Methodist find Wesley lacking, turning to St. Thomas Aquinas is particularly helpful. Read in conjunction, a fairly wholistic theology emerges.
I say all this just to remind us that we Methodist would do well to reach beyond our own tradition and seek out a more eclectic theology from Christians who provided Wesley with his own thoughts. Often times when I am faced with a theological problem I turn to St. Thomas and Catholic sources.  
Let me give you an example. Wesley's Mariology is quite thin, that is to be expected but a few months ago I was doing some reading from scripture, preparing for sermons and concentrating upon the life of Mary. The issue of Immaculate Conception came up and I was wondering how it was that Mary was with/without original sin. The Methodist sources on this question were thin, but the rich text of St. Thomas Compendium were particularly helpful. I don't want to leave you in suspense, I was not questioning whether Mary was without original sin, but I was questioning how she was without original sin. Meaning: Was she born without it or was she granted a specific dispensation (St. Thomas said the latter, but Duns Scotus made the correction later).
Now you may be saying to yourself, "Who cares?" Well...I do. I think questions like these are fun and help train my mind to think about the things of God (which I always need help with). If we focus on theological questions we might just skip thinking about who is going to win American Idol (and come on, that has to be good). Now before I go into a rant and loose you (if I haven't already) let us return to Methodism.
It would be a grave error for us Methodist to believe that our "method" is solid and fully efficient to explain the intricacies of Christian theology. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, an early 19th century theologian, wrote, "the true is the whole." The whole of Christian theology, every tradition past and present, presents us with a truer picture than one tradition can provide (I would even suggest that an non-theology can provide a measure of truth). What is my point? Don't not be a afraid, as a pastor or laity, to demand more theology from your church. More than one particular theological tradition. The richness of theological sources can provide a lifetime of thinking about the God we serve.

Mark

Praying and Working

Ok,
I have not posted in a long while. I will try and do better. There are a lot of people who need prayer these days and when someone comes to me with a concern it is second nature for me to say, "I will pray for you." Many times I wish I could do more than pray and sometimes I can. Is praying enough? Don't get me wrong, praying is essential to the Christian life and prayer is doing something (it is efficacious). Many people are praying for those affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. It is also the job of Christians to find others ways to help those in need.  Perhaps a church can raise money together and donate to a sister church "on the front lines."
In early Christian theology many writers made a distinction between the contemplative life and the practical life. The contemplative life is often focused upon prayer, study and fasting. While the practical life focused more on the "hands on" work of ministry. It might do us good to be mindful of these distinctions and seek, as Christians, to learn the value of both. We United Methodists have a tendency to emphasize the practical, because of the nature of John Wesley's ministry(so in might be helpful for UMs to be a little more contemplative before we charge in with our pragmatic swords). The Christian faith seeks to establish both the contemplative life and the practical life as essential to a faithful Church. Pray church. Work church.

Mark