John Wesley & the Trustworthiness of Scripture

Here’s a gem from John Wesley on the trustworthiness (dare I say, inerrancy) of scripture:

Two observations are noteworthy. First, Wesley takes the character of God to be the basis for his doctrine of scripture. If God is true and scripture is God’s word, then scripture must be true as well. Second, for Wesley, if a Christian denies the trustworthiness of scripture by suggesting it contains error, it is a betrayal of his own cause. My guess is that many Methodist and Wesleyan types wouldn’t be too comfortable with their founder on this one.

Do you think Wesley’s attitude is characteristic of the various Wesleyan and Methodist groups that claim him as their founder? Is belief in the inerrancy of scripture essential to classical Wesleyan Methodism?

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