| Core Beliefs |
We, the members of the
Lake Oswego United Church of Christ, are diverse in our beliefs. Having
a wide diversity of beliefs, we would likely give a questioner a
variety of individual answers if asked: "What do you believe?"
That's because we are a covenantal, not a creedal, church. In other
words, we are not bound by doctrinal tests of faith to which we demand
everyone's allegiance, but by a common vision of fellowship whose
ideals hold our community together.
That vision is expressed in several statements to which the church
subscribes. These statements provide the broad boundaries within which
our individual beliefs are encouraged to flourish. |
| The Eight Points of
"Progressive Christianity" |
Our congregation is a
member of the The
Center for Progressive Christianity, our affliliation set
because of our sympathies with its principles:
By calling ourselves progressive, we mean that we are Christians who --
1. proclaim Jesus Christ as our Gate to the realm of God;
2. recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for
the gateway to God's realm;
3. understand our sharing of bread and wine in Jesus' name to be a
representation of God's feast for all peoples;
4. invite all sorts and conditions of people to join in our worship and
in our common life as full partners, including (but not limited to):
believers and agnostics,
conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
homosexuals and heterosexuals,
females and males,
the despairing and the hopeful,
those of all races and cultures, and
those of all classes and abilities,
without imposing on them the necessity of becoming like us;
5. think that the way we treat one another and other people is more
important than the way we express our beliefs;
6. find more grace in the search for meaning than in absolute
certainty, in the questions than in the answers;
7. see ourselves as a spiritual community in which we discover the
resources required for our work in the world:
striving for justice and peace among all people, bringing hope to those
Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers;
8. recognize that our faith entails costly discipleship, renunciation
of privilege, and conscientious resistance to evil--as has always been
the tradition of the church. |
| The Statement of Faith of The
United Church of Christ |
We believe in God, the
Eternal Spirit, who is made known to us in Jesus our brother, and to
whose deeds we testify:
God calls the worlds into being,
creates humankind in the divine image,
and sets before us the ways of life and death.
God seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.
God judges all humanity and all nations by that will of righteousness
declared through prophets and apostles.
In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord,
God has come to us
and shared our common lot,
conquering sin and death
and reconciling the whole creation to its Creator.
God bestows upon us the Holy Spirit,
creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ,
binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.
God calls us into the church
to accept the cost and joy of discipleship,
to be servants in the service of the whole human family,
to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil,
to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table,
to join him in his passion and victory.
God promises to all who trust in the gospel
forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace,
courage in the struggle for justice and peace,
the presence of the Holy Spirit in trial and rejoicing,
and eternal life in that kingdom which has no end.
Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto God. Amen. |
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