A Core Curriculum for Discipleship

"Enter through the narrow gate," said Jesus, " ... for the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life" (Matthew 7:13-14). This is one passage we frequently ignore as we invite people into discipleship; instead, we talk about faith as if there were no demands made on it.

I would like to suggest that the journey through the narrow gate is indeed rigorous, and not many of us find it or are willing to pay the price to pass through it. For years I have assumed that the purpose of the Wesley quadrilateral was to help us make moral decisions, but I could never quite figure out how to make it work. I have come to the conclusion that the real purpose is to guide us through the narrow gate. A practical way of using the quadrilateral would be as an outline for constructing a core curriculum for discipleship. People need to be prepared as they pass through the narrow gate. We have not taken seriously enough the task of discipleship preparation. Let me show how the quadrilateral could be used as an outline in a core curriculum for discipleship.

Scripture. The first and most important step in Wesley's quadrilateral is Scripture. Although Bible study has long been one of the primary courses we have taught in the church, I have rarely come across anyone teaching the origin of the Scriptures. We have talked about the canon of Scripture and given some dates, but we have not gone indepth. (An example of what might be used is Barclay's Introducing the Bible.This is a classic in helping us understand the origin and development of Scripture.) Before Scripture can be understood, we must understand why we call it Scripture. I would propose two courses: "The Origin of Sacred Scripture" and "The Bible as Sacred History." To find our way through the narrow gate, we need to know how Scripture developed.

Tradition. The next logical step in creating a core curriculum is tradition, the interpretation of Scripture from the time of Jesus to the present. Obviously, we can find some serious distortions of Scripture, such as gave birth to the Crusades, the Inquisition, and slavery. On the positive side, there are the Reformation under Martin Luther and the Evangelical Revival led by John Wesley. Other positive interpretations of Scripture can be found as well. What disciples need is an understanding of Jesus, his teachings, and an overview of the entire story [history] of the church. Courses for this aspect of the quadrilateral would be "The Sermon on the Mount" and "The Story of the Church." It would be best to study Methodism (or any other denomination, for that matter) within this context and not as a subject of its own.

Experience. The third step in the quadrilateral as an outline for a core curriculum is experience. Experience is to the individual what tradition is to the whole Christian community. John Wesley's own vivid religious experience took place in a religious society on Aldersgate Street. Although Wesley considered religious experience a personal matter, he never considered it private. There was plenty of sharing in those early Methodist Societies and Class Meetings. The early Methodists had the opportunity to exercise what Wesley called the spiritual senses. Our core curriculum would have to include courses focusing on religious experience. I would suggest two: "The Spiritual Senses " and "The Nature of Religious Experience." (There is writing related to spiritual senses. Both John and Charles Wesley mention them in their sermons, but do not go into any detail. Richard B. Steele's "Gracious Affection" and "True Virtue " According to Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley[Scarecrow, 1994] and Greg Clapper's John Wesley on Religious Affections[Scarecrow, 1989] are recommended readings.)

Reason. The final step is the use of reason. It is not the first step, nor can it ever be. "Man left to himself," said Wesley, "will reason his way to hell." (Robert Tuttle, On Giant Shoulders, p. 120). Reason by itself will never take us through the narrow gate, but it will help us answer the questions our discipleship raises in modern society. The Apostle Peter's advice is just as relevant today as it was in the first century: "Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15-16). There are two things that must be carefully reasoned out that would make important courses for discipleship: "The Christian Faith" [or Theology] and "Christian Ethics."

There are many other courses that could be important for Christian discipleship, but those named above would make up the "core curriculum." These courses need to be offered in every church. Since they are all basic courses, they could be offered in any order. Without an awareness of the content of these courses, people do not have the basics, and people need the basics to guide them through the narrow gate to fullness of life in this world and eternal life in the next.

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Dr. James T. Reuteler serves as Pastor of Christian Discipleship at Grace United Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado.