ECC Statement of Beliefs
 
Section 1: Human Nature and Free Will
  1. Human nature is dualistic, meaning we are capable of both good and evil. It is not due to the fall of Adam and Eve.
  2. God gave us free will so that we could be free to choose our own path. If we were only good, we could only choose good and if we were only evil, we would only choose evil.
  3. We believe that all people have the free will to make decisions concerning their own bodies. Those decisions are between themselves and God.
  4. We are made in God’s image and we are the spiritual children of God.
  5. Our bodies are flesh, but our souls come from God. We are spirits having a human experience.
  6. We are co-creators with God.  We can make our lives what we want them to be. We have all that God is within us, our soul. “The Kingdom of God is within you.”
Section 2: Nature of God
  1. God is a spiritual being and creator of all. Omniscience, omnipresent and omnipotent.
  1. God is full of Grace, Compassion, and Mercy
  2. God is love and nothing can ever separate us from the love of God.
  3. The Holy Spirit is our guide to truth, expressing the omnipresence and will of the divine.
  4. Jesus is the son of God.  
  5. We embrace the mystery of the Holy Trinity, but do not seek to define it.
Section3: Nature of Love
  1. We believe in the supreme commandments of Jesus to love God and to love others as ourselves. The Ten Commandments define our responsibilities to God and each another.
  2. We believe that in order to fully love others we must first love ourselves.
  3. We believe that how much we love is more important than how much we sin.
  4. We believe in the innate value and equality of all human beings thus we believe in a church that is open and accepting of all people.
  5. Our faith teaches us to live a life of compassion and love for others through our words and deeds.
Section 4: Fruits of the Spirit
  1. We believe that humankind was created out of love and that we are granted the Fruits of the Spirit for the highest good of ourselves and others.
  2. We believe in the fruits of the spirit which are: Faithfulness, Self-Control, Patience, Goodness, Gentleness, Joy, Kindness, Peace and Love
Section5: Original Blessing
  1. We believe that all creation is good and that it is a gift and a blessing from God.
  2. We believe that we should be good stewards of God’s creation, thus we must protect the earth and all life upon it.
Section 6: Salvation and Christ Consciousness
  1. Jesus was born to lead us to the Father.  He suffered on the cross, died, and was incarnated back into his body (resurrected) and then spiritually ascended into heaven.
  2. We believe that through our individual spiritual journeys we can reach our own ascension to rule with Jesus. Reference: John 17:20-24 and Revelation 20:4
The Sacraments: We believe in the Christly sacraments of baptism and communion and the five apostolic sacraments of Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the sick. We believe all sacraments impart Grace to us.
 Section7: Communion/Eucharist
  1. We believe the Eucharist is a means of God bestowing his Grace upon us in a direct way.
  2. We believe in the mystery of Jesus’ presence in the eucharist.
  1. We believe all should be allowed to take communion without exception. For one to wish to take communion they must be under the work of the Holy Spirit (Prevenient grace) or no such desire would exist.
  2. Differences in theological views on the eucharist are a matter of individual conscience.
Section 8: Baptism and Confirmation
  1. We believe all means of baptism are acceptable: as an infant, as a child, or as an adult by full immersion, pouring or sprinkling. The most important thing is one’s intention.
  2. For infant baptisms, confirmation is performed once they attain an age of reason, whereas with later baptisms confirmation is simultaneous with baptism.
  3. Baptism is an act of obedience in following the example of Christ in recognition of our conversion to the faith.
  4. We do not believe in original sin and thus baptism is a symbolic washing away of sins and recognition of our rebirth into a new path in life.
Section 9: Marriage
  1. We believe marriage is between two consenting adults.
  2. We believe that God wishes for us to have happy healthy and monogamous relationships.
  3. We believe that divorce is warranted in cases of abuse and due to irreconcilable differences sometimes marriages cannot be saved. God does not wish for his children to be miserable but to lead lives filled with joy and happiness.
  4. Marriages that are arranged, done out of coercion (example parents forcing a young couple to marry due to a pregnancy), or those of convenience or out of ulterior motives (example to get citizenship/for money etc.) are not legitimate sacramental marriages
Section 10: Holy Orders:
  1. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to his disciples so that they could pass along ministry through the Apostolic Succession.
  1. We believe that anyone who feels called to ministry should explore if it is right for them and not be restricted by their gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or age
  2. Clergy are not required to be celibate as they were not required in the early church. We believe from a pastoral perspective that having a family makes it easier to relate to the everyday struggles of the flock.
  3. As clergy we do not believe it is our place to judge others or to act as gatekeepers for the Kingdom of God.
Section 11: Anointing of the sick and Healing
  1. We believe Grace is imparted upon those who receive anointing.
  2. We believe that where two or more are gathered God is present and that healing can occur when we call upon God together.
Section 12: Reconciliation and the Nature of Sin
  1. We do not believe that a personal confession to a priest is a requirement for absolution, but rather that it is a personal choice, as each of us can appeal directly to God.
  2. We believe that sin is when we do not treat others as God has commanded us to and that we must forgive others to be forgiven
  3. We believe that forgiveness of others is an act of self-love that frees us from the harm caused to us by others.
Section 13: Scripture
  1. We believe the bible is the inspired word of God and written by man with the intention of drawing us closer to God.
  2. We believe that the bible and other inspired sacred writings contain all things necessary for one to have eternal life
Section 14: Tradition
  1. We use the Book of Common Prayer as the tradition that guides our services and unites Anglicans in a common style of worship.
  2. The Creed of Charismata was created to express what makes our church distinctive. Its focus is on our spiritual aspects and our relationship to God and others. We also recognize the tradition of the Apostles and Nicene Creeds.
  3. We consider ourselves both catholic, meaning universal, and protestant. We are both ancient and contemporary
Section 15: Reason
  1. We believe you can’t take all things in the bible literally, because some are meant to teach us a larger truth. Examples: The flood, Tower of Babel, Creation story, Garden of Eden, Samson and Delilah, Jonah and the whale.
  2. We seek to understand sacred text considering the most accurate and oldest translations and by examining its original context.
Section 16: Ecumenism
  1. We respect all faiths because they are a means of connecting to the divine reality.
  2. We will work together with other faiths for the betterment of society and the world.