What We Are Not

We are not theological liberals who embrace culture without discernment and compromise the foundations of Christianity, nor are we lifeless dogmatists, strident and unflinching in secondary matters of doctrine; rather we are compassionately, convictional Christians who believe the truths of the Bible are eternal and therefore fitting for every time, place, and people, and do neither affirm that which scripture forbids nor hate those with whom we disagree.

We are not fundamentalists who retreat from cultural involvement, intellectual arguments, or secular discourse; instead we are missionaries faithful to the content of Scripture while seeking to understand, appreciate, and reach into our cultural context.

We are not isolationists who exist only within a particular theological tribe or ministerial network; rather we are gospel-partners who seek to fight darkness alongside all who by grace alone claim faith in the crucified and risen Christ.

We are not egalitarians, nor are we patriarchal; rather we are soft complimentarians believing that men and women are equal but uniquely designed by God to serve differing and complimentary purposes. We look to scripture alone to determine qualifications for leadership positions and believe that women should be empowered to serve the local church in all ways that the Bible permits while recognizing that scripture calls men only to serve as pastors.

We are not religious pluralists believing all paths lead to eternal life; rather we are Christ-followers believing that Jesus is the only way to reconciliation with God while ardently inviting all humanity to believe in His free gift of salvation.

We are not relativists denying the existence of absolute truth; rather we are biblicists gladly embracing the Bible as our highest authority above such things as culture, experience, philosophy, and other forms of revelation.

We are not close-minded bigots who believe we have nothing more to learn; instead we are reformers constantly being shaped by grace and truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit in the person and work of Christ, the pages of the written Word, and, secondarily, in human authorship and instruction, both ancient and modern, Christian and non-Christian.

We are not rationalists who must understand all things in order to embrace reality; rather we are humble believers knowing that not everything can be known but that God calls us to live by faith and in tension with partial knowledge regarding His truth.

We are not progressives, embarrassed by the bloody death of Jesus Christ; rather we are lovers of grace, understanding that Christ died a horrific death under the wrath of God as a willing substitute for the sins of his people in selfless love.

We are not self-righteous moralists seeking to deceive people into merely living good lives; instead we are evangelists seeking to unveil to an unbelieving world the freedom and redemption promised by Jesus in the gospel.

We are not spiritually, theologically, or practically morose; instead we are free-people, loving life and living in the true liberation won for us by our Savior on the cross.

We are not perfectionists demanding from others what we ourselves can never fulfill; instead we are redeemed sinners who strongly believe that understanding and experiencing radical grace can and will lead us to relentless compassion, continual forgiveness, effective evangelism, and holistic transformation.