Beliefs

This list is neither aimed to be exhaustive nor as a set of rigid rules or a prescription of good luck per se! Too often in Christian History as for many others; a genuine move of God's Holy Spirit, bringing revival, renewal and new life, can become captured and manipulated; 'hi-jacked' even, if it were possible and exploited by some at expense and in a spirit of inequality; which mistakes 'authority' for 'license'. From a Christian viewpoint, in all 'statements of belief and doctrine'; we need to remember that Christ is the centre; He, in Biblical terms of 'Emmanuel' - God with us, verily God, verily man at one and the same time (see John Chapter 1 for more on this from a mainstream Bible like New International Version, Good News, Revised Standard, Jerusalem, King James) and you get the window of what God is like in the God made Man, Jesus Christ.

The whole point of the cross is that of His Ministry of Reconciliation ( 2 Corinthians Chapter 5, verses 5-21 for example). If you agree sin separates man from God and mankind from each other and so on, then the facilitation of the right of every person to turn back to God, confess, repent, believe in the cross and what it means and to invite/respond to God's initiative in time and space, to invite him into our lives and enjoy the relationship He wishes us to have with him - worship, prayer, intimacy, peace of mind, reassurance, comfort in sorrow and eternal life and much, much more, including fellowship in a new way with His people and all other's is exciting, life changing, inspirational at best, and in intrinsically absolute terms as a bonus!

Daily life bring uncertainties and many trials of one sort or another and Christians are not immune from this and thus 'Churches', made up of 'people', are and do reflect this 'susceptibility to fallibility'; albeit our righteousness is that God himself has provided in Jesus for us, which we by faith put our trust in him. Thus, that His grace is sufficient unto salvation and that we cannot earn our way to heaven or into God's 'good books' (see Romans Chapter 3 verses 10-20 for example). We are to, rather, accept we can never earn or deserve God's approval ourselves by our own merits, and that it is our response to God, our relationship with Him, which informs any changes. He makes the differences, not us first and foremost. Thus He is Lord, because He alone initiates changes for the better and as God, only he really can, because as divine, he goes beyond us (see Psalm 102 for a meditation of God's seeing and knowing all, we for our part are to look to him, the pride of man, seeks to ape and take, usurp God's rightful sovereign role, which shows the pride and folly of much of mankind's endeavour and missed chance for real communion with God through Jesus Christ, but God's offer is still there today! See Hebrews Chapter 9 verses 11-15 of what Christ's sacrifice for us enables for us in this respect). His Holy Spirit brings awareness of ourselves, others and Himself and a growing conviction on the need to search, go forth, read his word, make contact with a local Church, ask searching questions on life, meaning and respond as God informs, shows and prompts us. We are called and we respond. He alone is our real security, strength and His power alone sets free, informs fruit of compassion and mercy, trickling through society, as the Jesus of the Bible captures hearts and convicts people that the poor do matter, that inequality is a sin, that greed is a poor investment and waste of time and life opportunity, that sharing and forgiving, brings healing and much joy and so on (see Romans Chapter 3 verse 4 and Luke Chapter 16 verses 19-31).

Worship such a God who does bring such fruit as a bi-product of relationships down the ages with him, makes it so important every generation is told the Great Story and allowed to find an expression of praise and form of expression that is meaningful and relevant, honours God and His ways and is flexible enough to allow the Holy Spirit to on the one hand, reveal the character, power and majesty of the Almighty and on the other, be practically and inclusively tangible in acts of love, truth, honesty, repentence, justice for all and laws which judge not on sizes of wallets or 'whose who'; but rather because like Isaiah Chapter 10 verse 1-4; God informs our hearts to see his and as 'heirs' love our Heavenly Father and out of love, obey, submit and strive for everyone to be seen as God sees them, friend or foes; as someone Jesus thought worth dying for - Jews and Palestinians, for example! That is a challenge; but God inspires, God provides, God makes the big changes, as we do the relatively small things - what would we wish for ourselves…? Do unto others too = all others = God's way! See Matthew Chapters 5-11 for a main body of Jesus' teaching on the sort of fruit we might hope to see emanating from our relationship with him, and the signages of scope for continued refinements, individually and corporately manefastationally!

Sexuality has been a big controversy in our day as any other and homosexuality, a key focus of western Christianity in particular. People want and demand precise answers, but reality of daily context informs we have 'knowledges' of essential right and wrong; living it and doing it, can be influenced by many factors, many of which are not necessarily our own making. For example there's a huge difference between consent and forcing someone's will. Jesus, in the Lord's prayer (Matthew Chapter 6 verses 9-14 'Our Father…') in King James' version 'And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors' - can our financial institutions help themselves by cancelling debts and starting again, putting this principle into practise from the front? Likewise, if someone intrudes upon us, that is a 'trespass', but if we invite or conjoin, it is a shared responsibility, before, during and afterwards and God's love, forgiveness and salvation is for all 'sinners' of all kind and the exceptional expenditures of regard, time and 'management' obsession within the Houses of God to this matter of same sex 'potentiality', let alone reality, not only wastes what resources we could otherwise have deployed elsewhere; but goes against the steer Jesus gives for all sin, as he expresses in Matthew Chapter 9 verse 13 ''But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Maybe the western, especially so called 'radical' Christianities obsession on naval gazing over inequality as a selected focus, of individual punity and surveillance over corporate corruption and mandating wars for oil by refusal to give up on any convenience which costs those with power, authority and management ivory tower views of 'it goes with the job'; indicates the perilous misapprehension of the corporate, professionalised 'chain' model of Church we have, whereby it views 'real sinners' as 'other' and 'alien' and not to have within it's midst, or at least those who are honest and believe enough to 'confess', even if they cannot tow a line of perfect conformity 'straight off'! In short the sense one has is of a take from George Orwell's Animal Farm Book statement by a pig of ‘all [sins] are equal, some are more equal than others.’ [] brackets mine. - does that reflect what we do/practise, over what we think or would portray in image making to others? Equally we must balance this also with John Hubbard's 'Prayer & Contemplation (Mowbrays, Oxford, 1976, page 60) 'God does not condone, he forgives'. Getting God right, is a key imperative to informing the optimisation of our interpretation of appropriate responses to Him and thus our dealings with others. No rocket science or even doctorates in child psychology, see Mark Chapter 12 verses 28-34 for a quick guide of God's way for us in dynamic cordoned relationship regards of mind, attitude, spirit and we can surely assess if that is not the case and work on that which needs probing further with a view to the tri-love dynamic being incrementally more complete, whole, clean and inclusively Godly!

'But how does it come about that a person or a group or an entire nation is an unwitting villain?…This is the crucial question. This is a crucial question for all of us. Peck answers the question by citing laziness and narcissism as "the twin progenitors" of evil.' — From Baldwin, Stanley. (1986) Bruised but not Broken, Kingsway, Eastbourne, page 42, citing from M. Scott Peck in his book 'People of the Lie' on the Americans and the Vietnam War, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983).

Intercoursic sex is one penultimate expression, there are many others which do not require intercoursic sex or even necessarily genital contact, but which do involve the freedom, liberty by mutual consent, touch, holding, cuddling, a kiss, reassurance, warmth, companionship, affirmation and so on, which are okay and the approach of faith and pursuing healthy, warm and real friendships which can be emotionally and other 'messy'. This, even within marriages and so on/family life. None the less, are an essential part of our growing up, finding cooperation in adult life, making 'lip service' or 'token belief', live, real and dynamically more authentic. With God as The Good Shepherd (see Ezekiel Chapter 34 and John Chapter 10 for example - see also Romans Chapters 9 and 11 for bridging between these two Chapters and that of the tenets of Old and New Testament as to the 'people of God' narrow and wider continuum and how we can believe, but can also come under the danger of presumption upon God and possible signages when that has become the case and the need to realign to what He is doing now, not yester-year per se, even though, God is always the same. Theology gives us a tool box to handle these issues of several things being possibly contradictory, but none-the-less true at any one time!). We often know when we've gone beyond a boundary, and then we do need to confess, repent and ask/trust God's sufficiency of grace, his love and healing to help us learn from mistakes, pursue more rewarding and rounded same and opposite sex relations, be less self centred and unashamed to:

A. declare who we are ‘believers’ and the basis of our faith if people want - Jesus - which takes spot light off ourselves and puts it onto him - and God, because all people are made in his image and of eternal, spiritual worth. God wants his believers to share him with others and higher or lower, as we let go of self interest and trust God's mercy and are honest, faithful and humble, His Spirit can and often does turn the friendship to a new dynamic - people come to Church and get saved themselves, it separates sheep from goats and saves more wasted time and space, which can be used for someone who really is interested if they are not at that stage. Is it not interesting and perversely curious how recent arcs between faith and political spheres tend to present ‘welfare’ as the variant on ills in society, not so much arms sales or failure to correct systemic withdrawal of the alternative informant on locked-in car culture and oil dependency values of the masse of our society and the cowardice in leadership, power, authority and ‘management’ to lead from the front by example of ‘sacrifice’ and ‘radial denial’ in foregoing the luxury if it informs genocide?? This too signage authenticity or shallowness in faith and the values - God’s or ours, which we can correct in our own lives, not least by learning to share what we have, not what we do not. See Rob Parson helpful book, (1991, ‘What they Didn't Teach Me at Sunday School’, Hodder & Stoughton, London) on these kinds of pseudo and practical challenge values and actions. God knows, he acts…he invites us to follow His example!

B. set a boundary, as we are able and enjoy the journey of exploring a person within the boundary and as we enjoy the whole person, as the barriers of hostility, abuse or mistrust come down and the personal similar needs - food, warmth, job, family, hopes, dreams, interests and so on, we find common ground and enjoy 'that friend, that friendship' and with others it can be another sort of configuration but with a same boundary when sex arises - we enjoy what we may and lo, the extremes become less and less needed as why focus on one 'all risk' thing, when you can have loads of good, clean love, fellowship, fun and invite others too so that isn't necessary? So often in homosexuality and faith, as any other walk, we set the standard for reform or changes, impossibly high. Bite sizes, breaking bits down and incremental 'doing what we can now' and nurturing the support system to enable transition 'move', exodus, when the time is right. The 40 years in the wilderness, of God's people then, in retrospect was a necessary pre-par-ation for what was to come, even though the wilderness, was a painful series of trials, tribulations, pain and yet discovery, revelation and inheritance for the hope for all nations, the mystery St Paul speak of in Romans Chapter 11 verses 33-36. For me, if it is in love and God always loves us no matter what, it brings hope and just to sing his praises, even with tears, without aplomb, is liberating and universally 'free' even if persecution can follow.

C. your sexual, genital bed space should be for your husband/wife/partner and faithfulness in relationships is what God wants; including our relationships with Him. He changes, he forgives, he disciplines as father too, brings us back to his will, path and way as we allow, submit voluntarily and cooperate in heart, mind, will and actions 'keep within his veil' - child like faith, that sees the world, flesh and devil for what they are and sees something higher and better, which allows God to lead and change us, to serve Him in that extended love-kingdom and carry on the work Jesus did on earth when he was here in bodily form.

In short, get over sexuality, there's so many other issues, wants, needs, desires and lost people who need our love, help, prayers, hospitality, care, support, friendship, listening ears, sharing, money and adopted fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters; that as we follow Jesus we look back and think 'why on earth did we ever think and want such myopic ends for such poor results, when these treasures in heaven are so much more satisfying'? People who are stuck, being arms sales, tobacco, car culture, idolatry, addictions of all and any kinds, need our love and sympathy, as we would have if in those shoes we disdain, indeed disdainful attitudes by 'radical Christians' is all too evident of a need to see ourselves as 'just as bad' and come together, and share hearts, minds, lives, loves and faith and invite the lost, lonely and unpopular to join the fellowship for fellowship, higher and/or lower spec! I am not saying we do not go over boundaries in same sex or other relations, what I am saying is there is forgiveness for those who truly know it is wrong as per all other sin and even within our particular 'sins' we can set boundaries and remain faithful within that, which gives empowerment and other options to modify, adapt and lead/be led to enjoy an alternative. But remember is it free-will? Is it consensual? What are you doing, what is happening and is it your real need or a 'quick fix' a cheating on true love, life and affirmation you desperately want and need in your deepest inner being, but from Church or family or friends or even a tired expression of your faith, just ain't happening, being accommodated….is not on the worlds agenda and because of pressure to and from the world in the corporate expression of faith, is the wrong place to look for it anyway? You may find the book by Rita Bennette, (1982) 'Emotionally Free'*, Kingsway, Eastbourne useful as a basis for putting a few minutes aside every time at a time which suites you, to think jot down and pray and plan your way out and to more of 'God's best will for you' - His promised land, flowing with the milk and honey of what really matters, adds up, is authentic, is true, is whole some, bless Him, others and where you love yourself and are knowing love for you 'intrinsically' as God intended in his tri-way love command structure predicatures upon which all other commands start to find their pattern of fit - if you love people, do you really wish to kill them?! * Don't be put off by the title 'Emotionally Free' as I was and kept the book hidden for nearly 20 years by negative association. Rather 'Emotional Wholeness and Spiritual Vibrancy' seem to be the main charactreistical benefits running through the book. Susan Jeffers in her very useful, practical help book (1987) 'Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway, Arrow Books, is also a key text for combing through personal and contextual bedevilments and making small but decisive personal actions; which empower, bring more freedom objectively to grow up, live and be, be more what God wants = truth in the inner parts, not cultures of lies. Change starts with us, it is, to take from the Depression Alliance motto 'A thousand miles starts with a single step…' but a step (action) none-the-less, however faltering and small, better than sin predicated as a fall out of gross discontent and disillusioned waste?

D. Much objection to the constant tirade of telling what many people suspect on sexuality and Christianity, may not be so much over ultimate 'rights' and 'wrongs', but that fact that there's so many other 'wrongs' which don't get the same focus of time. passionate sermons, energy, surveillance, punity and fixational attack/marginalisation. This imbalance is a 'wrong' itself, as many times God's word makes it clear 'God does not show favouritism (James Chapter 2 verses 1- 13). Moreover if what I do with my lifestyle habit, however majority driven, trend informed and 'convenient' even from 'sharing' or a 'professional' point of view, knowing it mandates other severe 'ills' like ill-gotten, killing, stealing and proliferated suffering including more creation of orphans, widows, displaced, fatherless and much else - am I acting in love, following God by continuing in that vein because the immediate impact/implications are 'somewhere elsewhere' and 'out there' and thus hidden relative our given society/local theatre of operations? In short car culture requires black oil, oil is a fossil fuel, it is a finite resource, it has spin-off pollution results, it has been abundant in various parts of the world, including the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan. Yes our presence there may be argued to be coincidental and the acts of just Christians does not inform of itself the mandated public wide demand for x by consumption of y in increasing numbers who consider it a 'right'. But the essence of Godly morality surely, is that we do things because they are right, not because they are popular, mainstream, 'normal' in the wide world's eyes or contemporary political persuasions of rational economic theorisations of one sort or another? Even if hat were the case, Jesus made it very clear 'we cannot love God and Money' (see Matthew, Chapter 6 verse 24). It is a clear choice, and the choice of the latter over the former, erodes our love for one another and that means 'casualties' of various sorts at home and abroad. 'Church' sets the moral trend, takes the lead of example, sets a tone, then thinking/academia follows that detected patterning, learning, views and debate and then wider media/public opinion, habits and action choices informs politcal masters to legislate and 'make a response' to. This then further shapes a nation's direction of course, higher or lower, better or worse; but the Church is pivotal in that 'spark' and God's Spirit, galvanises, ignites and informs the focus of the Church if it allows…more of that 'free will' we keep hearing about! Clearly the nature of intent, outcomes, correction and adaptation and spaces informant as to whether genuine or not, is a key to authentic signalling or another 'hidden' agenda, presented as one thing, when tools of engagement are that what the picture says on the box = more than a surprise for the unsuspecting, hence our need to seek, find and engage with God, His word and The Faith ourselves. In any other alk of life, you would surely insist upon that right, why not with 'faith' also?

E. That people get saved is God's sovereign grace and work alone, Christians are called to serve God in His Mission, not their own and that means His way - love first, people first, service and sacrifice and trustworthiness, faith, generosity, forgiveness and much else - worship and The Bible as key planks in God's tool-kit for us in that theatre - makes sense from his stand point and we enter in with worship, because Jesus has provided that way (scriptures). The amazing thing is, that by doing this, we are loving God too, so nothing is wasted in that sense, as to which was we start!

F. This is not complicated, it does not in the first instance rely on others, as we all have a responsibility before God to work it out for ourselves and take action/be responsible for the decisions, reactions and how we respond to Jesus, His Cross and our affiliations for or against, following or not, believing or rebelling and working through difficult issues, or denying them/shying away from facing God's reality or creating a fantasy to avoid responsibility or engaging on what really matters. Punity without proportionality criterion, is immoral as it fails to exercise discretion, it insists others do, or rather have been seen not to be!

1. The Bible is the inspired and divine word of God and should be read by all believers
    
2. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except by him.
    
3. Salvation is found in Jesus alone - he is the Lord, Saviour and Friend
    
4. Jesus Christ died on a cross taking the punishment for our sins so we could be forgiven.
    
5. Jesus rose again on the third day proving that he was the spotless Lamb of God and is uniquely able to offer all believers the hope of resurrection from the dead and everlasting life with God in eternity.
    
6. We are all natural sinners, we have sinned, do sin and will sin and sin separates us from God and ultimately God judges sin, punishes sin and can ultimately lead to eternal separation from God = hell.
    
7. We are called to repentance from sin, to have a will and desire to turn away from sin where we can and to take up our cross and follow Jesus. This can be a daily goal, act and lifestyle. However the teaching is that we will and do, inevitably sin at some point. But God calls us to set our hearts to do what pleases him. Jesus atones for sin, he does not excuse wilful and deliberate wrong doing, repentance is called for. In action and attitude and we need Jesus to enable us to engage properly. Christians and others can mistake God's generosity and grace, thinking it is for favour over others and because of our relative merits, this is a dangerous attitude, pride often results and opportunities to win people for Christ and extend the Kingdom suffer as a result. Jesus, the Master, washed his disciples feet remember!
    
8. Sin, is the inherited, fallen and imperfect condition of humanity and all creation, we are naturally born into and are by default part of. The fact that many do not even make live birth, let alone reach infancy or adulthood let alone, make old bones, whatever the causes, why's and wherefores is a tragedy. A consequence of Sin is not just that it has and does separate humanities relationship with God, but also between humanity and creation as well. Whatever the causes, whatever the scale of division, strife, calamity, violence or murder, it exists as a fruit of the fallen state of humanity. The Christian belief and Biblical claim is, that by ourselves without God, we are helpless to change these things, science has brought us amazing medical breakthrough's, but also capability to destroy planet earth many times over by nuclear weaponry and other, enter the debates on pollution from fossil fuels and global-warming/climate-change and the accelerated destruction of the earths finite resources. Waste and mismanagement, corruption anywhere and everywhere, all stems from sin (human and structural) and only when we come to know Jesus Christ in faith and open our hearts and lives to Him and allow him to effect changes and decision in our lives, that ultimately it will make things less worse than would other wise be the case. Change starts with us, what we decide, what we do or other.
   
   Yes in faith, a believer who has recognised Jesus as their Saviour, asked him into their lives and decided to seek to follow His example, however imperfectly, is seen as 'justified' by God through Jesus - we call it 'in Christ Jesus', (see: Colin Urquhart's excellent introductory book called 'In Christ Jesus', 1981, Hodder Christian Paperbacks, ISBN: 0340276010, London), our new status as a believer/believers and acceptance before a Holy God. In Him (Jesus), we have the hope of eternal life, of being part in the New Heaven and Earth God says he will provide for 'His people' = those who believe and like Abraham, had their faith accredited as righteousness, not looking for justification by works in what we can aspire to, however rigorous, rather our reliance on what God, in His unconditional love and compassion for us, in all our fallenness - our 'worst day' scenario, sent His one and only Son, to lay aside His majesty and throne in Heaven, to be born as a human (incarnation) in very humble circumstances by comparison with Heaven (relative and absolute!). He took our frail humanity.
   
   We cannot be Jesus on a par, we cannot copy him in ape form, rather we can look to Him, trust and believe in Him and allow Him to change us and the world around us, to gather lost sheep, home to his flock, his pen and his care for ever. It doesn't mean we will never suffer or be rejected, we are and will, Jesus was too. But we have a hope based not on our own striving, but on His amazing love and grace and his ability to turn things around and give us ' a hope and a future'. It all starts with our coming to Him, knowing and believing in Him and being open to Him, his calling and leading in our lives and that not alone, but with other people too.
   
   You may have a general regard for other Christians as individuals/human beings and fellow sinners (whether they admit it or not!) without necessarily agreeing with them. But the Good News is that there's somewhere for everyone in God's Church, shop around, pray, ask for God's guidance, list and ask the key questions, be willing to stand back wherever you are or go and ask questions, think outside the 'box', does this add up? Are we loving people? Are we seeking to build bridges with groups and people in some Churches, Media or other tend to 'shun' and have 'negative attitudes to'? - How are we being different, how are we being Jesus to these people/groups? The gay/single, the prisoner, ex-con, alien, other faith members, fatherless, widows, orphans, rebellious or lonely teenagers, the sick, dying, older people - anybody or whatever.
   
   Stand back, weigh up and prayerfully, weighing God's Word, Spirit, your conscience and motives honestly and do what God leads, go where he direct, be more what he shows you he wants for you. Sometimes you can do it where you are, ensure you try and discuss/work these things through, but remember God gave you a head and a heart, in His Mission and His love and compassion, use them for Him first, and all other considerations after that. The Church and the individual components (you and I = the priesthood of believers!) are called to follow God, not God follow the Church and we take God and His Holy seal wherever we go, day or night! "The Lord be with you, and also with you!". Amen.
    
9. Jesus took the punishment for our sins once and for all and we can come to know him by believing in this, asking him into our lives and accepting him as Lord, Saviour, Master and Friend. Jesus has made a way for us to gain access into the presence and majesty of God.
    
10. God has revealed himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the three persons of the trinity.
     
11. God has sent his Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, to convict us of sin, to lead us to repentance and faith, to counsel us and give gifts to be used for serving others, loving others and building the Church, renewal, healing and restoration.
     
12. Jesus, Christian's believe, is God! When we look at Jesus, we see God in a man (the Incarnation), who actually lived on this earth about 2000 years ago and who was crucified cruelly in his early 30's and, Christian's believe, rose again from the dead and later ascended into heaven. As God, Jesus, was God's solution to the problem of sin and its separation of people from being able to enjoy a relationship with God as he intended. Therefore, when we talk of 'Jesus, the Son of God', we are not talking of a diminished 'intermediary' but one of the person's of the tri-une God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These 'person's' are how God has chosen to reveal himself to us. Jesus in traditional Christian language is 'begotten, not made, true God from true God, light from light and in whom is no darkness at all'. See the Bible, New Testament, Gospel of John, Chapter 1 verses 1 - 18 (inc.) for an insight to the nature, person and significance of Jesus Christ. It is these claims of the person, nature and character of Jesus Christ that differentiates Christianity from all other religions and claims, rather than to what extent his followers conform, live up to or fulfil our expectations or perceptions about them and what they should be like. Indeed, it is only when we know Christ in personal conviction, faith and invitation into our lives, that we can truly start to appreciate our wider significance, situation and the needs of others potentially.
     
13. All Christians are called to be Disciples of Christ, to have a heart to learn and follow, to believe, to love, to read Gods word the Bible regularly, pray and tell others the good news of Jesus Christ. We are to do this because we want to, not under the compunction of others, out of fear or insecurity, but born out of a relationship with the living God through faith in Jesus Christ and our love for Him, one another and ourselves.
     
14. God loves us unconditionally; we in turn are called to love God, to love one another and to love ourselves.
     
15. Christians are called to be part of God's Family: the Church and find their place in it. God's definition of 'family' includes everyone who believes, not just the nuclear type. As such we should share what we have, be open to people, offer hospitality and serve one another where we are able. We should be particularly sensitive to people who have had bad experiences of 'family' or who are single or isolated and make an effort to include and love these people and work with them to find positive ways forward that are realistic and integral to the family of God and His mission.
     
16. Christians are called to openness, accountability and truthfulness
     
17. Christians are called to worship God and we can do this in singing praises, serving others, telling others, prayer and reading his word.
     
18. There are no short cuts to following Christ, our lives, faith and witness has to be worked out daily and we need to trust in every situation that his grace is for us, is sufficient unto salvation for us and that there is pardon, forgiveness and healing if we confess, believe and trust God to help us work through temptation, trials and tribulations of whatever kind. This does not mean Christians are called to be door mats! We all have multiple rights and responsibilities to God and each other and can sympathise, pray for and seek to understand people's situations, even if we disagree as to the causes, context or their solutions to them.
     
19. God loves gay people as much as anyone and everyone else. Jesus died for them as much as for anyone or everyone else. It is God's heart that gay people believe, have a heart to turn from sin and do what is right, believe and receive Christ into their lives and let him guide and transform their lives. There is no room for homophobia, prejudice or rejection in God's family. However all abuse, perversion or taking advantage of others is a wrong thing to do by anyone, in any walk of life and we encourage all people, straight, gay or other, to turn away from these things, work through them and avoid circumstances where temptation would lead us or others astray. We wish to encourage other Churches to welcome people who have a homosexual orientation and work with them genuinely, constructively and realistically and not marginalise, stereotype: structurally, personally or via secret means: shun, ignore or make participation difficult for them and they should find a genuine right hand of fellowship without preconditions, recognising God makes any changes and God sanctifies and there is no sin except that which is common to all mankind and as members of the human race, gay people also have souls and need to be loved, served and understood without stigma or haughty condemnations. We must not assume God's grace, it is a privilege that cost Jesus highly on the cross and which he willingly did for us because of his love and compassion on all humanity in all its variations. With all privileges, comes responsibility for proper stewardship and using our talents to best effect.
     
20. God's ideal relationship for humans is between a man and woman in marriage for life. However we recognise that as part of the fall of man God's intended relationship may be damaged, broken or distorted. Whilst it is always God's will to bring us to relationships as he intended, we recognise that:
    
    a. this may not always be possible
    
    b. people come to faith in God from a certain set of circumstances
    
    c. It is better to be faithful in a relationship to one steady partner than to have multiple relationships, mass insecurity, instability and be a slave of lust. Even if the latter is the case, grace and responsibility go hand in hand. None of us can really point fingers at each other (we get three back!). Rather that humility, love, faithfulness, truth, justice and having such environs where honesty and balance in all things is nurtured, rather than denied in a shame culture or a culture of politically correct denial and suppression. Right ends with wrong means don't add up, being able to recognise our current reality, what God wants and seek him to enable us to progress to where he wants us to be heading, is a better way. All leaders of any kind must avoid the danger of 'over-egging their respective puddings/ claims' and avoid extremes of any kind.
    
    d. For all Christians, the goal must be to follow Christ at all times. This should be our goal. We are called to work through our weaknesses, fallibility's and circumstances and that not alone, but with God who knows everything about us anyway. This with God's people in communion and community (Church) without gossip, finger pointing, recrimination, whilst seeking to hold fast to a consistency of message and practise self worth, integrity of faith and witness that honours him with our hearts, minds, spirits and bodies. If we do fall, our response is to admit it (we are accountable to Him), to ask God's forgiveness and to receive his grace, love and to continue our walk with him, praying for a positive way forward for our situation. This is not a law but guidance for consistency and integrity of faith and witness.
    
    e. Everything must be dealt with on a case by case basis. Churches are called to be 'family' and insomuch as they have failed to fully realise and practise this concept in the widest and most inclusive sense, they have rendered the most needy isolated. Isolation has bred despair and despair is an open door to the deceitfulness of sin, demonic influences, experimentation with things that are not of God. Our call isn't necessarily to be prescriptive, but to work at being and ensuring community performs its role to reduce the source of evil so often - that of isolation, need to 'go under', live double lives, scarcity and the sometimes obvious disparity between the 'haves' and 'have not's'. Healthy living, freedom, free will commitment and faithfulness will most likely flourish as opposed to a culture and life of deceit or lies - when in a context of love, non condemnation and pro active, effective support by real people recognising real situations and being 'family' (plural), to anyone and everyone who wants it, needs it or is called to it, recognising the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus, Son of God, Jesus the Incarnate Deity Christian's believe, has condescended to calling fellow believers His adopted 'brothers' and 'sisters' and that is God's heart for his extended family too, one to another. If it isn't or hasn't been our experience, then that surely is where our faith, prayers and efforts may be best used in God's service maybe, starting with priorities in our own lives?
    
    f. We are called to welcome aliens and unbelievers, setting an example, not necessarily trying to be perfect or putting on a show. We are called to pray for our enemies and for those that persecute us, so that they may be saved, looking for opportunities to show love, healthy interest and seek dialogue and understanding, putting aside violence or prejudices, notwithstanding, our call to put God first.
    
    g. Christian's are not called to be 'push-over's', 'door mats' or 'mug's' per se. Rather we are to seek and trust God for discernment. Remember we are sheep, whatever else we may be too and are called as part of God's flock to feed, be fed and watch out for each other constructively and sensitively, not seek to cause mischief, mayhem or metaphorically throw babies out with bath-water's! The person matters more than the sin and God more than both and with God, there is faith, hope, love and eternal life!
     
21. "Christians" are known as Christians, believers, disciples and followers of Christ - these are characteristics we have been allocated by God through his word, the Bible.
     
22. Whilst we don't in any way condone wrong acts, and do not underestimate the cost of human sin [individual and collective] that sent Jesus to the cross, nevertheless we believe God looks on all sin in an unbiased and equal way and just as there is judgement for persistent and wilful wrong doing, equally there is the offer of salvation, forgiveness, repentance, healing and cleansing from sin, guilt and shame and the hope of restoration to a wholeness in Christ. This applies to all people, for all are sinners, and God does not discriminate against people in relation to these rights and responsibilities. Neither therefore should his Church, his representative body here on earth. Our prayer is for the church to have the courage, humility and tenacity to learn to love, serve, care and reach out to people in all their circumstances and offer support and love to help people find a fair and positive way forward whereby they can receive the gospel, live responsible lives and play their full role in the life of the local church, bringing as many do, much energy, life, skills and talents which can be used for Gods glory and reaching more lost souls for Christ, thus fulfilling the Great Commission.
     
23. That as Christians, we have a sensitive, caring and considered regard for responsible stewardship of the assets and material riches we have. That we a have regard for the planet, the environment and where possible, seek to share inclusively, with all others.
    
    This can include: recycling, doing without, cutting down/aiding to nurture alternatives to polluting reliance on cars, lorries, road building schemes and mass aviation and instead support schemes for reducing pollution/reliance on fossil fuels/natural resources/land grabbing or exploitation of those poorer/weaker than ourselves. Thus can be started/embarked upon by modest changes, like for example of such things as car sharing, cycling, walking, using/growing rail links and networks, composting, water butts and taking an interest in how we live our own lives and lead by example ourselves. Our affiliations/loyalties/ties and at what point we put then higher principles of God, His Passion and Mission emanating around matter of the Cross and issues to do with monetary gain, profit, image, greed or material objects over people.
    
    Even work as an end in itself can be idolatrous and boasting 'I work' when you know it is abusing/riding rough shod over those without recourse to redress/justice and who are unfairly disadvantaged, cannot be Biblical Work and thus immoral! Repentance, a recognition of wrong and walking away, even if it costs, is the right thing to do, God is faithful, he does not condone fool hardly knee jerk decisions, but does reward faith in action and principles whereby push comes to shove, you put Him first/remain faithful to your conscience as to the intrinsic value and eternal worth of a life/all life and God's creation.
    
    If we as Christians, higher or lower, take Christ, his creation, integrity of witness and stewardship issues seriously, we will seek to disengage the world's obsession with car culture, petroleum/crude oil and other fossil fuel's depletion without regards to the needs of future generations, materialism, greed, envy, inequality or elitism and the throw away society, wherever we can.
    
    Yes polluters should pay, but equally, fairness and honest scales, require all demands must be in proportion to the ability to pay; otherwise those who guzzle more of finite resources, pay disproportionately less than their fair share. This discriminates against the poor and needy which is against God's will and moral justice.
    
    We cannot in the West, preach to others on how they conduct their affairs; if we, after a century of dominant 'poor stewardship' and relative abuses, don't correct ourselves first and lead by example. Thus collectively as nation and individual approaches, Church Leader or non, Secular Political or other; say sorry where it is right, seek to build humble bridges and hold out olive branches, in the Holy Spirit inspired hope of 'sharing together' for each other's mutual benefit in relationship to Jesus' example.
    
    If you want a Biblical few windows on this see: Luke's Gospel, Chapter 15, verses 11-32 inc., Luke Chapter 16, verses 19-31, Luke 19, verses 1-10, Romans Chapter 7, verses 7-25, Roman's Chapter 10, verses 1-21, esp. verses 11-13 and 2 Corinthians Chapter 12, verses 1-10. Old Testament: Psalm 91, Psalm 96, Exodus Chapter 15, Isaiah Chapter 59 and Jeremiah Chapter 7, Ezekiel, Chapter's 7 & Chapter 8 and Joel Chapter 2 verses 28-32 (remember The Bible isn't exclusive. Rather, one Lord Jesus, died for Jew & Gentile alike, 'that all may be saved through faith…' yet we see other laws at work currently… hence the need to pray for the peace of all in the Middle East and show love to our friends, neighbours and enemies as Jesus taught us: Luke's Gospel, Chapter 10, verses 1-37, 'The Good Samaritan'… a picture on how God sees humanity and the state of his 'fallen' creation 'in the round'.
    
    This, without distinction I suggest. Thus God loves Palestinians, Kurdish, Tibetan, South American, Jewish and English and all others, as much as anyone else! Hence the 'Ministry of Reconciliation' which St Paul writes of in 2 Corinthians' Chapter 5, verses 11-21 ~ in order for reconciliation 'winning over another' as to become brother or sister, friend and extended family, we must lay aside differences and work for common shared good but also relate around the Cross, where all convergences ultimately meet and the gift can be made known. Amen.
     
24. Material possessions. Likewise if your life is so full and abundant witnessing, loving and serving Christ and others, and you find you only watch a very limited amount of TV or if a TV becomes a problem through cost, family rows or other, why not give up the TV, cancel the license and use the money for a family treat, day out or even a holiday or give to the Fellowship or poor? Likewise do we regard our possessions such as the private car, as something to be responsibly stewarded, ethically driven and used to help and serve others as well as our own needs or do we use it purely for convenience, laziness or without due regard, care and attention to the interests and needs of others, the waste of car culture and the associated idolatry around it and other forms of 'materialism' pro rata?
    
    This is not a command, but is an option and you may find you enjoy listening to the radio, music, using the Internet or a hobby or other interest far more and have more time for others, and whatever needs doing, reducing stress and moral and spiritual pollution potentially. Each person must discern what is right for them, what is God saying to YOU? But if your right eye causes you sin the Bible says 'pluck it out' - that is a metaphorical statement, not literally! It means getting rid of whatever causes you to stumble by avoiding, running away or dealing with it as far as you can lawfully, morally and ethically. The Bible never condoned evil, violence or physically damage to another human. God says quite clearly 'Do Not Kill'. That should guide all our actions and how we go about things.
     
25. God has said we can, if conscience allows, eat meat & fish, but while they are alive, all God's creation/people/animals & nature must be treated with responsibility, dignity and respect.
     
26. We believe God not only wants to liberate people spiritually but also economically and to release more people into full time Christian work, Pastoral Care and Ministry. This may be releasing Christians to be social entrepreneurs or setting up Christian ethos businesses and services to demonstrate the difference God and His people can make (salt & light).
     
27. That as part of and following conversion, 'acts of faith, love and service' will be rendered at individual and collective level and reaching out into the wider community, doing whatever good purpose God may so choose for his people to undertake in ways that are honest, lawful and inclusive of the poor, needy, marginalised, despised, rejected, outcast and the sinner'. James Chapter 4 verse 6 = 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'.
     
28. This expression seeks to sum up experiences and casualty views and expression relative to the theatre of presented 'reality' at the coal face in the contemporary hitherto setting, changes can start with us, our hearts and outwards from there, Jesus does make a and the significant difference, if he's on the inside, ask him and seek him today!
    
    Amen!