The core beliefs that I state below are not anything that I came up with on my own or that are unique to me, but rather are beliefs that have been assembled from the stated beliefs of several evangelical denominations and churches. The object of this endeavor was to provide a simple list of beliefs for what C.S. Lewis called "Mere Christianity."

Evangelical means theology derived from the evangel, or the Gospel. In other words, it is Biblical theology rather than speculative theology or theology rooted in in tradition. Tradition is good, important, and to be respected, but the Bible is to be the final authority on all matters of faith. My Catholic brothers and sisters emphasize tradition more than Evangelicals do, but issues like that are family discussions and should not detract from sharing the gospel. This website is most definitely not about debating the Catholic versus Protestant flavors of Christendom. In fact, I have gone out of my way to provide blogroll links to good Catholic sites. We have much in common and, in a world that often snubs or even persecutes Christians, we need to be allies rather than enemies.

I strive not to be dogmatic (but have often failed) about matters on which sincere believers hold reasonably divergent views. Should churches be ruled by bishops or elders or neither? I don't know — apparently all were practiced in the early church. More obscure doctrine, as well as controversial issues about which the Bible is silent, are left to churches and believers to sort out on their own. It has been said that, in the Bible, "the main things are the plain things and the plain things are the main things." What follows is a summary of core evangelical Christian beliefs.

Scripture

1. The Bible is the only infallible, inspired, authoritative Word of God. As such it is our final authority for all matters of faith and Christian practice. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 )

Creation

1. Nothing in creation happened "by accident." God created the entire universe. (Genesis 1:1 )

God's Nature

1. There is one God eternally existing in three persons — God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is the Creator of all things. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:5 ; Matthew 3:16-17 ; 2 Corinthians 13:14 )

Jesus Christ

1. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and had a miraculous ministry. He is God in human flesh, who came to this world to die for our sins. His death on the cross provided atonement for our sins and he rose bodily from the grave after 3 days. (Isaiah 9:6, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 )

Sin and Salvation

1. Man, created by God, willfully sinned and as a result is lost and without hope apart from receiving Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:23 ; 6:23 ; Acts 4:12 )
2. Salvation — the forgiveness of sins — is available only by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. This free gift of forgiveness is offered to all who receive Christ as Lord and Savior. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ; Colossians 2:6-7 ; John 3:16 )
3. The only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 17:19 )
4. The Bible clearly teaches the pattern to receive Christ is to believe in Jesus as God's Son and Savior of the world, repent of personal sin, confess Christ publicly, and be baptized. (Romans 10:9 ; Acts 2: 36-38 ; Mark 16:16  )
5. All should be buried with Christ through water baptism. (Romans 6:3-5 )
6. God can bring good even out of evil events and God promises victory over evil to those who choose him. (Romans 8:28 )

Grace and Faith

1. We are saved through grace alone, by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. This faith is not ours but comes from God. The kind of faith that saves is the kind of faith which produces good works. (1 John 1:6-7 ; Romans 4:1-12 ; Philippians 3:1-11 ; Ephesians 2:1-10 ; James 2:14-26 )
2. Grace is the only way to have a relationship with God. (Ephesians 2:10 )
3. Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God. (Hebrews 11:6 )

The Holy Spirit

1. It is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Living God, who draws people to Christ and who lives in every person who has received Christ. (John 16:8-9 ; Acts 2:38 ;  Ephesians 1:13-14   )
2. The nine Gifts of the Spirit are still in operation today. (1 Corinthians 12:4-10 )
3. God still heals the sick and he answers prayers. (1 Peter 2:24 )

The Church

1. The Church is the body and bride of Christ on earth, founded on the day of Pentecost, and consists of all Christians everywhere. (Matthew 16:13-18 )
2. The Church is to serve people like Jesus served people. (Mark 10:44 )

Death, Heaven, and Hell

1. Heaven and hell are real places. Death is a beginning, not the end. (Psalm 9:17)
2. Death seals the eternity of each person ( Hebrews 9:27  ). Those who are forgiven will spend eternity with God in heaven, those not forgiven will be eternally separated from God in hell . (John 5:28-29 ; Daniel 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:13-14 ;  Acts 17:31 )

The Return of Jesus Christ

1. Jesus is coming again. (Matthew 24:30 )