What is your church's stance on ___________? (abortion, homosexuality, speaking in tongues, Evolution, etc...)

We really don't like a litmus test approach to faith. Faith is a journey we take together, not an exclusive club where we all have to think and act the same. We are serious about being the kind of church where we can agree to disagree on difficult and controversial issues. At Via Christus you are likely to find people on every side of most issues, and we like it that way! This doesn't mean that you're not allowed to have strong opinions about an issue. Just the opposite in fact. Sharing our different perspectives and strong opinions is how we learn and grow together. But it does mean that we agree to put our value of love above all of our disagreements. There is no requirement that you have to agree with anyone else's opinion to be a part of Via Christus - just the requirement to love and respect and listen to everyone, despite their differing opinions. As our friend Jim Henderson has said, "It's more important to be kind than to be right."

This also doesn't mean that we have no beliefs, but we have deliberately chosen to keep our essential, core beliefs as simple and universal as possible. There is a core story to the Christian faith that all believers can agree on - beyond that there is plenty of room for diversity and disagreement. As the saying goes, "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity (love)."

Labels: Via Christus