What
We Believe...
We
believe
in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the
Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through
whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of
our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.
We
affirm
the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate
ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful
use by humankind.
We
joyfully receive
for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality,
marriage, and the family.
We
commit
ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth,
young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities;
to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights
and dignity of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.
We
believe
in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory
of God and the good of themselves and others and in the
protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights
to property as a trust from God, collective bargaining,
and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of
economic and social distress.
We
dedicate
ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of
justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom
for all people of the world.
We
believe
in the present and final triumph of God’s Word in
human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest
the life of the gospel in the world. Amen.
(From
The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church
- 2004. Copyright 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing
House. Used by permission.)
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