Our Theology
Our Beliefs...
The cornerstones of our Episcopal faith are Scripture, tradition and reason.
We believe in a Triune God, who created the universe, who through Jesus Christ redeems us from sin and death and who sustains us through love and grace. We promise to follow Jesus Christ and believe the mission of our church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.
Scripture...
Scripture is the Word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The Old Testament recounts the story of God's love for the world from Creation until the time of Jesus. The New Testament contains Jesus' teachings, the accounts of his life as told by his followers, and the beginnings of the early Christian church. It is through the study of Holy Scripture where we find the grounding of our faith.
As Episcopalians, study scripture in the context of history, and seek to interpret God's Word for meaning today. We have a willingness to live with diverse and changing interpretations of Scripture, rather than attributing Scripture with infallible certainty and binding prescriptions for all time and circumstance.
Tradition...
Tradition is the embodiment of our experience as Christians throughout history, shaped by the Bible, creeds, sacraments, and the ministry carried out by Christ's disciples. Tradition is expressed with many voices, worship styles, cultures, architecture, and music. The Episcopal tradition encourages diversity. We experience God's love - our spiritual journey - in the context of tradition and community, within the church and in the world. Our daily experience shapes our questions, and furthers our quest for a closer relationship with God.
Reason...
In the Episcopal tradition, we believe that our God-given ability to think critically and take responsibility for our actions is a vital part of our Christian faith. Reason, as a complement to Scripture and tradition, leads us to ask questions. Human reason is set in the context of our relationship with God, and God's call to us to live full and healthy lives. We challenge people to think critically, to bring their doubts, questions, beliefs and convictions. We bring our whole person into the life of our church community and find that when we engage our mind with scripture and tradition, it is a very rich experience.