Beliefs and distinctives

This is a preliminary, rough draft version. This page will be developed over time. - W

Infinitus Ministries, 

• rooted in the Baptist heritage of soul liberty, local church independence and autonomy, believers' voluntary baptism and membership in the church, separation of church and state, the priesthood of all believers, congregationalism with two offices, and two symbolic ordinances,

• respecting and expressing a strong affinity with the Quaker heritage of non-violence, non-hierarchical, participatory, and consensus-driven congregational governance, and the direct experience of the Inner Light,

• being open and receptive to the present-day outpouring and move of the Holy Spirit, expressed in the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit,

• and understanding that the Holy Scriptures are to be responsibly studied and interpreted using multi-layered literal (historical-grammatical), historical-critical, and metaphysical-symbolic approaches,

outlines its distinctives as follows:

• We consider the Bible as the source of inspiration and spiritual guidance for our lives as believers. We also believe that we must responsibly engage with, interpret, and understand the Scriptures through sound exegesis, informed by the understanding of history, culture, and languages, as well as being guided by tradition, reason, and our lived experiences in relation to the Divine. Since the Scriptures were written in the languages of humans with all their limitations, within the contexts of their cultures and history, and are understood today through translations, tradition, and theological interpretations, they can be neither "infallible" nor "inerrant"; however, they contain the timeless spiritual truths (that "cannot not be true") revealed through God's ongoing relationship with the humanity, through which we understand who God is, who we are, and how we are to live. We do not idolize the Bible. We take the Bible seriously, but not literally. 

• We believe in the individual freedom of religion, including one's right to live out their faith and conscience according to their understanding of God. We reject the state control of and interference with the local church. The local church is to be independent, autonomous, and self-propagating. While we may partner with other faith communities from time to time, we do not recognize the authority of any ecclesiastical body over the local church, nor will we enter into the entanglement of super-ecclesiastical association or federation. 

• We recognize the two biblical offices of presbyter and deacon. While these offices perform specific scriptural functions and lead the congregation, they are not superior to anyone else in the congregation. As much as possible, we endeavor to govern our communities through the consensus and direct participation of our people under the prayerful guidance of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, we try to carefully steer ourselves away from the traps of church politics and dysfunctional "nonprofit" bureaucracy, but rather, we try to act like an organic, family-like community as the church was envisioned in the New Testament. 

• We consider the two ordinances of baptism and communion to be symbolic rituals to remind ourselves of our unity as a community in Christ. They do not have any supernatural or magical powers. While we believe that baptism should be only for willing believers above the age of accountability, by their own volition, as to the mode of baptism, we do not require full immersion and accept whichever mode is practical in each case.  

• We believe in the ultimate reconciliation of the whole humankind and the world with God, based on the finished work of Christ and universal grace that surpasses all of our shortcomings. 

• We reject all forms of violence and do not participate in institutionalized violence or support the instruments of violence. As such, we take a view of the consistent life ethic, and also strongly encourage and advocate for a plant-based (vegan) diet, which we also believe to be the original biblical diet blessed by God of creation and, as such, elevates our spirituality. 

• We believe that the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit is still active, including divine healing, the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, and other blessings. All these, however, must be balanced with the fruit of the Holy Spirit and always be at the service of furthering the Greatest Commandments, and be responsibly discerned in the light of the Scriptures, tradition, and reason.