As Christians we recognize that we are all broken by sin and become whole only by experiencing the healing love of Christ. We take a simple approach to the Bible, believing that God is the greatest Communicator of all and that He did not hide His truth in such a way as to require a theological degree to discover it. Thus, unless the context indicates reasons for a different approach, we read the Bible fairly literally.
We believe that our Savior God is also the Creator of the universe. We subscribe to the to all biblical teachings summarized in the Apostles’ Creed.
We believe that we are saved through faith by His grace alone and not by anything we do or refrain from doing. Thus we have nothing in ourselves of which to boast, for all that we have – whether in possessions, talent, or character – is from Him.
We believe that the unconditional love of God draws us to Him and empowers us to change more effectively than exhortation or condemnation. And we believe it is God’s purpose for His church to exemplify the unconditional love of Christ in a society that is performance-oriented.
Regarding Homosexuality and Sex
We understand that same-sex attractions are real and not just a chosen behavior. Whether they are caused by heredity, prenatal influences, environment, or a combination of these factors, they are an integral part of an individual and are morally neutral.
The Bible indicates clearly that only our choices contrary to God’s will are sin. Thus we want to encourage each other to draw closer to Jesus Who only can give us grace and power to make right choices.
We believe that God designed sexual expression as a component of the life-long bond between one man and one woman. And He designed that our shared, intimate relationships with each other would draw us closer to Him. But when we look around us and see the many broken families and other fractured relationships in our society, it is evident that we have all fallen far from this ideal.
Just as God drew near to people in a fallen society in the past, so we believe He deals compassionately with us in our fallen condition today. And so should we treat each other with love and compassion, because only as we experience human love do we begin to understand the unconditional love of the Savior – the only One who can meet the love-hunger of the soul.
We are not qualified to judge what is sin in another person’s life – particularly when it comes to intimate human relationships – because sin is a matter of the heart (James 4:17) and only God can see what is in a person’s heart.
God does ask us to witness to the power of His love in our own lives, and we can thus encourage each other in drawing closer to Him who is our strength. In doing this, we may share our understanding of the meaning of the text of God’s Word, but we will trust Him to convict each of us of our duty and to guide us in the way that He knows is best for us.
John the Beloved tells us that God is love. Nothing we do can put us outside of His love. And we believe that experiencing God’s love transforms our lives from the inside out. Thus it is our desire to communicate God’s Love as Our Witness through this blog and website.