Don Thorsen

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, & Experience As a Model of Evangelical Theology Don Thorsen

This book develops the theological method implicit in the theology of John Wesley. The four normative sources for doing theology have been described as the Wesleyan quadrilateral--Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. The author shows that for Wesley the Protestant concept of "Scripture alone" entails the view that the Scriptures are the primary source, not the only source, of theology. He proposes that Wesley's theological method is the basis for a catholic evangelicalism and ecumenism that is faithful to the Scriptures, to the Early Church Fathers, to a responsible use of reason, and Christian experience enlightened by the Holy Spirit.