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The United Methodist Temple is located at the corner of the 7th and Main Streets in Russellville, Kentucky. The congregation worships at 8:45 and 10:45 am and meets for Sunday School between 9:45 and 10:30 am each Sunday morning. Everyone is invited to attend. |
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To download our latest bulletin (9-6-09), in print friendly .pdf format, *click here* |
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To download Temple Bells 9-2-09, print friendly .pdf, *click here* |
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This is the question I want to address for the next several weeks with you. United Methodists are sometimes  accused of not believing in anything. Or we are accused of not having any established doctrine. But the fact of the matter is that there are definitely distinguishing characteristics of a United Methodist, and I intend on presenting at least eight of them for you in this series of newsletter articles. It is important to remember that as United Methodists we are Wesleyan in the expression of our faith. This means that we adhere to the spiritual and doctrinal emphases of John Wesley, the great church reformer in the Anglican tradition. Of course the Anglican Church never embraced the reforms of John Wesley, which did not prevent Wesley from maintaining his Anglican Church membership till the day he died. It was the Wesleyan “reformation movement” which eventually became known as Methodism. From the original Methodist movement sprang many other religious traditions, too numerous to mention here.
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Read more... [What Methodists Believe, Part 1]
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The second distinguishing characteristic of a Wesleyan is the way we view theology. And please remember that the use of the name “Wesleyan” in referring to whom we are as Methodists refers to the fact that John Wesley is the 18th Century church reformer after whose life and teachings  we model our faith life and practice. Let me also say that when we talk about “theology” we are not talking about something that is utterly foreign and unknowable to the average church attendee. The word “theology” means this: the study of the nature of God and religious truth. It’s the same as biology, geology, cosmetology or astrology. It is applied study and learning from a variety of sources toward a particular subject matter. In the case of geology it is applied study and learning in regard to the earth’s crust and the way in which the earth has been formed.
The mistake that is too easily made is in thinking that theology is only done by the “experts” or those who have some specialized training in this particular science. When the reality is that we are doing theology all the time. When you reflect on the pastor’s sermon and what it says about God and your own relationship with God, you are doing theology. When you sit in a Sunday School class and ponder the passages of Scripture discussed and attempt to apply new Biblical truth to your life in the week that follows, you are doing theological work. When you sit by the hospital bedside of a dear friend who is recovering from a difficult surgery and you wonder where is God in all of this, you are doing theology. When you are making a decision about whether or not you should allow your children to schedule soccer practice on a night of the week when your church offers excellent children’s programming, you are doing theology. When you ponder the mysteries of heaven and hell, you are doing theology.
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Read more... [What Methodists Believe, Part 2]
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