The Name “Methodist”
The name “Methodist” was given to John Wesley and his fellow-seekers by scorners who ridiculed their earnest efforts to achieve holiness. But history has vindicated those who were scorned, for the eighteenth century spiritual enlightenment is attributable to their instrumentality in God’s hands. Wesley’s name is synonymous with one of history’s great revivals. By this revival England was spared the bloody revolution suffered in France. In North America it helped shape a culture of God-consciousness by which civilization advanced beyond any earlier development.
Nineteenth century Methodists continued to suffer scorn from formal religionists and from openly wicked persons who shared their gospel=harness, who were unconcerned with holiness or Scripture. But, it was a scorn of which only the godly are worthy. A scorn is the badge of honor to all that live godly in Christ Jesus. Their gospel and humanitarian outreach has brought inestimable relief to the entire world, further vindicating their convictions and their name.
Twentieth century Methodism suffered a different scorn. These claimed a name earned by their predecessors’ spiritual faithfulness, but of which they were unworthy, having spurned the very doctrines that fueled the zeal, passion, sacrifice and effectiveness of the original, authentic Methodists. They claimed its honorable name and heritage but denied the truths and the spirit which were its history.
Consequently, the name “Methodist” has come to mean something different. Those who love the truths and holiness of early Methodists see Methodism as a contradiction of those principles. The name is defiled beyond the recognition by worldly infidels whose lives are a denial of its standard. Today, the name “Methodist” is scorned by the truly godly for its continued use by an apostate ministry that has corrupted, distorted and confused its original meaning.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the delegates of the 65th annual Conference of the Evangelical Methodist Churches of America, meeting August 2-5, 2011 in Dublin, Maryland do reaffirm the principles and spirit of authentic, historic Methodism by:
Unwavering confidence in the divine inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, authority and sufficiency of the sixty-six books of the Bible;
Passionately preaching the whole counsel of God revealed therein;
Earnestly endeavoring with God’s help to obey his will and commandments by holy, Christ-honoring living; and
Zealously endeavoring to “preach the gospel to every creature” through local and worldwide evangelistic outreach.
Evangelical Methodist Conference 2011
Fundamental Christianity
The Evangelical Methodist Church takes its stand firmly with the historic Fundamentalist Christianity which was the position of early Methodism.
Evangelical Methodists accept the Bible for what it claims to be – God’s perfect revelation to man, God’s Word in the language of men.
Evangelical Methodists accept what the Bible says about Jesus Christ and all that Jesus Christ says about the Bible. Evangelical Methodists accept the Bible teaching that God revealed Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that Jesus Christ is truly God in human form; that His substitutionary death pays for sin; that He arose bodily from the dead; and that He will personally and physically return to rule on this earth.
Evangelical Methodists believe in exposing and separating from all that is contrary to the Bible. We earnestly contend for the Faith that was once for all time delivered to man in a completed Bible. Evangelical Methodists reject all additions to or subtractions from the Holy Scriptures.
Evangelical Methodists call upon God’s people to separate from churches or other religious groups that advocate modernism, new evangelicalism, the modern charismatic movement, ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, cultism and other theological theories which question, add to, subtract from, or twist the Word of God.
Evangelical Methodists believe that there is only one true and living God of the Scriptures, and therefore reject all other religious persuasions.
Evangelical Methodist Conference 2011