WE ARE UNITED IN OUR CULTURAL CONVICTIONS ON:

MARRIAGE & SEXUALITY

Marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God in the Garden between Adam and Eve. Genesis 2:24 states: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Jesus reaffirms this with clarity in Matthew 19:4-5, “He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?”

Therefore, biblical marriage consists only of a faithful, heterosexual union between one genetic male and one genetic female, and biblical marriage is the only legitimate and acceptable context for a sexual relationship. Any deviation from heterosexual behavior within the confines of such a marriage is contrary to the will of God and is sin.

We believe that gender roles for the family and church are to be practiced as described in the Scriptures.

GENDER

From the beginning God created two separate and distinct biological sexes: male and female. Moreover, the Scripture does not distinguish between biological sex and gender identity or expression. Humankind has been created by God and any attempt to misconstrue the difference between male/female and/or biological sex/gender identity is an attempt to self-create and is a result of sin and the fall. We also acknowledge that there are rare instances where people are born with an indiscriminate biological sex. Yet, these cases do not involve an attempt to self-create nor deny the dignity of how they were born.

LIFE

We believe that all human life is valuable and sacred, and that full personhood begins at conception and continues until death. As stewards of life, God calls us to the responsibility of protecting the worth and dignity of human beings from the moment of conception until the moment of death. Therefore, we vehemently oppose taking innocent life in all forms, including the grievous sin of abortion and euthanasia.

MARXISM

Marxism is a vain, atheistic philosophy bent on disrupting the proper order of society in every sphere (politics, education, business, religion, etc.). We must seek to recognize and root out this ideology (and those like it) in the Church and culture “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan.” (2 Cor. 2:11)
Rather than the problem of humanity being our sinfulness and the Devil as the enemy, Marxism asserts that the problem of humanity is inequity and the true enemy are those in positions of perceived power.

Rather than the solution to mankind’s problems being found in repentance and faith in the finished work of Jesus, the solution is seen in revolution by any and all means to achieve not merely equality of opportunity but equality of outcome so that any ruling authority is eliminated.

Like any deceitful ideology, Marxism is rooted in the ancient desire to “be like God” in unison with Satan declaring, “I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high.” (Isaiah 14:11) Any form of Marxism is inevitably hypocritical and a rejection of the gospel.

RACE

We believe that God loves all races of human beings equally. Racism, which is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, is evil and is the result of sin. We believe that the authority for approaching the sin of racism is Scripture and, therefore, our approach to responding to racism centers around such. As a result, we reject Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other systems of thinking that claim authority on racism and its origins, and the resolution to it.

AUTHORITY & THE SOCIAL ORDER

We believe that God has ordained three spheres of public authority: the home, the church, and the civil government.

The home (composed of families related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption) is the foundational institution of human society and responsible for the health, welfare, and education of its members. 

The Church holds the keys to the kingdom through its ministry of word and sacrament and should not resort to civil power for its work. 

The civil government wields the sword in executing justice, punishing evildoers and protection of the innocent. The government is also entrusted with lesser responsibilities such as settling civil disputes, maintaining the stable value of money and the collection of reasonable taxes for their particular duties.  

God alone is Lord of the individual conscience, which is free from any doctrine or command contrary to the Scriptures. Christians have a duty for civil obedience where its authority does not contradict the revealed will of God. 

Religious and civil liberty have a theological basis on the grounds that humans were created in the image of God and given certain inalienable rights. One of these rights is the freedom to worship. The State should not have any authority over religious practices and matters that would infringe on this right nor impose any taxes for the same. Equally, the State exists to protect this right. A free Church in a free State is the Christian ideal, so each church should seek religious freedom.