Lately, I’ve heard a lot of talk about the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, especially in discussions about Evangelicalism and about education. I was kind of surprised to find out it was actually invented by Albert Outler in 1953. I’d assumed it was Wesley and an alternative to my more Lutheran Sola Scriptura emphasis.
Wesley himself always seems to have affirmed the primacy of Scripture as the norm against which we test experience, tradition, etc. and also the others may be useful guides to reading Scripture. His statements are not an alternative to Sola Scriptura, as the Quadrilateral sometimes makes it seem, but an unpacking of the implications of SS for other pillars of theology, and an encouragement to the people of God not to ignore the world around them.
So don’t picture a chair with four legs, picture a seat resting on a solid and sufficient column, with 3 guides to ensure you’re centered in the column and facing forward: two arms and a back.
As the Methodist Book of Discipline explains:
Scripture is primary, revealing the Word of God… Therefore, our theological task, in both its critical and constructive aspects, focuses on disciplined study of the Bible.
To aid his study of the Bible and deepen his understanding of faith, Wesley drew on Christian tradition, in particular the Patristic writings, the ecumenical creeds, the teachings of the Reformers, and the literature of contemporary spirituality.
Thus, tradition provides both a source and a measure of authentic Christian witness, though its authority derives from its faithfulness to the biblical message.
Don Thorsen, has written a book (from his PhD thesis?) on it:
Thorsen, Don, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: A Model of Evangelical Theology, Lexington: Emeth, 2006.
Both evangelicals and liberals invoke the quadrilateral in defense of their views, thus bringing confusion to the debate.
This book seeks to dispel confusion and enlighten discussion by showing that Wesley always affirmed the primacy of Scripture and saw the other three elements as necessary and complementary in order to interpret, illuminate, and apply scriptural truth to life.