PENN FREE METHODIST CHURCH

OUR HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Penn Free Methodist Church stands in the historic evangelical Protestant tradition, asserting that the Bible is the very word of God, and thus our sole authority in all aspects of faith and practice.

'Evangelical' comes from the Greek word 'euangelion', meaning 'glad tidings'. We are conservative evangelicals in the old, classic definition of the word, which means "in accordance with the teaching of Scripture, rejecting all man-made additions to the faith". The 'glad tidings' of the Christian message is that whoever believes in Christ, turning from all sin, will receive God's mercy, and be reconciled to Him, being granted salvation and everlasting life as a free and unmerited gift.

The word 'Protestant' is very similar in meaning. Protestantism protests, graciously and in love, against all teaching which is not according to God's word in Scripture. The authority of Protestantism is the Bible alone, and it therefore rejects the authority of human institutions going under the name of 'the Church', for churches are made up of fallible men and often include (though this should not be) those who ignore the Bible. The Scriptures, by contrast, are the infallible declaration of the mind of God.

Historically, the word 'Methodist' carries these dual meanings of distinctly evangelical and Protestant. (This is sadly, however, not the case today). It was originally a term of derision given in the 18th century to a group of godly men at Oxford University who were noticed for the 'methodical' Christian lives which they led. It was used in an abusive manner to imply that someone was extreme in their religious beliefs. (The unbelieving world frequently uses derogatory terminology to discredit Christians who dare to take the Bible seriously).

Among this group of Methodists at Oxford were two men who would become mighty servants of God in their generation, George Whitefield and John Wesley. They preached according to the Scriptures, asserting that all men are sinful and under the wrath of God, and must be born anew, and that salvation and eternal life are to be had through repentance from sin and faith in Christ. Even secular historians acknowledge that the Cross-centred preaching of Whitefield and Wesley, and of other like-minded men with them, helped to save England from violent social upheaval and revolution. As the nation once again heard the true Gospel, countless ordinary folk discovered the joy of being reconciled to God through faith in Christ. The term 'Methodism' came generally to be applied to this 18th century movement whereby there was a reawakening of true Biblical Christianity in our land.

Penn Free Methodist Church stands in the tradition of historic Wesleyan Methodism. This means that we teach the 'total depravity' of man, fallen as he is from the image in which God first created him. Man, therefore, in his very nature has a corrupt heart, preferring sin and rejecting God's authority. He is accordingly in utter need of God's grace to show him his sinfulness, and to draw him to faith. Without God's 'prevenient' (going before) grace, no one could ever repent and believe. God must have all the glory in man's salvation, for it is He who both calls and enables men to come to him through Christ, and so to receive his mercy. This does not, however, negate the responsibility upon each individual to respond to God's initiative of grace through personal repentance and faith.

We also teach the potential of all men to receive Christ's salvation, Christ having died upon the Cross as the Sin-bearer for mankind (1 John 2:2). Yet relatively few actually come to Christ, because they deliberately choose not to respond to the grace offered to them in the Gospel. Indeed, those who keep on resisting God's grace, drawing them to faith, risk God's ceasing to strive with them altogether, and so withdrawing from them the ability ever to believe. He thus hardens their hearts, leaving them to the sin and unbelief which they so much desire. There is, therefore, a great urgency for the unbeliever to respond to the Gospel, whilst he has the opportunity.

Penn Free Methodist Church carries the name 'Methodist' according to this historic usage of the term outlined above, namely, adhering to an evangelical and Protestant doctrinal position.

The word 'Free' in our title denotes that we are entirely independent of any denominational grouping.