Statement of Faith
Note: The following is not intended as a Statement of Faith, but as a narrative introduction to my own Wesleyan Faith Tradition re-imagined from within a Post-Modern World View...enjoy, reflect and respond.
INTRODUCING OUR COMMUNITY West Seattle (or your community) is our home, our community. Our vision is global and inclusive, a Church of the Nazarene. We are Protestant. Much of our way of seeing the world and Scripture was shaped by an 18th Century Anglican priest and theologian, John Wesley. At its center, Wesley’s belief is optimistic about humanity because God, being Communal in nature, is everywhere with and in all peoples, working for the good and to be known—to enable all to love God, our neighbor and God’s good world. GLIMPSES OF GOD’S PURPOSE And so we take seriously that ‘salvation’ is about God’s love so capturing our hearts and lives that we, cooperating with God’s Spirit, live as Jesus lived; seeking peace and justice in all of our human relations by acts of love and hearts of mercy. The purpose of the Church is to live into Jesus prayer that heaven’s love fill the earth. Within our tradition we look to Sacred Scripture as a reliable memory of God ever moving the people of God to be Loving in a world owned by human wounds, violence and arrogance. This Book, the God-Story, when taken as a whole, reveals God as ever close, inter-acting within our cultures to form a people who will know God and participate with God in restoring all of us to love. As a faith tradition we value community and understand that the Bible is the epic witness of God among Israel and later the Church. The Word points toward the Living Word, Jesus who is the clearest image of both God and humanity—being the One and only Son of The Father, the God-man. Knowing God and living in God’s good earth is a whole life (and beyond) journey, to be lived, not just argued about. There are mysteries and creative tensions in Holy Scripture that the Church who follows Jesus faithfully engages in light of its many authors’ purposes, historical context and original meanings. These human/Divine mysteries are interpreted in light of The Book’s emergent Story of God, especially as known in Jesus, who is The Christ. JESUS CREATES A RENEWED HUMANITY & GOD’S SPIRIT MAKES THE JESUS WAY POSSIBLE The ideal life, the kind energized by heaven is to love God, first as no other and our neighbor with the same care we give ourselves, our families, our tribe. Talking about Love, even seeing it doesn’t make love happen. We humans try, but more often than not, miserably fail. With the ancient Church we acknowledge that at the heart of the human condition we are deeply broken, in flat out opposition to love; what the tradition calls the heart of sin. This inter-generational brokenness is deeply personal and gives rise to human systems that devalue humans, pitting one community over another, creating and sustaining unjust ways of being. Into our world The Eternal Son was born, grew up, lived into Love’s reign identifying with the most vulnerable by teaching of God’s concern for those in poverty of body and soul whose mourning was heard, their hunger for peace and wholeness felt—so near was Jesus Father. He suffered, was buried and rose again, appearing to over 500 who declared boldly that God was now reconciled to all of humanity and the restoration of Love’s reign in the earth begun.  LIVING INTO GOD’S RENEWED EARTH Christians affirm that In Jesus heaven and earth were changed. God’s own Spirit fills the earth and invites all of God’s children into a friendship with the Divine, clearing our hearts of obstacles to Love and healing our wounded souls and broken relationships. We affirm that every daughter and son in the earth is a representative of who God is and called and enabled by God’s Spirit to live as Jesus did; binding up wounded spaces, removing systems designed to keep people down. To this purpose Love can only invite, not compel for we are free to embrace or reject the invitation. THE RENEWAL OF ALL THINGS We affirm the Biblical and eternal promise that Jesus will return together with those who are responding to his call (from all ages) in order that the Love of the Trinity of God fills the earth and whole universe. To this end history is moving, though it cannot be compelled. We affirm that God’s Loving rule will call each of us to a day when all greed and violence and indignities will be judged as morally evil and the gift of The Son seen as freely available; to turn away is to live into all the sickness and death that God passionately wishes to remove, is futile and is a way of destruction. To turn toward God’s Love renews, heals and reconciles everyone and everything. THE FUTURE—PRESENT RULE OF LOVE When on earth Jesus called his disciples to go into the whole world, baptizing those who would respond and teaching them to follow his life-example; to live into the rule of God’s Love that is everywhere breaking in; to bless the world with the knowledge of God’s closeness and assurance that God is reconciled to every person, tribe, people group and nation. We affirm that all are called and the Spirit enables each/all of us to be envoys of this hope, priests of God’s peaceful intent. We also affirm that God calls and the Spirit gifts women and men equally to pastor or shepherd the people of God so that we all grow up into Jesus in Love. INVITATION These are some of the things we affirm with the historic Christian Faith. Most of all we love good conversation and invite you to share in that dialogue with us. Blessings! Terry :)
For a more thorough understanding check out my book: “Millennial Holines“—https://www.amazon.com/Millennial-Holiness-post-modern-invitation-Holy-Love/dp/1520244703/ref=tmm_pa
Comments