•  Applying the bible to every facet of everyday life, such as criminal justice, should not be confused with reconstructionism.  Reconstruction theology is a postmillennial position that believes that Matthew 5:13-16 presents the church with a mandate for the complete social transformation of the entire world.  Reconstructionism has found advocates in Reformed-Covenant Theology.  Because reconstructionist's believe the bible to be God's Word, they will be encouraged by some things that we teach concerning criminal justice.  However, do not mistake a biblical view of criminal justice with reconstruction theology.

•  The bottom line is that Christians should be the ones with the right answers for society's problems, and we are to proclaim righteousness whether or not anyone listens.  However, some people teach concepts of righteous judgment from the bible in hopes that they can lay the foundation within society to prepare them for the return of Christ.  In other words, they think that if the church does what it should in proclaiming biblical truth regarding civil government, then they can help the government change so as to begin a golden age of prosperity.  Some think their golden age will entice Christ to return while others do not expect His literal return at all.  Both groups do not correctly understand the function of the Law and the role it plays in eschatology (the study of things to come).   Though this topic is generally not brought up in live presentations of God's Criminal Justice System & The Law, it can be addressed via pastoral request. 

Statement of Faith

(A) BASICS

1. The 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God. The Bible is divinely inspired and inerrant throughout. Its assertions are factually true. It is the supreme authority, not only in all matters of faith and conduct, but in everything it teaches.  Its authority is not limited to spiritual, religious or redemptive themes but includes its assertions in such fields as history and science. 
    
2. The account of origins presented in Genesis is a simple but factual presentation of actual events and therefore provides a reliable framework for scientific research into the question of the origin and history of life, mankind, the Earth and the universe.
    
3. The various original life forms (kinds), including mankind, were made by direct creative acts of God. The living descendants of any of the original kinds (apart from man) may represent more than one species today, reflecting the genetic potential within the original kind. Only limited biological changes (including mutational deterioration) have occurred naturally within each kind since Creation.
    
4. The great Flood of Genesis was an actual historic event, worldwide (global) in its extent and effect.
    
5. The special creation of Adam (the first man) and Eve (the first woman), and their subsequent fall into sin, is the basis for the necessity of salvation for mankind.  We inherited a sinful nature from our parents.  
    
6. Death (both physical and spiritual) and bloodshed entered into this world subsequent to, and as a direct consequence of, man’s sin.
    

(B) THEOLOGY

1. The Godhead is triune: one God, three Persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
    
2. All sinners, inherently from Adam and individually (by choice) are subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
    
3. Freedom from the penalty and power of sin is available to man only through the sacrificial death and shed blood of Jesus Christ, and His complete and bodily Resurrection from the dead.
    
4. The Holy Spirit lives and works in each believer to produce the fruits of righteousness.
    
5. Salvation is a gift received by faith alone in Christ alone and expressed in the individual’s repentance, recognition of the death of Christ as full payment for sin, and acceptance of the risen Christ as Savior, Lord and God.
    
6. All things necessary for our salvation are set down in Scripture.
    
7. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary while she was a virgin.
    
8. Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, ascended to Heaven, is currently seated at the right hand of God the Father, and shall return in like manner to this Earth as Judge of the living and the dead.
    
9. Satan is the personal spiritual adversary of both God and man, but was originally created in purity and wholesomeness as one of the high ranking angels of God.

1. There shall be a resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
    
2. Those who do not believe in Christ are subject to everlasting conscious punishment, but believers enjoy eternal life with God.
    

(C) GENERAL

1. The view, commonly used to evade the implications or the authority of Biblical teaching, that knowledge and/or truth may be divided into ‘secular’ and ‘religious’, is rejected.
    
2. By definition, no apparent, perceived or claimed evidence in any field can be valid if it contradicts the biblical record. 

1. God has revealed His will and rules at various times in history, each with unique revelation to those being addressed. 

1. Children, from the moment of fertilization, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

1. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

1. All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.

1. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death, excluding capital punishment executed within biblical perimeters.

1.   Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

1. Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian heritage.