What are the 39 articles of religion given by John Wesley in December 1784?

Answer 1

The 39 Articles of Religion can be found in the book of common prayer of the church of england. This can be accessed freely online at http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/england.htm

The 39 Articles of Religion were written by Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, in 1539. They were written as a recommended statement of faith for the Church of England, (Anglican Church). They are no longer binding in the way they once were. They are seen today more as a historical document rather than a general statement of faith.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was originally an Anglican priest, thus, after founding the Methodist tradition, he used the 39 Articles of Religion as the primary statement of faith for his new branch of Christianity, with several minor alterations. One alteration in particular was that Wesley re-named the document 'The Articles of Religion' dropping 'the 39' as to distinguish them from the Anglican version of the document.

Although the 39 Articles of Relgion are not seen as binding among the Church of England or any Anglican province, within the Methodist tradition, the 'Articles of Religion'are in fact binding and may not be canonically deviated from.

The original 39 Articles of Religion as written by Thomas Cranmer, can be found in the back of any version of the Book of Common Prayer. The altered version as put forth by John Wesley for the Methodist tradition (The Articles of Religion) may be found in the back of any version of the Methodist Book of Order.