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Our Distinctives
We hold the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God. We affirm our unity
with all believers who confess our historic Christian faith. That faith is summarized in the recent document entitled, "The
Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration."* We also hold to those essentials of the gospel message which were
re-discovered during the Reformation known as the Doctrines of Grace. Built upon the "scriptures alone", all of
our theology flows from the complementary truths that can be summarized as "by grace alone," "through faith
alone," "in Christ alone," and "for the glory of God alone." The glory, grace, and sovereignty of
God govern all that we believe.
Secondly, we are Baptistic in our belief and practice of the Christian initiation rite
of baptism. We believe this holy ordinance should be reserved for adults or young people who have made a credible profession
of faith in Christ.
Thirdly, we acknowledge our debt and need to study and take advantage of the rich tradition of Christian
history. Our forefathers in the faith hammered out many valuable writings, confessions, creeds, catechisms, and songs ??ese
can greatly benefit our own church life. We neglect these kind of enrichments to our own poverty.
Fourthly, we hold
the dynamic of worship as another key factor in a life that is pleasing to and effective for God. Our courses are taught within
the atmosphere of worship. Our goal is not knowledge for its own sake but knowledge so that we might be more effective servants
and worshippers of God. We also believe it is important to foster various forms of participatory worship in the assemblies
of our churches so that God?eople can be enriched by various means in the corporate gatherings.
Finally, we seek to
give the Holy Spirit his rightful place in the life of the church. We believe we need his empowerment and all of his gifts.
Combining the above elements into the life of today?hurch is our vision and the key principles motivating our institution.
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