“And the Church must be forever building,
and always decaying,
and always being restored…” (T. S. Eliot, “Chorus from the Rock”)
- We give our allegiance to Jesus Christ alone.
- We will lead with love not fear.
- We submit to the truth of Scripture.
- We believe the Gospel heals every worldly division.
- We are committed to the prophetic mission of the Church.
- We value every person as created in God’s image.
- We recognize godly leaders by their character.
I signed the Confession of Evangelical Conviction tonight. Upon first reading, it reminded me of the Barmen Confession, which Karl Barth drafted to call the German church to take a stand against the cultural idolatries and politics of fear in his time. It is so good in this time to see 300 prominent evangelicals create this statement against Christian nationalism, against a politics of hate, in favor of trust in Jesus alone and acting in love rather than fear. To be clear, this is a statement of conviction in the present moment, not a statement of faith or a creed per se. So many names of people I admire are listed among the initial signers, and now additional people are speaking out in support as well (e.g., Francis Collins, at the Trinity Forum last Friday). Hallelujah. Skye Jethani, one of the Holy Post anchors, initiated the project. Skye and several other signers appear in the “Press Conference” video, an explanatory video with Q&A, which is well worth watching. There are substantial resources on the website, including a National Prayer, a link to a superb five-part Bible study series (“God’s Good News About Politics,” free from InterVarsity), resources for worship (including an album already available at Apple Music and Spotify), and two videos for kids by Phil Vischer. Thank you to Skye and all the organizers and signatories for this gift to the church. May God renew his people in this country and around the world, to bring his peace, for the life of the world. Shalom.
