1. We confess the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe
   • Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation.
   • The proclamation of God's message to us as both Law and Gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy through word and deed, beginning with the Word in creation, continuing in the history of Israel, and centering in all its fullness in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
   • The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by God's Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God's revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them God's Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world.
3. We accept the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life.
4. We accept the Apostles Creed', Nicene Creed, Chalcedonian Creed and Athanasian Creed Creeds as true declarations of the faith.
5. We confess the Gospel, recorded in the Holy Scriptures and confessed in the ecumenical creeds, as the power of God to create and sustain the Church for God's mission in the world.

This what about statement of faith section, is placed here, so members, and potential members understand where the site owner is coming from. It is not necessary to hold to these beliefs to participate, but the rules and policies of this website will likely reflect them. This is not a US Evangelical focused website, there are hundreds if not thousands of sites reflecting such beliefs. This site will be different.

The site owner specifically does not ascribe to literalism. Be sure to note, a non-literalistic approach to scripture, does not equate to lessening its importance in our daily walk. It can however make things much more challenging, especially when different hermenuetical methods may be at odds with one another.

The site owner specifically does not take a stand. The question is, was Genesis literal, or metaphorical. Picking one of the other, leaves much understanding of God out of the picture. Much can be learned from both.

The site owner holds to Theistic Evolution, but won't rule out some level of a literal interpretation.

The site owner holds to Christus Victor, however finds the ransom theory fascinating. He believes penal substitution is man's rationalization, and may be in error. It is likely truth exists in some combination of the different atonement theories, and we won't know until we are with Jesus.

The site owner holds to neither Calvinism, nor Arminianism, but finds both fascinating. He is in the middle, but does lean more towards Calvanism than Arminianism.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the. gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Declared by God

The need to persist in faith. (The conditional security view)

Covenanting with the community of God (the infant baptism view)

“This is my body” (the spiritual presence view)

The gifts are for today (the continuationist view)

Tongues shall cease” (the cessationist view)

Torn between the two. I’m leaning towards the cessationist view, but I attened an AoG church for a few years, so not totally.

The irrelevance of gender for spiritual authority (the egalitarian view)

Gender-based authority was only cultural (the egalitarian view)

God works through the secular government and the church for different purposes

The symbolic Thousand-Year Conquest of Satan (The Amillennial View)

People are baptized with the Spirit when they believe (the classical Protestant view)

Social, and political statements. Ie, on remarriage, homosexuality, euthansia, drug use, pornography, suicide, abortion, and other hot button issues.

They specifically have zero relevance to a statement of faith. If one is open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, one will be led to the right place, at the right time.

absolutes? There most certainly are absolutes. Please see the first 5 sentences in the statement of faith