Wk 3: The Skeptic Framework
How do we decide what to believe?
How does the average spiritual seeker move from skeptic to believer? What do they look at? What do they consider? In short:
How do we decide what to believe?
I can’t speak to what the answer might be for non-Christian religions, nor can I speak to all Christian denominations, but I have an answer for at least some Christians. And once you see my answer, you might find it fits other faiths as well.
For some Christians (especially Methodists), deciding what to believe can be mapped into a framework called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. In this article, I'll give you a super-high-level view of what that is. And then I'll introduce you to an expanded model that I have adapted slightly and dubbed The Skeptic Framework.
So how do these frameworks fit into the process of rebuilding, reconstructing, or growing your faith?
How This is Relevant
The introductory weeks in Phoenix Your Faith are all about taking your bearings—figuring out where you are with spirituality, God, and your own spiritual preferences. We’ve already looked at views of spirituality and God, so now let’s talk about spiritual preferences.
The frameworks I just mentioned that describe how we decide what to believe can also be viewed as sets of lenses through which we understand God. As I explain what these lenses are, you’ll see that they all work together. They are all important.
Nevertheless, you’re likely to find some of these lenses to be more personally appealing to you than the others. Or, to look at it another way, some may carry more weight for you than others. I think of these preferences as your spiritual style.
It can be important to understand your personal spiritual preferences when it comes time to explore spiritual practices that can rebuild, reconstruct, grow, or strengthen your faith.
This week, I just want to introduce you to these frameworks. In the weeks that follow, we’ll look more closely at the individual lenses.
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral
In the 20th century, theologian Albert Outler looked at the 19th century writings of the founder of the Methodist church, John Wesley, and boiled down his methods for establishing belief into the Quadrilateral, showing four ways we decide what to believe.
Why did it need to be a quadrilateral and not merely a list of four things? Maybe Outler was just trying to make it memorable. (As an applied mathematician, I like it.) Or maybe he didn’t want to imply order of importance. Actually, if you start looking around at Methodist websites, you’ll find that Outler later wished he hadn’t called it that.
Anyhow, here’s my version of it:
And then there’s an expanded version.
The Veazey Hexagon
I’ve mentioned elsewhere that I belong to a progressive denomination (Community of Christ) . The denomination’s current president, Steve Veazey, added two more elements to Outler’s bunch in about 2012.
In my mind, this makes it the Veazey Hexagon. Although, I’ve never heard anyone else call it that. (Again, math-brain.)
In a video on Ways of Discovering God's Will, President Veazey comes at these elements from a sightly different angle: not beliefs, but discernment. In other words, how do we discern God's will as a body (i.e., the entire church together). And he says the six elements are lenses through which we gain a better sense about the purposes of God.
President Veazey added these two elements: Continuing Revelation and Common Consent. (Note that the reliance on these two elements in the corporate discernment process is a uniquity of Community of Christ.)
And, Finally, the Skeptic Framework
I have adapted the Veazey Hexagon as a pattern for how we personally build our beliefs and faith. I've dubbed my version the Skeptic Framework.
Here are the parts:
S = Scripture
K = Knowledge or reason
(e)P = Experience, Personal
T = Tradition
C = Continuing revelation
C = Community
What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good apronym.
For a while now, I have kept this framework in my brain with a formula: SKPTC2. But, well, most people (i.e., non-math-heads) don't remember formulas. And even I had a hard time remembering this one.
But then I saw that I could tease the formula into a word: Skeptic. Voila! And how appropriate. Hope you like it. You just have to remember it's really CC or C2 and not IC.
Ok, it's a stretch. It's working for me. Maybe it’ll work for you.
But What Does It Mean?
So now that we've had our math lesson, we can dive into the six parts. And find out what they have to do with determining what each of us believes. And see how this is a way of determining our personal spiritual styles. Or, in other words, what mix of the six parts you personally depend on the most in deciding what to believe.
Your answer—your style—will be important information for your spiritual journey. It will help when it comes time to choose between options for building your spiritual muscles.
Rather than jump right into the deep end, I’m just going to let these frameworks sit with you for a bit. If you get a chance, check out the references I gave for the Quadrilateral and the Hexagon. A Listening Guide for the Veazey video is available on scribd.
I’m not going to give daily prompts this week. If you still want to journal, write about anything that comes to mind as you visit the references or think about what I’ve said here.
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