A Little Bit About What We Believe...

What kind of church is Bethel?

Bethel is a warm, family-oriented church seeking to follow the Lord as we go through life together. We are, first of all, Christians; second, we are Protestant; and third, we are Reformed. Our congregation is a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

We are a confessional church, holding strongly to the belief that Jesus Christ alone is Lord, and seeking to see the Scriptures, which we believe to be the inspired Word of God, faithfully upheld in all that we do.

In addition, we are a "Partners for Life" church with Presbyterians Pro-Life.

What do Presbyterians believe?

A brief overview of some basic Presbyterian beliefs can be found here.

Presbyterians are part of the Reformed tradition, a tradition which has always placed an emphasis on the value of Creeds and Confessions. These constitute an important part of understanding who we are as Presbyterians. The PC(USA)'s Book of Confessions can be found online here.

Are there certain beliefs that you emphasize?

While we strive to teach "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27), we hold strongly to what are called the "five solas" of the Protestant Reformation. In some way, everything that we believe or teach is grounded in these truths. They are:

sola scriptura ("scripture alone"): We can only know God to the extent that He has revealed Himself to us, and we believe that Scripture (the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is God's inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word given to us. Our faith and practice are governed by Scripture alone.

sola gratia ("grace alone"): Because of our sin, there is nothing in us deserving of God's mercy or forgiveness. God's offer of salvation in Christ comes to us freely and from His own good pleasure. We are given new life through the Holy Spirit (regeneration) by His grace alone, and not in response to anything that we have done. This act of regeneration enables us to respond in faith to His offer of salvation.

sola fide ("faith alone"): We are declared innocent before God (justification) through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and not through anything that we have earned or works that we do. Faith looks to the perfect life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ and clings to God's promise of life through Him.

solus christus ("Christ alone"): There is no way back to Father but through the Son. Because Jesus Christ is both perfectly God and perfectly man, He alone can represent us before the throne of God. He is our Mediator. Through His perfect life, He earned the blessings that we could not. Through His substitutionary death, He underwent the punishment for sin that we deserve. In His resurrection, we have the pledge of our own future resurrection. Because of His ascension, we have an eternal advocate at the right hand of the Father. No one other than Christ has accomplished these things.

soli deo gloria ("to God alone be glory"): God created all things for His glory, and has redeemed a people for Himself for His glory. When we see that all of the parts of our salvation come freely from God, we return all glory and praise to Him. God alone is worthy of our praise and worship for who He is (holy, perfect, and righteous), and for what He has done (saved us from our sins and given us new life in His Spirit).

THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM

Very few Christians know what they believe or why they believe it. One way to address this loss is to reintroduce important teaching tools such as the Heidelberg Catechism. Long known for its excellence, simplicity, and faithfulness to Scripture, the Heidelberg Catechism, found in our Book of Confessions, is a rich exposition of the faith.

Written in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1562, this catechism was a product of the Protestant Reformation, and was originally intended to ease some of the tensions between the newly formed Lutheran and Reformed communities. Following Romans 7:24-25 (“ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord!”), it has three main sections. Questions 3-11 deal with our sin and guilt, questions 12-85 with the way in which God saves us through Jesus Christ, and questions 86-129 with the way in which we show our gratitude to God for redeeming us. Using second-person language (“you”), the catechism is very personal, and draws consistently on biblical language.

Used regularly by churches in Germany, Austria, Holland, Hungary, Eastern Europe, Scotland, Canada, and the United States, the questions are grouped according to “Lord’s Days”, i.e. Sundays, and the 52 groupings allow for the catechism to be studied on a weekly basis over the course of a year. Throughout 2011, we will print each set of Lord’s Day questions in the weekly bulletin and on our website. The full catechism can be found by linking to our Book of Confessions here

Please take some time each week to read through them, study them, ask questions about them, and use them to deepen your own understanding of our great and glorious God!

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/AMENDMENT 10-A UPDATE

There is much happening at the national level of our denomination. The following is a letter from Pastor Josh that was unanimously endorsed by our session and mailed to the congregation in response to the recent passing of Amendment 10-A. If you have any questions about this, please contact the church.

Dear Friends,

            I write this letter with a heavy heart. It is a letter that I prayed I would not have to write, but a letter which must now be written. I ask that you take the time to read it prayerfully.

            For the last few decades, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has been engaged in vigorous and continuous debate surrounding the authority of Scripture and the way in which it relates to issues of leadership within the church. Like our brothers and sisters in other mainline denominations (United Methodists, Episcopalians, and Lutherans), the primary point of contention is the question of ordination standards.

            In our denomination, the fight has centered on the language used in our Book of Order to describe some of the requirements for those called to ordained office in the church, i.e. ministers of Word and Sacrament, elders, and deacons. The disputed text is found in our Form of Government (G-6.0106b), which says:

“Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice, which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.”

In past years, several overtures at the national level have sought to change the wording of this statement. They had been defeated each time, most recently after the 2008 General Assembly. Nonetheless, the 2010 General Assembly proposed yet another amendment to be voted upon by all presbyteries nation-wide. In order for the amendment to take effect, it would have to be affirmed by a majority of the 172 presbyteries nationally. Washington Presbytery voted on this in January, and re-affirmed the above language by one of the highest percentages of any presbytery in the PC(USA). For that, I am thankful.

            However, as of May 10^th, at least 87 presbyteries have voted to affirm the new amendment, thus securing a majority. Therefore, as of this July, the current language will be changed to this:

“Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life. The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation. Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”

            While this language is not wrong in and of itself, it poses several problems. Clearly stated and precisely worded definitions are replaced with vague and unspecific phrases. People with vastly different beliefs could both claim ‘submission’ to Jesus Christ, if his Lordship becomes undefined. Further, it states that we are only to be “guided” by Scripture, rather than be “obedient” to it. These are significant changes, because they allow for persons who are living in ways that clearly contradict the previous language of “fidelity and chastity” to potentially be ordained, so long as they promise to be “guided” by Scripture.

Perhaps you have seen reports of this in the news already. The press often implies that PC(USA) churches will now be required to ordain and install persons who are acknowledged, practicing, and unrepentant homosexuals—which is not accurate. Our session wants to make two things very clear at this time:

1. Bethel has not changed its position or beliefs on the authority of Scripture, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, or the standards to which we believe his people are called. We hold to the teaching of Scripture that marriage is to be between a man and woman (1 Corinthians 7:2), and that those who are married are to be sexually faithful while those who are not married are to abstain from sexual relationships (Hebrews 13:4). These standards are to be held by all who are members of God’s church, but especially by those who are called to ordained positions of leadership. Scripture directs us as to how God has called us to live, and we are to be obedient to that. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).

2. Even with the new language, local churches and presbyteries retain the right, through voting, to approve or deny individuals for ordination. Sessions and congregations still have the final decision in whom to ordain or not ordain. Throughout these debates, Washington Presbytery has repeatedly demonstrated a strong faithfulness to the Word of God and the historic confessional standards of the church. Therefore, while this new language may allow for the ordination of those who reject the standards of Scripture, that can only happen if local churches and presbyteries support those individuals.

This does not mean that there is not a serious problem, however. Though the presenting issue is the possible ordination of persons living in sin, this is just a symptom of a more pervasive illness relating to our understanding of the authority of Scripture and our beliefs about the person and work of Jesus Christ.

So, how do we respond to this? At this time, a knee-jerk reaction would be more problematic than helpful. Instead, we ask you to commit to a season of “prayer and patience”, to use the words of our presbytery, as we seek to discern the best course of faithful witness and responsible action. Several possibilities exist, some of which are actually very exciting.

One of these relates to a newly formed group within the PC(USA) called “The Fellowship”. This is a group of like-minded, biblically faithful leaders who are beginning to prayerfully plan and discern how it is that the thousands of churches saddened by these developments may respond in a way that demonstrates our unity in Christ and seeks to strengthen our bonds with other faithful Presbyterians. They will be meeting in August in Minneapolis, and I will be attending that meeting. For more on this group, visit www.fellowship-pcusa.org.

Over the next few months, our session will work to keep you informed about the developments and discussions on these matters. This letter is a first step in that direction. It has been reviewed, unanimously endorsed, and signed by each of our active elders.

 You may find the latest in our newsletters and bulletins, along with articles, links, and updates on the church website. Included with this letter is a list distributed by Washington Presbytery of Frequently Asked Questions regarding this amendment. Additionally, we will hold a time of Q & A immediately following worship on May 29^th and June 5^th for any who wish to learn more.

Please pray for all of the elders at Bethel, those who serve in Washington Presbytery, and those nation-wide who are committing their time, energy, and resources to uphold Scripture and present a faithfully biblical witness to those around us as we proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.