The motto of the United Church of Christ comes from John 17:21: "That they may all be one." The denomination's official literature uses broad doctrinal parameters, honoring creeds and confessions as "testimonies of faith" rather than "tests of faith," and emphasizes freedom of individual conscience and local church autonomy. Indeed, the relationship between local congregations and the denomination's national headquarters is covenantal rather than hierarchical: local churches have complete control of their finances, hiring and firing of clergy and other staff, and theological and political stands.Emphasizing freedom of individual conscience implies to me that members can think as they want - regardless of what is preached to them.
Gaining Trust By Listening Then Learning From Each Other
-
*We have grown acclimated to viewing the world through media sound bites
and opinionated, biased news, financed by those that spend enormous amounts
of ...
19 hours ago