[CS-FSLUG] RFC: Change of Statement of Faith

[Timothy Butler]

Dear List Members:
     You administration team has been discussing changing the  
ChristianSource statement of faith. Ultimately, our goal is to have a  
statement that follows the motto:

     "In Essentials, unity,
         In non-essentials, charity,
     In all things, Christ."
                         -Chrysostom.

     The existing statement of faith, we have agreed, needed some  
improvements in this regard. It has gone unchanged since January  
2002, when CS was established. Instead of modifying the existing  
statement, and continuing to promote yet another such document, we  
have agreed to adopt the Sakamuyan Declaration, already in use by  
Sakamuyo Christian Fellowship, another internet-based ministry. The  
Sakamuyan Declaration has several more years of experience and two  
very excellent additional authors over the CS statement, which I  
believe makes it better, while still including some of the good ideas  
from the CS statement. You'll find the primary component of the  
statement included below.

     For what it is worth, the new statement was authored by two CS- 
FSLUG members (Ed Hurst and myself) and one former CS member (Kevin H.).

     Before we institute this change, we would like to take the time  
to invite list members to comment on the change.

     Blessings,
             Tim

------
The Sakamuyan Declaration
Sakamuyo Christian Fellowship Declaration of Faith and Belief:

We, as members of the Sakamuyo Network [replace with ChristianSource,  
in our case], affirm the essentials of the faith expressed in the  
Apostle's and Nicene creeds. We also affirm the following points as  
the essentials of the Christian faith and as the minimum requirements  
to become a part of the earthly expression of the one true and holy  
church of Jesus Christ.

I. We affirm the one true God of the Bible, all powerful, all knowing  
and eternal; we affirm that God exists in three persons, Father, Son  
and Holy Spirit and that these three are one.

II. We affirm the Earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. We  
affirm His existence as God made flesh, both fully God and fully Man.  
We believe in his physical death and his physical resurrection after  
three days in the tomb.

III. We affirm the presence of the Holy Spirit in all believers as  
the divine comforter sent by God to provide support and guidance  
since the time of Pentecost.

IV. We affirm all humanity was made in the image of God, but through  
willful disobedience fell into a corrupt state of sin. In this fallen  
state we are totally depraved and unable to in anyway bring about our  
own salvation.

V. We affirm God, in His mercy and despite our depravity, chose to  
bestow completely unmerited grace upon anyone who would personally  
accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through repentance and  
faith. This is made possible through the vicarious atonement provided  
by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was sinless and  
innocent of the punishment bestowed on him for our sake. We believe  
that works after salvation show only the fruit of the Spirit and in  
no way are necessary to obtain or retain saving grace. A personal  
relationship with Jesus is the key to true membership in the Church.

VI. We affirm the Bible as the true, holy and divine revelation of  
God. We accept the universally accepted 27 books of the New Testament  
and the Jewish canon of 39 books as the inspired Word of God through  
which other revelations ought to be interpreted. While the full Truth  
of God is larger than the Bible, the Bible is wholly Truth. We affirm  
the validity of the scripture canon and believe the entirety of God's  
Word must be included in our theology. We believe between the front  
and back covers of the Bible in its original form, we find what God  
intended to have written.

VII. We affirm Baptism and Communion as sacraments instituted by  
Christ for this age as outward signs of inward spiritual grace.  
Neither baptism nor communion are necessary for salvation nor the  
continued remission of sins.

VIII. We affirm all professing Christians ought make every effort to  
keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

IX. We believe in the triumphant return of the Son at the end of the  
age, the judgment of all the people of the world, and the eternal  
sentence to bliss or condemnation.

X. We affirm all Christians, as members of the body of Christ, are  
called to follow the Great Commission given to us by our Lord before  
he ascended to Heaven. Christians, regardless of status as laity or  
clergy, should seek to make disciples and be instrumental in  
baptizing and teaching them the commandments of Christ to the very  
end of this age.

---
Timothy R. Butler | "Now  that  I am a  Christian  I  do have moods
Editor, OfB.biz   | in which the whole thing looks very improbable:
tbutler at ofb.biz   | but when I was an  atheist I had moods in which
timothybutler.us  | Christianity looked terribly probable."
                                                       -- C.S. Lewis