We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. God’s Word has the power to accomplish God’s purposes in the world. The message of the Bible is addressed to all people. The Holy Spirit still speaks today through the Scriptures, illuminating the minds of God’s people in every culture to perceive its truth freshly through their own eyes and thus disclosing to the whole church ever more of the many-colored wisdom of God. (This paragraph is adapted from the Lausanne Covenant affirmed by Evangelicals worldwide.)

Marriage is designed by God to be a lifelong covenant between a man and woman that is characterized by faithfulness and self-giving, sacrificial love. Marriage is also meant for fruitfulness: it carries the potential for the procreation and care of children. As a union of two equal yet different persons, male and female, marriage reveals both the design of creation and the goal of salvation. One of the ways the Bible describes the union of heaven and earth and of God and His people is through the metaphor of marriage. And yet, marriage is not a more elevated status than singleness. Jesus is the fullness of a flourishing human being and was single in His earthly life. Every single human is the image of God, and is therefore complete before God, bestowed with the dignity and purpose of reflecting God’s rule in the world. Moreover, singleness bears witness to the full arrival of God’s Kingdom when marriage is no more and God will be all in all.

Sexuality is a significant but not a central feature of individual identity. Sex is a gift not a right; it is the embodiment of the union between a man and a woman in marriage. Within a Christian marriage, sex is a powerful way to celebrate each other, unify the couple, and glorify God. Sex also carries the potential to create life, fulfilling the call for humans to be fruitful within God’s world. Sexual expression outside marriage is damaging to the self and to the other, and dishonoring to God.

We believe in making space for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, welcoming the Spirit to move in whatever way God pleases while also exercising wisdom and discernment for each context. For this reason we eagerly desire all spiritual gifts and seek for everyone of all ages to

practice them regularly in a fitting and orderly way, while also remaining open to the holy wildness of the Spirit’s work.

Male and female are created in the image of God, therefore men and women have equal status and dignity before God. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit empowers both men and women for the mission of God, as the Book of Acts testifies. The gifts of Spirit— including the gifts of teaching, preaching, and leadership— are available to both women and men. Numerous examples of women operating in these gifts occur in the New Testament, including Priscilla, Junia, Lydia,

Phoebe, Euodia, and Synteche. Thus we believe in the full equality of women and men in status, giftedness, and opportunity for ministry. We embrace and celebrate the different ways God builds up the church through Spirit-empowered women and men.