Our affiliated congregations and ministries, ministers, and members represent a diverse range of theology, perspectives, and worship within the Christian Universalist tradition. Some condense our doctrinal distinctives to just seven words: “Through Christ, God reconciles all to Himself.” Our official version, however, is a bit longer:
God
We believe in God, who is Love, Light, Truth, and Spirit, the Creator of the universe, whom we are called to seek, know, and love; and whose nature was revealed to the world in the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Golden Rule
We believe that the universal commandment is to love and serve one another as we love ourselves.
Divine Justice and Life After Death
We believe in the law of justice by which actions generate consequences, whether to be manifested in this life or the life to come, and that love, grace and forgiveness ultimately overcome the law of justice.
Universal Salvation
We believe in the full and final triumph of the grace of God over the powers of sin and death: That the mercy and forgiveness of God are victorious, that this victory of redemption is revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and that, therefore, no human being will be condemned or allowed to suffer pain and separation forever.
Human Nature and Destiny
We believe every person is the divine offspring of God, created in the image of the Heavenly Parent of all, and that every person is destined to be raised up from imperfection to maturity according to the pattern of the archetypal Christ, the Son of God, the Perfect Human in whose image all humanity shall be transformed.
The Mystery of Faith
We believe in miracles, such as the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which transcend materialistic views of reality.
Divine Revelation and the Pursuit of Truth
We believe that God’s Holy Spirit has inspired numerous prophets, saints, philosophers, and mystics throughout history, in a variety of cultures and traditions; and that by reading the Bible– the authoritative textual basis of our faith– and other great texts of spiritual and moral wisdom with a discerning mind, and by meditating to connect to the Spirit within, we may all gain a greater understanding of truth which should be applied for the betterment of ourselves and our world.
There are also some broadly held, but inaccurate, beliefs that have circulated around most of Christianity for far too long. These have nothing to do with why we are Christian Universalists, but they are areas where we feel called to help correct broad misunderstandings of Scripture and the Church:
Our Pledge to Honor Human Diversity
Every person is created in the Divine Image. Scripture does not endorse any form of bias, hatred, or discrimination on the basis of race, gender, gender identity, age, class, nationality, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, and any other characteristic of human diversity. All congregations, clergy, and members pledge the same.
The State Should Not be the Enforcement Arm of the Church
The Church can and should speak-out on matters of human rights: The Exodus from Egypt, and return from Babylon were both about human rights—slavery. Esther’s story touches-on both the value of women, and the human right of self-defense. However, we disagree with religious groups who would deploy government force against those who don’t share their religious convictions.