Doctrinal Symposia are sponsored annually by the Board of General Superintendents of The Wesleyan Church to provide a forum in which open investigation and discussion can occur among scholars, practitioners and leaders of the Church to achieve a clearer understanding and refinement of our doctrinal statements and to inspire the practice of holy living among our people.

A symposium was held June 4-5, 2010, at the World Headquarters of The Wesleyan Church with the theme:

Wesleyan Perspectives on Human Nature: Perfect, Flawed, and Redeemed

Viewed from the perspective of creation, carnality, and consecration, what was human nature intended to be, what happened to this ideal, and can people be transformed—spiritually, psychologically, sexually and socially?

The following papers were presented. The authors retain exclusive rights to their respective papers. Permission was given for persons registered for the Symposium to print a personal copy for reading prior to the Symposium, but other copies may not be made nor can substantial portions of a paper be quoted without written permission from the author.

Abson Prédestin Joseph
From Eden to New Jerusalem:
Toward a Wesleyan Perspective on Spiritual Transformation
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Timothy M. Salo
The Creator, the Creation and Re-creation:
Paradise Lost and Regained?
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Christina Tellechea Accornero
Wesleyan Perspective and Wesleyan Practice:
The Realities of Being a Redemptive Community
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Nancy Nason-Clark
Understanding the Transformation Process:
The Interface Between Grace, Justice, Accountability and Healing
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Jack Connell
Human Nature:
The Creator’s Intent
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Michael R. Sytsma
Such Were Some of You:
Testaments to Sexual Transformation
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Jo Anne Lyon
General Superintendent's Conclusion
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How Wesleyans Interpret Scripture

Scholars, church leaders, pastors and lay persons met June 5-6, 2009 at the World Headquarters of The Wesleyan Church for a doctrinal symposium on hermeneutics: How Wesleyans Interpret Scripture. Dr. Thomas Armiger, General Superintendent summarized the papers and discussions in a document that can be accessed by clicking here.

The following papers were presented at the symposium. The authors retain exclusive rights to their respective papers. Reading copies may be printed, but other copies may not be made nor can substantial portions of a paper be quoted without written permission from the author.

Steve Lennox
“Experience Outweighs Theory; Faith Makes Philosophy Kick the Beam”:
The Holiness Hermeneutic In the Twenty-First Century
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Mark Weeter
John Wesley VS John Calvin:
Is There a Wesleyan Hermeneutic?
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Terrence Paige
From the Triumph of Reason to the Indeterminacy of story:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Biblical Interpretation from the Enlightenment to Brueggemann
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Bob Black
The Article of Religion on Scripture of The Wesleyan Church:
Fresh Understandings of Inerrancy, Inspiration and Infallibility
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Steve DeNeff
Let us see Thy Great Salvation:
The Practice of "seeing" a Wesleyan Hermeneutic in the Mission and Ministry of the Church
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A Wesleyan View of Spiritual Transformation

The first symposium was held May 20-21, 2005 at the World Headquarters of The Wesleyan Church and focused on Saving Grace—A Wesleyan View of Spiritual Transformation.

• New Testament Thoughts on Sin and Believers by Ken Schenck
• Growing Up Holiness by Mel Dieter
• I Felt My Church Warmly Changed by Michael Walters
• Communicating Full Salvation by Steve DeNeff
• Views on Sanctification by Chris Bounds
• Sin and Grace by Jonathan Case

A Wesleyan View of the Church

The second symposium was held June 1-2, 2007, at the World Headquarters of The Wesleyan Church and focused on A Wesleyan View of the Church.

• In Search of Pastoral Identity by Joe Dongell
• Response by Wayne Schmidt
• Liturgical Core for Wesleyan Worship by Jerry Pence
• Response by Karl Eastlack
• Recapturing the Miraculous in Our Mission by Frank Robinson
• Response by Mark Wilson
• The Ecclesiology of John Wesley by Bud Bence
• Response by Shirley Mullen
• The Church as Sanctified Community by John Drury
• Response by Tom Harding
• The Church & The Holy Spirit by Ken Schenck
• Reponse by Marlin Hotle
• The Church as Redemptive Agent by Tom McCall
• Response by Gary Carr

• Symposium Summary by Dr. Thomas Armiger

A Wesleyan View of Holiness

The third symposium was a part of the 2008 General Conference program held in Orlando, Florida, June 7-11, 2008 and took the form of A Forum on Holiness. Presentations were made by Dr. Chris Bounds, Dr. Jo Ann Lyon, Rev. Christy Lipscomb and Dr. Jim Garlow which focused on Personal, Corporate and Missional Holiness. These presentations are available in video format on the General Conference webpage (www.wesleyan.org/gc/).