Topic > Reflection on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral - 1909

The term Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a theological method used to study the Scriptures. Theologian John Wesley was believed to study the scriptures of the Bible using three lenses, hence the name the Wesleyan Quadrangle. These three lenses are tradition, reason and experience. Although quad means four, and tradition, reason, and experience are only three terms, they each convey a way in which the scriptures can be studied, so the term scripture completes the quadrilateral. It is important to study the Scriptures using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral because Wesley was known as a major theologian and his views on the Scriptures lasted for over two centuries. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is still relevant today as it provides a method for discovering the things of God, ourselves, and lets us know who God truly is. For the purposes of this reflection paper, I would like to summarize the four components of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral and then personally reflect about each term and how it relates to the Christian theologian. The first component of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral is Scripture. The term scripture used in the Wesleyan Quadrangle refers to the word of God. The word of God is found in the Bible. It is from the scriptures of the Bible that when Christians memorize these words and put them into practice, reason can be defined as the attempt to understand God and the explanation behind his decisions. We can understand God, and reason gives us hope to understand God through the Scriptures. Reason is a tool we can use to discern and interpret God's word and to gain insight into God's character and personality. God's nature is eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, and supernatural, and reason provides a lens for viewing God's behavior through his nature. “God is not irrational” and there is a reason behind everything He does (WQL 5). Reason is a valuable tool for the Wesleyan Quadrangle, but reason does not hold