Striving to be ... Consistent ... Conservative ... Orthodox ... Evangelical ... Protestant ... Christocentric
A couple of misguided souls have recently suggested that Arminians are on a hard liberal path based on the theology we espouse. However, given the news out of the Calvinistic Reformed Presbyterian Church USA, I would suggest that perversion has set in deep among the Calvinists.
Presbyterian Church – USA votes to ordain practicing homosexuals and lesbians as pastors
Funny bunch of folks those Presbyterians are with their finger pointing and accusations and all.
2. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who possesses perfect and exhaustive knowledge of the past, present, and future, and who preserves, regulates, governs and directs all things so that nothing in the world happens without either his causation or permission. God is the author of good but not of evil. Yet even evil is governed by God in that God limits it and directs it to an end fitting with his overall plan and purpose.
3. We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, dying on the cross as a substitute and sacrifice for sinners. He arose bodily on the third day and ascended to the right hand of the Father. He will return personally and visibly at the end of the age to fully establish God's Kingdom.
4. We believe that part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict sinners, enable them to believe, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service.
5. We believe that humanity was created in the image of God but fell from its original sinless state through willful disobedience and Satan's deception, resulting in eternal condemnation and separation from God. In and of themselves and apart from the grace of God human beings can neither think, will, nor do anything good, including believe. But the prevenient grace of God prepares and enables sinners to receive the free gift of salvation offered in Christ and his gospel. Only through the grace of God can sinners believe and so be regenerated by the Holy Spirit unto salvation and spiritual life. It is also the grace of God that enables believers to continue in faith as well as good in thought, will, and deed, so that all good deeds or movements that can be conceived must be ascribed to the grace of God.
6. We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and his resurrection were provided for the salvation of all people, but are effective only for those who believe. Christ's death and resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation, and only those who believe in Jesus Christ become born of the Holy Spirit and thus become children of God.
7. We believe that God’s saving grace is resistible, that election unto salvation is conditional on faith in Christ, and that persevering in faith is necessary for final salvation.
8. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of believers to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; and of unbelievers to judgment and eternal punishment.
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5 comments:
The problem with people who turn liberal whether Arminian or Calvinist has to do with depravity more than our theology. Mankind is sinful and thus we enjoy the pleasure of sin more than holiness. This will always lead toward rebellion against God and His standards whether Arminian or not. The idea that Arminianism causes one to turn liberal has not basis anymore than the PCUSA has their basis for turning against God.
That is right on the mark. Liberalism is far more influenced by post modernist social influence than anything in our theological foundations. Both Arminian and Calvinist theologies have strong conservative stances with each suffering from liberal influences in some of its corners. My point in the post was more tongue in cheek given the oft repeated slander and libel that Arminianism leads to liberalism. Such charges fall flat on their face when we see the largest Calvinistic denomination in the US fully embrace depravity. We have our own issues with the United Methodist polity.
Amen to that.
I believe no church denomination is immune from falling into liberalism. Thus, if one thinks his denomination is standing firm, he should do whatever he can to ensure it doesn't fall.
True Hope,
As the past centuries have shown us, that is very true. A pastor once stated to me some years ago that if we examine the churches over the many years since the reformation, there seems to be a pattern of three or four generations of leadership, sometimes less, before a church begins to drift away from it's fundamentals. I loved his approach toward correction ... repentance, reformation, restoration.
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