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In this section:
Who is youTheology for?
Overview
The youTheology process
Orientation Retreat
Weekend Sessions
Between Sessions
Final Project
Pilgrimage
Wesleyan Quadrilateral (WQ)
Overview
Scripture
Tradition
Experience
Reason
Youtheology might be for you if you...
Want to meet new people and make new friends.
Ask challenging questions about faith, culture, and the United Methodist tradition.
Want to make a difference with your life.
Like travel and adventure.
Will encourage you to think about the world and to ask questions...
Will help you learn as you serve, as you talk with peers, and...
Will provide you with experiences in various settings: weekend sessions at Saint Paul School of Theology and a rural context, between sessions with local mentors at home and with other participants and program staff via the internet, and in many locations on the East Coast.
Orientation Retreat
Occurs prior to beginning of school year for youTheologians and mentors.
Helps youTheology participants get acquainted with each other and with program.
Includes spiritual practices of those involved in the early Methodist movement.
Focuses on Christian vocation--as both professional ministry and ministry of the baptized.
Introduces you to the history of American Methodism.
Introduces Wesleyan Quadrilateral as model for theological reflection.
Provides orientation to the sites youTheology will be at during the year.
Provides opportunity for you to help determine topics for winter and spring weekend sessions.
Weekend Sessions
Occur 3 times during school year: 2 times on Saint Paul School of Theology campus; 1 time in a rural context.
Allow time to build relationships with other participants and adult leaders.
Focus on single ministry topic (one per weekend) guided by seminary or community resource persons.
Incorporate hands-on ministry opportunities in a rural area related to topic and time to reflect on these experiences.
Include worship, small group time, study of the Methodism heritage, and time for individual reflection.
Between Sessions
Youth and local mentors meet and interact on-line with other participants and program staff to reflect on experience at previous session and prepare for next one.
Youth (and mentors) visit "members only" section of website for additional resources, discussion questions, etc.
Application Project
Youth and mentors do project to share with home congregation (or churches in area) what they have experienced and learned during the year.
Guidance and input from local mentor, program staff, seminary faculty, and fellow participants help shape project to fit local context.
Possible projects include: prepare sermon or youth worship service, design Sunday School lesson, organize letter-writing campaign about pressing social issue, share insights and experiences from Wesley Heritage Pilgrimage, plan and lead workshop at district or annual conference youth event, create ways to articulate United Methodist heritage as youth delegates to annual conference.
Pilgrimage
Visit the pilgrimage section for more information.
The youTheology learning process encourages you to develop the habit of reflecting and asking questions from a faith perspective.
YouTheology makes use of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral [WQ] as its primary model for theological reflection.
While Wesley didn't refer to it by name, he did consistently use Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason when approaching faith issues.
Scripture
Scripture is primary--containing what is necessary for salvation.
However, Scripture is not the only authority in matters of faith.
WQ emphasizes that the study of Scripture should draw on Christian tradition, one's experience, and reason.
Tradition
Tradition draws on writings and practices of Christians in the past.
Saint Paul professor Kris Kvam points out that the word 'tradition' comes from the same root as 'treason,' meaning 'to hand over' (i.e. Judas 'hands over' Jesus).
Tradition is a process--each generation makes choices about what tradition to 'hand over' to next generation.
Experience
Experience always affects how we perceive and interpret the world.
Both personal and corporate experience are included.
Variations in religious experience mean no one can be normative (even the Bible has four Gospels from four points of view).
Reason
Reason is a God-given ability to help us interpret Scripture and religious experience, examine the world around us, and express our beliefs.
When describing Methodism, John Wesley frequently used the phrase 'think and let think'--emphasizing the importance of being thoughtful and reflective about issues, questions, and faith.
Reason permeates every aspect of WQ--use reason to interpret Scripture, examine Christian tradition, and reflect on life experience.
"Think of the WQ as a table with four legs--Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. Take away one leg, and it becomes unsteady on only three. Take away two, and it won't stand at all."
"Theological reflection in the United Methodist tradition is similar--we need to draw on all four sources of the WQ for dependable theological reflection."
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