C.U.R.E for Christian Conversations + 5-Lens Framework for Discernment

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C.U.R.E – A Framework for Christian Conversation

C – Connect with Curiosity
Start with humility, not suspicion. Ask questions before making assumptions.
📖 “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” (James 1:19)

U – Understand with Undivided Attention
Listen fully. Seek to truly understand before responding.
📖 “To answer before listening – that is folly and shame..” (Proverbs 18:13)

R – Respond with Respect and Reason, and Kindness
Speak truth in love. Avoid caricatures. Stay grounded in grace and truth.
📖 “Speaking the truth in love…” (Ephesians 4:15)

E – Evaluate and Engage the Spirit’s Help
Prayerfully reflect. Check your heart. Invite the Holy Spirit to guide and correct. (Seek the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness….– Galatians 5:22-23).
📖 “Test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

The Multiple-Lens Foundation: The Wesleyan Quadrilateral

This 5-Lens Framework builds on the historic Wesleyan Quadrilateral, commonly associated with John Wesley’s theological method:

• Scripture (Primary Authority)
• Tradition
• Experience
• Reason

These four sources work together under the authority of Scripture to guide faithful Christian belief and practice.

📖 “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you…” (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

The 5-Lens Framework for Christian Discernment

This model expands the Quadrilateral by explicitly including Emotion & Intuition, while keeping everything submitted to Scripture and the Holy Spirit.

1. Scripture (Primary Authority)

Question: What does God’s Word teach in context and in the whole story of redemption?

• Read the Bible as a unified story: creation → fall → redemption in Christ → new creation
• Interpret passages in context (author, audience, genre, history)
• Let Scripture interpret Scripture
• Apply it for transformation, not just information

📖 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching…” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

2. Experience (Led by the Spirit into Truth)

Question: How does this align with Spirit-filled Christian life?

• Includes personal and communal experience of God’s work
• Must produce Christlikeness and the fruit of the Spirit
• Honours diverse gifts and callings in the body
• The Holy Spirit actively leads believers into truth

📖 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13)

Guardrail:
Experience is interpreted by Scripture, never above it.

3. Tradition (Church History)

Question: How has the global church understood this?

• Creeds, councils, and faithful teachers across history
• Distinguish consensus from secondary differences
• Learn from both wisdom and past errors

📖 “Remember your leaders… consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7)

4. Reason (Logic & Coherence)

Question: Is this biblically and logically coherent?

• Aligns with God’s revealed character
• Holds together across Scripture
• Thoughtful, consistent, and faithful

📖 “Love the Lord your God… with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

5. Intuition & Emotions (Submitted to Scripture and the Spirit)

Question: What do my inner responses reveal—and how must they be refined?

• Notice emotional and intuitive reactions
• Recognise their value but also their limits
• Submit all instincts to Scripture and the Holy Spirit
• Allow God to reshape the heart over time

📖 “The heart is deceitful above all things…” (Jeremiah 17:9)
📖 “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:2)

Guardrail:
Intuition is formed by Scripture and the Spirit, not followed blindly.

One-Line Summary

C.U.R.E your conversations, and discern truth through:
Scripture → Experience (Spirit-led) → Tradition → Reason → Emotion and Intuition (submitted to Christ)
(Built on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, expanded for holistic discernment)

Final Integration

This framework helps Christians pursue:

• Truth without pride
• Conviction without division
• Love without compromise

As we abide in Christ, walk in the Spirit, and remain rooted in Scripture, we grow in discernment together as one body.

📖 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

Bibliography

Primary Source

• The Holy Bible (LSB, ESV, NIV, NLT comparisons recommended)

Biblical Theology & Hermeneutics

• Goldsworthy, Graeme. According to Plan.
• Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.
• Carson, D.A. Exegetical Fallacies.

Systematic Theology

• Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology.
• Horton, Michael. The Christian Faith.

Historical Theology & Tradition

• McGrath, Alister E. Historical Theology.
• Schaff, Philip. The Creeds of Christendom.

Spiritual Formation & Experience

• Foster, Richard J. Celebration of Discipline.
• Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines.

Discernment & Christian Living

• Packer, J.I. Knowing God.
• Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God.

Wesleyan Theology

• Wesley, John. Sermons on Several Occasions.
• Outler, Albert C. (ed.). John Wesley. (Library of Protestant Thought)

Christian Wholeness & C.U.R.E Framework (Dr John Warlow)

• Warlow, John. Living Wholeness.
• Warlow, John. The C.U.R.E. for Life series.
• Warlow, John. The CURE for Life Part 2: God-Centred Relationships.
• Living Wholeness. Christian Wholeness Framework resources.

Disclaimer: A.I. tools (ChatGPT and/or Perplexity) were used for refinement. Final responsibility rests with the author.