In the United Methodist Church, however, we strive to learn by reasoning together, and we’ve come to call this education without indoctrination.
It’s
far less important that United Methodists agree with one another than
that we each have freedom of thought, which we believe leads to freedom
of people. This doesn’t mean that we can just start making it up
as we go along; we have standards and guidelines of belief, with the Bible
acting as an authority on all matters. Of course, interpreting the Bible
is not black and white, so we frequently have to put our heads together
to try to reason out some of the answers we are seeking.
United
Methodists believe in brainpower as a gift of God, so we have always been
just as interested in traditional formal education as in Christian education.
We were among the first to create institutions of learning for settlers,
women, and newly freed slaves. Today, there are 123 United Methodist institutions,
including schools outside the U.S., most notably Africa University in
Zimbabwe.
The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation financially helps students at these universities with foundation scholarships and awards. Its goal is to make it possible for every qualified Church member who wants to pursue an education at a United Methodist-related institution of higher education to do so.
We
are dedicated to using our minds both inside and outside our churches,
to applying our ability to reason and think for ourselves to bring us
closer to God and for the benefit of humankind.
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United
Methodists have a thing for education.
This Church has a rich history. I like that. Church isn't a building. What do United Methodists believe? I was surprised I wasn't judged. I can speak my mind. |
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