Monday, April 02, 2007

Vintage Faith and CathloCalEmergence

Having recently just read an article http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/february/11.35.html
about the 'Five Streams of the Emergent Church' and having had some conversations to do with misconceptions about the Emergent Church in North America, I submit my own 'home' Emergent Church: Vintage Faith Church, Santa Cruz:
http://www.vintagechurch.org/about.php
Here is a taster of their BASIC DOCTRINAL
STATEMENT
Vintage Faith Church holds to an orthodox historical Christian faith,
as reflected in these basic statements of our beliefs.
About the Bible We believe that the Bible is fully inspired by God, that it is entirely
trustworthy and is our guide for faith and life.
About God We believe that God is the loving Creator of all that exists, both seen and
unseen. God is eternal and completely good, knowing all things, having all power and
majesty. God exists eternally as the Trinity, in three persons, yet one God: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit.
About Jesus We believe that God expressed Himself in human form through Jesus
Christ. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and lived a sinless life. We believe He was crucified
for the sins of us all, rose again from the dead and ascended to heaven.
About the Holy Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit, sent from God to live in all who
believe in Jesus, teaches, comforts, and empowers us, giving each follower of Jesus diverse
gifts for serving in the church and serving others in the world. We believe that it is through the
Holy Spirit that we change and develop a holy life and Jesus-like character.
About Salvation We believe that all people are created with dignity and great value in
the image of God. That people were created to live in a thriving relationship with God.
However, through our sin (failing to live by God’s moral standards), we break our intended
relationship with God and we experience the sad consequences of that broken relationship,
both spiritually and socially. However, because of God’s love for us, He sent His Son, Jesus, to
rescue us from those consequences and to restore our broken relationship with God, through
Jesus´ death on the cross, a perfect act of redemption for each of us. We receive the free gift of
forgiveness and are spiritually reborn through repenting (changing our mind and heart) of our
sin and placing faith in Jesus alone.
About the Church We believe that the church is comprised of any person, anywhere in
the world who puts faith in Jesus. The church itself is people who are empowered by God’s
Spirit to be part of the mission of Jesus here on earth. The church is one global community, but
has smaller, local expressions, such as Vintage Faith Church. Each local church expression
has a unique personality and we see beauty in that diversity. We believe that the church does
not exist for itself, but exists as a community of worshipers who are here to serve others, as we
bring the love and hope of Jesus to the world around us.
About the Afterlife and End Times We do believe there are a literal heaven and
hell and that one day Jesus will return, although we approach the topics of the afterlife and end
times with great mystery and wonder
Because the nature of Emergent Churches is to grow out of their own local traditions, I realize that for some (Dee??) this may not seem 'emergent' enough. I find it a tantalizing blend of what I like to call CathloCalEmergence.


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