TDS3000 United Methodist Doctrine
Summer 2016, June 27-July 1
9:00 a.m.-noon, 1:00-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
Dr. Karen Dalton
, 909-447-2534
Student learning outcomes (SLOs) - At the end of this class you will be able to:
- Articulate an understanding of Wesleyan theology as foundational for United Methodist doctrine.
- Describe the doctrinal standards and distinctive emphases of The United Methodist Church.
- Communicate United Methodist doctrine and theology in a way that is applicable and accessible in a local church setting.
- Talk about your own theology in a Wesleyan framework.
Required Texts
John and Charles Wesley: Selections from their Writings and Hymns, annotation by Paul W. Chilcote. Skylight Illuminations, 2011. ISBN 978-1-59473-309-3. Available on Kindle.
Responsible Grace: John Wesley’s Practical Theology, Randy L. Maddox. Kingswood, 1994. ISBN 0-687-0034-2. Available on Kindle.
United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center, Scott J. Jones. Abingdon, 2002. ISBN 0-687-03485-X. Available on Kindle.
Selected sermons by John Wesley, AVAILABLE ONLINE:
OR: John Wesley’s Sermons: An Anthology, ed. Albert C. Outler & Richard P. Heitzenrater. Abingdon, 1991. ISBN 978-0-687-20495-3.
The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2012. UMPH, 2012. ISBN 9780687023738).
AVAILABLE ONLINE at:
Other required readings are posted as pdf’s on the Sakai page for the class.
Pre-Class Assignments
1.Read the books by Maddox and Jones before the first day of class!Note:Responsible Gracedeals with Wesley’s theology in depth and detail. Maddox also makes many connections with other theologians and theological themes. It is a journey through the whole territory of systematic theology. Don’t try to absorb it all. Work to get the overall sweep of the author’s presentation and interpretation of Wesley.
2. Also read throughJohn and Charles Wesley: Selections from their Writings and Hymns.This is a wonderful book for devotional reading, and I suggest you use it that way.
3. Read and re-read the questions in the 2012Book of Discipline,Para. 324.9. Make some notes about how you would answer these questions today. Identify your questions and discomforts with the theological and doctrinal topics. Think about how you learned what you know now about Methodist doctrine and theology. This is not to be graded or even handed in. It is an activity to get you ready to begin the class.
***Please note: there will be individual oral exams, to be scheduled for July 5 or 6, on campus or by Zoom videoconference.