minister at Forest Grove Christian Church (Discples of Christ) - , Texas, United States
Forest Grove Christian Church is a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a 200 year old Christian movement which seeks unity among followers of Jesus in the midst of diversity of theology, history and practice. We are still focused on pursuing an early Disciples' motto: "In essentials unity, in non-essentials charity, in all things love." And for us, the one essential as Christians is our four-fold affirmation of faith: "Jesus is the Christ, Son of the Living God, Savior and Lord." With that as the center, we come together at the Lord's Supper weekly and understand that we are made one with the whole people of God. We believe that each person can develop the ability to study scripture and interpret it for themselves within the context of the faith community, in prayerful conversation with other believers and the historical teachings of the church. That it possible does not mean it is easy, nor that everyone will want to put in the time and effort necessary to interpret scripture faithfully or well. The very fact that so many smart, prayerful, earnest and well-meaning people can study the same text and arrive at such different conclusions should keep us very humble about our own and others' beliefs.