(Return to our Statement of Faith)
What Our Church Believes about Homosexuality and Same-Sex “Marriage”
Alongside the EFCA, our beliefs about marriage, male and female, and our response to our culture’s questions and ideas about gender, are rooted in what God has taught us in the scriptures (see point #2 of our Statement of Faith).
Ultimately, this means that we believe God created humanity as male and female, that this binary distinction is good and to be maintained (Genesis 1:27-28), and that our beliefs about marriage are rooted in this Biblical definition of one man and one woman committing to each other in a permanent union which ultimately reflects Christ and his church (Genesis 2:23-24, Ephesians 5:22-33). We believe in the dignity of every person because we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27), and upholding that dignity means that we do not and will not affirm anything that would erase or blur that image or its distinctiveness (Romans 1:24-27, 3:23, 5:12). Thus, we are a congregation who welcomes all to come learn about Christ and to follow him while not “affirming” sexual beliefs and/or conduct outside of the Biblical teachings.
What Our Church Believes about Social Justice, Critical Race Theory,
Christian Nationalism, and Other Related Topics
Alongside our denomination, our views on current social topics such as Critical Race Theory, Christian Nationalism, and the like are rooted in our understanding of the scriptures. This ultimately means: “We believe, as an association of churches united in our Statement of Faith, that biblical truth and the gospel are to be valued above any contemporary social ideology, while acknowledging that social movements may contain biblical truth to which we must attend.
In sum, the EFCA is neither ‘Progressive Evangelical’ nor ‘Neo-Fundamentalist.’ We remain tethered to the text of Scripture and grounded in the gospel (evangel) of Jesus Christ as we love God and love others (Matt 22:37-39). As we interact with one another and the world around us, we are committed to convictional kindness–conviction that is grounded in the ‘faith that was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3), and kindness that manifests ‘the fruit of the Spirit’ (Gal 5:22-23). We both proclaim the gospel (Rom 1:16) and seek to live in a manner worthy of the gospel (Phil 1:27).”
Links to Helpful Resources
Distinctives of the Evangelical Free Church of America
Where We Stand on Various Issues Related to Social Justice, Race, and Nationalism
The Evangelical Free Church of America’s Statement of Faith
Frequently Asked Questions about the EFCA’s Theological Positions
