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Our Confession of Christian Faith:
We "believe in God the
Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ His only Son
our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, the third day
He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand
of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and
the dead."
We "believe in the Holy
Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of
sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting."
(from The Apostles' Creed)
Our Social Creed:
The Social Creed of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church represents the
denomination's understanding of God's call upon it to minister to the needs of
human beings in this society and the world. It represents an awareness of our
religious, social and cultural heritage and their impact on our development as a
people and as a unique community of Christians.
Social Creed - Theological
Perspective
"We believe that the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a part of the
body of Christ, and that it must express itself in the world in the light of
the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us many things both by
word and example -- to be concerned for the welfare and the well-being of
others, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to be concerned for justice.
For the Church to be silent in the face of need, injustice, and exploitation
is to deny the Lord of the Church.
We believe "out of one blood God made
all the nations that dwell on the face of the earth," that Jesus is more
uniquely His Son, that all men are brothers, and each person is of infinite
worth, and a child of God. Thus, to exploit, to dehumanize any person through
pride or arrogance is thoroughly unbiblical and un-Christian.
We believe that all things come from
God -- the earth and its fullness, our own capacities and all we possess. We
believe that all things should be held and used in joyous stewardship to God
in serving Him in His redemptive purpose in the world. The Church, then, must
always be in the world actively obeying God's purpose for it. As a redeemed
and redeeming fellowship, the Church must seek to serve and save society.
This redemption is a continuing necessity.
We also test all institutions and
practices by their effect upon persons. Since Jesus died for the redemption of
all men, we believe that we should help save humanity from sin and from every
evil influence which would harm or destroy the person.
We believe that whatever is of interest
and concern to the people -- physical, intellectual, social, economic, and
political -- should also be of interest and concern to the Church. The
purpose of our worship is to prepare the participants for their divinely
ordained redemptive witness in every place and circumstance."
(A Theological Perspective on the Social
Creed
from the Book of Discipline of the C.M.E. Church)
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