THEOLOGY

RADICAL BELONGING

God is Love. Love is the center of everything. How do we know what love is? We look to Jesus, the perfect embodiment of love. All of humanity has an innate need to be known, loved, and included. For us, belonging represents our commitment to know, love, and include others as Jesus did. No matter your gender, sexuality, race, background, etc. you belong. You are known, loved, and included.

JESUS-SHAPED LOVE

Jesus is the exact representation of God. In Jesus we see how to be human and how to embody love. So we look to Jesus first and foremost.

COMPASSIONATE GENEROSITY

The generosity of Jesus was birthed out of a compassion for others. We desire to grow in compassion for one another and see our generosity flow out of that compassion. We know that compulsory giving out of guilt produces a spirit of resentment and compassionate giving out of love produces a spirit of excitement and connectedness. There are many ways to give through volunteering time, providing a particular skill, or financial donations; it is our desire that all of these efforts come from a place of love rather than pressure.

PRACTICE BASED

In the time of Jesus there were many beliefs and doctrines that Jesus ignored in an effort to practice love. When doctrine conflicts with the practice of love we choose to practice compassion for our neighbor, it could be said that love in action is our highest doctrinal value.

BIBLICALLY TRANSFORMED

The Scriptures are a tool for transformation. Through ancient narratives we discover a connection to the divine along with a challenge to grow in love for one another.

HOPEFULLY OPTIMISTIC

There is much darkness, despair, and grief in our world. We place our hope in a love that seeks to resurrect all to new life in the present and the beyond.

PURSUING REVELATION

The revelation of God is not limited to two ancient Testaments. God has, can, and is speaking through many ways (experience, creation, people, other religions, etc). The Spirit is active, alive, and at work, revealing the mystery of God to us through a variety of lenses, including creation. All of these revelations should be tested to the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus.

PEACEMAKING JUSTICE

Peacemaking and justice come through nonviolent restoration rather than violence and retribution. Jesus was explicit about the nonviolent nature of his message and actions. We desire to embody justice and peacemaking in the way of Jesus.

FLEXIBLE THEOLOGY

We value a flexible theology that is unafraid of real life questions and elevates faithful questioning over unquestioning obedience. Everything is evolving, including our faith and connection to the Divine. Questions are the gateway through which we grow communally and individually. Just as a child is exploring their world and therefore engages their parents with question after question, we believe the community of faith should be a place where questions are not simply allowed, but invited. The community of the faith throughout history has had a number of beautiful, life-giving, and loving theologies and practices, but there have been, and currently are, many ugly, destructive, and hate-filled theologies and practices. It is our hope that the community of faith would continue to evolve toward a more beautiful, life-giving, and loving theology and practice. We do this by owning our past failures and seeking to reconcile that which has been broken, while embodying a flexible theology open to the leading of The Spirit.

EMBRACING THE EXCLUDED

God’s ear leans towards those on the margins. We are reminded throughout The Scriptures that God is a refuge for the oppressed. Furthermore, the ministry of Jesus explicitly includes those who were marginalized by their culture: Samaritans, Women, Tax-Collectors, Prostitutes, Etc. This emphasis on the margins continues after Jesus when Philip invites an Ethiopian Eunuch into the faith through baptism and when James declares that the truest of religion ensures a care for the widow and orphan. As a community we must ensure that we never become so inward focused we refuse to include and consider the voices of those at the margins.