In agreement with the Holy Scriptures, we believe the following:
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the verbally (every word) and plenarily (all the words) inspired Word of God, which consist of the original texts of Old Testament Traditional Masoretic Hebrew Text and the New Testament Traditional Greek Text (Textus Receptus) (Ex. 34:27; Psalm 68:11; Isa. 59:21; Jer. 30:2, 36:2; Matt. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 Cor. 2:13). The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed (Psalm 12:6; Prov. 30:5; Rev. 21:5; Titus 1:2-3). The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man (Psalm 119:89; Rev. 22:18-19). Jesus Christ Himself validated the canonicity (list of books) that make up the Old Testament, often quoting from the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:25-27, 44-48). The Bible is the only book God wrote (2 Tim. 3:16; Matt. 4:4; Jer. 30:2; Psalm 68:11; Ex. 24:4), and therefore, should be our sole authority for faith (what we believe) and practice (how we live) (Jude 3; Phil. 1:27). The authority for truth is not found in the theological writings of institutions, catechisms, denominations, experiences, or theologians, but originates from God and His Word alone.
The Scriptures must be interpreted using a historical-grammatical approach, meaning a literal interpretation according to the "plain meaning" conveyed by its grammatical construction and historical context. The original language Texts which have been providentially preserved are the Old Testament Traditional Masoretic Hebrew Text and the New Testament Traditional Greek Text that underlies the King James Version of the Bible, and God has divinely preserved His Word for English speaking people in the King James translation. We reject the corrupt manuscripts of Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus used by Westcott and Hort, also known as the Critical Text, and any translation derived from these corrupt manuscripts. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 12:6-7; Psalm 119:89; Matt. 5:18)
We believe the following doctrines about Scripture:
The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only English translation of the Bible used by Friendship Baptist Church for preaching and teaching. All English materials used and distributed by Friendship Baptist Church will only contain verses from the King James Version.
The Bible teaches the following characteristics and attributes of God (not exhaustive):
God has created man with a free will (Gen. 2:15-17, 3:6; Matt. 23:37; John 3:16; Rom. 10:13) to make his own choices in life. God does not force Himself on anyone, however God is sovereign and in control of the affairs of the universe (Job 37:5-6; Psalm 115:3, 147:18; Dan. 4:25, 35; Matt. 5:45).
The Lord Jesus Christ is the second Person in the Godhead, and is co-eternal, co-equal, and co-existent with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:26, John 1:1-2, Phil. 2:5-6, Heb. 13:8, Rev. 1:8). Jesus Christ became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).
The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-26; Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5, 2:24)
The Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven to apply His blood on the mercy seat of heaven for the atonement of sin, once for all satisfying the demands of a righteous and holy God. (John 20:17, 20:19; Luke 24:36-40; Heb. 9:12-16, 12:22-24)
The present-day ministry of Jesus Christ is to make intercession for the saints (Rom. 8:34; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 7:25, 9:24; 1 John 2:1), and He is currently seated at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven (Heb. 1:3, 13, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2). He is seated because His work is finished. The work of the Old Testament priests were never finished and so the Old Testament priests stood daily offering sacrifices again and again for the sins of the people (John 19:28-30; Heb. 10:10-12).
Jesus Christ will come again, will appear in the clouds, and with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God will call His bride, the body of Christ as God sees it, up to meet Him in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:1). Jesus Christ will come to earth again following the seven-year tribulation period, where He will triumphantly reign for 1,000 years (Zech. 14:1-11; Rev. 19:11-21, 20:1-6).
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead, and is co-eternal, co-equal, and co-existent with God the Father and God the Son (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6). The Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8-11), and regenerates the sinner who places their faith and trust in Christ alone for forgiveness of sin and for their soul's salvation (John 3:5; Titus 3:5).
He is the divine Teacher who assists believers in understanding and appropriating the Scriptures, and it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled (controlled) with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20,27). The Holy Spirit of God empowers God's people to perform God's task on this earth (Ex. 31:1-5; Judges 6:34; 1 Sam. 16:13; Acts 1:8), and the Holy Spirit is the believer's Comforter (John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:7), Guide (John 16:13), and Intercessor (Rom. 8:26-27).
The Holy Spirit takes up residence and permanently indwells the believer at the moment of salvation (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 2:11; 12, 3:16, 6:19). We get all of the Holy Spirit we are ever going to get at salvation (though He does not always get all of us). Therefore we must daily yield our lives to His control (Rom. 6:13-16; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 5:17-18). As we do, His work of sanctification is accomplished in our lives (1 Thess. 4:3-8).
The Holy Spirit of God imparts spiritual gifts to believers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12). The sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, prophecy (foretelling as opposed to forth-telling), and the gift of healing, were temporary gifts used during the infant stage of the church age and have ceased. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death will be achieved in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing as He sees fit. We adamantly reject the unscriptural claims of the various charismatic movements concerning the Holy Spirit, such as healing, on-going prophecy/revelation, miracles, speaking in tongues, etc. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8-10, 14:21-22; Heb. 2:3-4).
God is one triune God, co-existing and eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 5:7)
Man was created in the image and likeness of God, to enjoy fellowship and co-operation with Him, and to have dominion over the earth and every living thing. However, through disobedience mankind fell, resulting in the loss of fellowship with God, the condemnation of the Adamic seed, and the curse upon the creation over which he had dominion. In Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved, and of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. We reject the Calvinistic view of total depravity (total inability). Instead we believe that all men have a free will to accept or reject the Lord Jesus Christ and we believe that "whosoever will" may come to Christ for salvation. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3, 4:17-19; 1 Tim. 2:14; Matt. 23:37; Rev. 22:17; John 3:16; Rom. 10:13; 1 Tim. 1:4; 2 Peter 3:9)
Salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (John 5:24; Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 10:9-10)
We reject the teachings of Calvinism and its T.U.L.I.P. theology on all five points: total depravity (total inability), unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. Election is based on the foreknowledge of God as to who will believe. Those that believe become the elect. (Matt. 12:31-32; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9)
Scriptural refutations of Calvinistic T.U.L.I.P. theology:
We believe that there are many blessings of God that accompany salvation. They include:
Salvation also gives us peace with God (Rom. 5:1; 2 Cor. 5:17-19; Eph. 2:13-17) and access into God's presence (Eph. 2:18, 3:12; Heb. 4:14-16, 10:19-20).
Salvation is received by grace and received through personal repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The New Testament mentions repentance over 70 times and teaches that "except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5). Repentance is a change of mind toward God and sin that results in a change of life. It is not a change of life as that would be a form of works salvation. (Matt. 3:8, 12:41, 21:28-29; Acts 2:38-42, 3:19, 26:20; 1 Thess. 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:25-26)
We do not believe in "lordship salvation," meaning a person must yield their life 100% to the Lord Jesus Christ before a person can be saved. To require a sinner to make Jesus Christ Lord of every area of his life in order to be saved would be a form of works salvation. (John 5:24; Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 10:9-10) We do not believe in "easy-prayerism" as an evangelistic methodology because it is quick to get people to pray a sinner's prayer after a shallow presentation of the gospel. It is important that we carefully present the gospel to sinners so they can understand the various truths sufficiently enough to make a genuine decision. To quickly run through the basics of the gospel without determining if the individual truly understands what the gospel means is to invite empty professions of faith. (Matt. 21:32; Mark 1:15)
All the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5)
It is the privilege of the believer to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word. The Bible clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 6:1-6, 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
The Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man's responsibilities in successive ages. Other Bible words for dispensation are "time", "age", and "day". These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. (Gen. 1:28; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10, 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25, 27; Rev. 20:2-6)
Dispensational theology aids the student of God's Word to rightly divide the Word of truth within its proper context (2 Tim. 2:15). Dispensational theology makes a clear distinction between Israel and the Church. Many common errors, like "Replacement Theology" have come from confusing the church and Israel. The opposite of Dispensational Theology is Covenant/Reformed Theology.
The church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a New Testament institution that was unknown to the Old Testament prophets and established by Jesus Christ, who is its sole Head. In the New Testament, the majority of references to the church speak of "called out" assemblies (ecclesia) comprised solely of born-again, scripturally baptized believers, who joined themselves together in membership to observe the church ordinances, to provoke one another to love and good works, and carry out the great commission. (Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26, 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; Heb. 10:24-25). In a few other instances, the New Testament church speaks of "the body of Christ" or the "family of God" as God sees it which includes all believers that have been saved by grace and faith alone in Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 5:25-27; Col. 1:18).
Members of a church assembly should be bound together by their mutual love for Christ, their love for each other, and should adhere to a body of doctrine founded only in the Word of God. (Matt. 22:36-40; John 13:35; Acts 2:42; 2 Tim. 1:13; Titus 1:9; Jude 3)
Individual church assemblies are autonomous and free of any external authority or control and are the pillar and ground of the truth. (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; 1 Cor. 3:9, 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Tim. 3:15) Water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper are the sole scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this dispensation. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Cor. 11:23-26) God has given the church two offices: the pastor and the deacon (1 Tim. 3:1-13), and the qualifications for these offices consist of the highest standards. Pastors and deacons are to be men, and thus only men are eligible for ordination, licensure, and the teaching of men in the church (Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15, 3:4-5, 12). The local New Testament church should be pastor led with Christ as the head (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9; Heb. 13:20; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
The scripture clearly teaches the doctrine of separation, and God commands His people to separate both personally and ecclesiastically.
Jesus Christ will return to receive believers, which is the body of Christ as He sees it, unto Himself at the Rapture, which will be a pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture, and His return at this Rapture will be literal, personal, and visible. The Rapture of the saints ought to comfort us, purify us, and stir our hearts to witness to the lost today. (1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rom. 13:12-14; 1 John 3:2-3; Luke 10:1-2, 14:23; 1 Cor. 15:34, Jude 22-23)
At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally, bodily, and visibly return with His saints, touching His feet down on earth upon the Mount of Olives to judge the living nations and establish His earthly Messianic Millennial Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Psalm 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10-11, 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
The scripture teaches a bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to eternal judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29, 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
The souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord where they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)
The souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment in hell until the second resurrection, when with soul and body are cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated (i.e., a person's soul ceases to exist), but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment forever. We reject such teachings as the "annihilation theory" or "soul sleep" theology. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)
There is a literal heaven that is a prepared place for a prepared (saved) people. Heaven is the dwelling place of Almighty God, and heaven immediately follows the death or rapture of the child of God. (John 14:1-3; Matt. 6:9; John 14:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:16-18). Heaven is a high place (Psalm 103:11; Prov. 25:3), a holy place (Psalm 20:6), and a happy place (Rev. 20:1-4) where God's Word is forever settled (Psalm 119:89).
There is a literal hell of everlasting fire and torment that was prepared for the devil and his angels. The wicked who have rejected Jesus Christ and who have neglected to trust Christ as their Savior will be cast into hell where they will experience conscious torment, suffering, and misery until they are summoned to the Great White Throne Judgment Seat. (Matt. 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Psalm 9:17; Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 20:11-13)
The unsaved will be judged by a holy God and His Word at Great White Throne Judgment. Because their names will not be found in the Lamb's book of life, they will be cast, along with death, hell, Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and the devil's angels into the Lake of Fire where they will be in conscious torment, separated from God forever (Rev. 20:11-15). This is not annihilation, but everlasting, conscious punishment into a place where the worm dieth not and the fire shall never be quenched (Mark 9:43-48).
Satan is a real, created, and personal being that was the "anointed cherub that covereth" (Eze. 28:11-19), but in his pride, was cast down from heaven. He is the author of sin and confusion, and the one who tempted man in the Garden of Eden which resulted in the fall of mankind into sin. (Isa. 14:12-17; Gen. 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12-14)
Satan does everything in his power to blind the minds of unbelievers, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them (2 Cor. 4:4). He is in continual warfare with the people of God (Dan. 10:12-13; Luke 22:31-32; Eph. 6:10-12; 1 Thess. 2:18; 1 Peter 5:8-9), is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:9-10), and we are not to be ignorant of his devices (2 Cor. 2:11). We are to put on the whole armor of God and are to resist the devil (Eph. 6:10-18; James 4:7). We must follow the example of Christ and quote Scripture when Satan tempts us to sin (Matt. 4:1-11), for he is our adversary, walking about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit during the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ, and will be cast into the Lake of Fire to be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Rev. 20:1-10).
God created the world, and the entire material universe in six, literal, 24-hour days and blessed the seventh day and sanctified it as a day of rest. He created the world out of nothing and all He had to do was speak the word and it was made. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit acted together in creation. We reject the false teachings of evolution (including theistic evolution) and its blatant attack on God and Biblical creation. We also reject the false teachings of the Day-Age Theory, Progressive Creationism, the Gap Theory (including a "Pre-Adamic earth") (Ex. 20:10-11), and their attempts to reconcile the Word of God with the massive geological age theories of evolution. (Gen. 1:1-2:3; Psalm 14:1, 33:6, 9; Heb. 11:3; John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16; 1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 4:4)
God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions:
Every person is subject to these authorities, and all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and human government are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Acts 5:29; Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14)
The term "marriage" has only one meaning which is sanctioned by God in the joining of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)
God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman.
Any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, gender reassignment or any attempt to change one's sex, or disagreement with one's biological sex is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that God disapproves and forbids any attempt to alter one's sex by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24, 19:5-6, 13, 26:8-10; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-32; 1 Cor. 5:1, 6-9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be rejected and are not in accordance with Scripture or our Statement of Faith.
Men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and in the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, therefore as the husband submits to God's authority so should the family submit to the husband's authority. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; Eph. 5:22-33)
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25-29), the wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ (Eph. 5:22-24), and children are to honor and obey their parents as unto the Lord (Eph. 6:1-3). Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18, 22:15, 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33, 6:1-4; Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7)
God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage are regarded as adultery. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold certain positions of service in the church at the discretion of the pastor, they may not be considered for offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)
Human life begins at conception and any unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. Any teaching that makes abortion acceptable because of rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, the mental well-being of the mother, or any other reason we adamantly reject. Every human life is made in the image of God and is precious and valuable to the Lord. (Ex. 21:22-23; Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:44)
We should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are commanded to boldly preach the gospel to the lost, but to deal with unbelievers and those who oppose us with grace, gentleness, patience, and humility. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-21, 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other members of their own church to resolve personal disputes. The church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members, however, a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)
God has given the church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. Every church ought to be actively participating in world evangelism, church planting, and supporting local and foreign missionaries on their field of service. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)
Many Christians today hold to the position that music is a matter of taste or preference and that it is a non-essential or amoral in nature, but the Word of God has over 600 references about music relating to singing, song, music, worship, and praise.
Music came from God (Eze. 28:13) and was designed primarily to glorify God (Psalm 100; Rev. 15:1-4). God created music not for evangelism (Psalm 18:43-49, 96:1-5, 137:1-4), edification (though believers can certainly be edified and encouraged through music) (Col. 3:16), entertainment (Gen. 4:16-22), or greedy gain (1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:9-11; 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11), but was created by God for the purpose of exaltation (Heb. 13:15). When we sing and play musical instruments, we should not do so primarily to evangelize the sinner, edify the saint, entertain society, or enterprise ourselves. We sing and play music to exalt a magnificent, righteous, and holy Savior. Therefore, we reject CCM and all other types of music that are ecumenical, charismatic, shallow and man-centered, opposed to preaching, experience oriented, condemns separation from the world, and weakens the Biblical stance of a church. This also includes "adaptive" CCM or "bridge" music, e.g. Keith Getty, Stuart Townend, as well as Southern Gospel music, e.g. Gaithers. We believe music that is dominated by a driving beat/rhythm, heavily syncopated, and contains constant repetition, loud volume, scooping and sliding, and breathy tones is worldly and appeals to the flesh. Music should be orderly and appropriate with a pleasant and easily discerned melody, and harmonies that create sounds void of unresolved tension and discord/disharmony. (2 Tim. 4:3; Psalm 119:128; Eph. 5:11; 1 Peter 1:14; James 1:27; Gal. 5:13)
Euthanasia, such as the "right-to-die" and so-called "death-with-dignity" practices, is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Human life is a gift from God to be valued and protected, therefore we oppose euthanasia because it is contrary to Biblical principles. An act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. However, discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Ex. 20:13; 23:7; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28)