Guiding beliefs…
God
We believe that God is the Eternal One Who had no beginning and no end, Who exists in a dimension outside of time, and everywhere in the universe at once. We believe He is triune in nature, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Within this Trinity is the Community of God Himself. We believe He is Love, Life, Truth, all that is Good, and the way for humanity to experience these things.
Creation
1In the beginning, God created. From the imaginative heart of the Eternal One flowed all the mysteries of the heavens, and all the majesties of the earth. On one small planet, in the vast cosmic display of God’s artistic splendor, the Creator chose to mingle His divine breath with earthly dust, and birthed the flower of the created order – humankind. He created man and woman in His very image, the imago Dei. He created a humanity free to embrace the goodness of both the loving Creator and His living creation.
Community
The zenith of joy for humankind, in the wondrous environs of earth, was revealed in the beautiful trust that God had created man and woman to be intimately engaged with Himself in a sacred, life-giving relationship. The One who Himself dwells in perfect community, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, placed humankind into that loving, eternal Community. Men and women were made to thrive and flourish on terra firma. The Image Bearers of the created order were designed to rapturously experience the celebration of our divinely designed human life within a worshipping community in a newborn world – in the light of God who cherishes them.
Paradise Lost: The Fall
Then, something went horribly wrong. The parents of humanity, Adam and Eve, abused the divinely bestowed gift of their freedom to pursue equal footing with God. Deceived by an insidious enemy of both themselves and God, they yielded to their thirst for the knowledge of good and evil. In their misguided quest, they sacrificed the precious relational intimacy they shared with God. A misled and disoriented humanity fell into the shadows as sin polluted God’s good world. Paradise was lost, and the gift of perfect community was shattered in the cataclysm. In this context, fear, pain and suffering entered into human existence.
The Rescue
In response to that disaster, God planned for the redemptive rescue of His good creation. Pursuing us with a heart of love that is beyond description, the Father sent His only Son into time and space, into pain and suffering to restore us to Himself. This cherished Son took on human form to identify with our suffering, and to heal all humanity. He bore all evil for all time, suffered and died on a cross to ultimately do what humanity could not do for itself – defeat the very power of death! We believe the proof of this is in the resurrection of Jesus, three days after He died.
Our Hope
God cherishes every man and woman. He knew when He created us that we wouldn’t succeed in handling the knowledge of good and evil. Yet, the gift of freedom was more important to Him than imposing His will on us. Suffering was not in the original blue print for creation. However, God now transforms the worst things that happen in our lives into strength and light for others. We become the people He always intended us to be. His love conquers fear, and redeems our suffering. He is in constant pursuit of us to bring us to Himself where we can learn to love as He loves. We believe that we will one day pass from death to life, face to face with Love Himself, living in the light of His glorious presence forever – in a divine community with everyone who chose to live a life of love through Him.
Our Bottom Line at SomePeaceAgain.com
"To live life in such a way that its meaning cannot be taken
away by death." 2
1 Some material is excerpted from "The Bigger Story: A Guiding Narrative for the Present Age"
by Travis Twyman and Dan Wilt. See: www.biggerstoryofgod.com
2 Excerpt from Johann Christoph Arnold, "Watch For the Light - Readings
for Advent and Christmas"