SUMMARY OF BELIEFS
The Good, OKC has beliefs we find to be essential to a vibrant faith. One of those beliefs is that our role on this planet is to love people. Full stop. You may not share these same beliefs and that's okay. You are welcome regardless.
WHO IS GOD?
God is the creator of all, the source of life, and pure love and incapable of acting contrary to God’s nature. As the creator of life, the provider of direction for human living (the law) and the one who brings correction when we get off track, God is the ultimate parent for all of humanity.
WHO ARE WE?
We are the object of God’s affection. Every human bears the image of our creator and therefore is worthy of love and belonging.
WHAT IS SIN?
Sin is best understood as harm; self-harm, harm to others, and collective harm.
WHO IS JESUS?
Jesus was God in the flesh and continues to live in all believers through the power of the spirit. Jesus lived a real life, on this same planet we live on and experienced all the emotions and complexities of being human. In fact, he experienced life from the bottom of a social class as a poor man living under an oppressive regime. He aligned with the poor and powerless without excluding those in power; rather inviting them to a better way of being. Jesus remained true to his identity and always treated others with honor, love, mercy, and compassion, even to the point of submitting his life and suffering a cruel death upon the cross.
But love always gets the last word, even over death. Jesus did not stay dead and rose to life again. Jesus is perfect theology.
WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is the personal presence of God that has always existed and dwells in the hearts and minds of believers, guiding our thoughts, decisions, bringing healing to our past, and producing goodness that permeates our thoughts and actions.
WHAT IS THE BIBLE?
It’s a collection of brilliant and very sophisticated writings from over 66 authors, over 4000 years. The Bible’s narrative is from the perspective of a small tribe of people called Israelites who historically had no political power, or societal advantages to speak of.
The Bible speaks to the biggest questions about life, God, humanity, and how these things coexist. We believe it to be fully true, but not necessarily in a literal or surface based narrative. It is a great way to better understand the God of the universe, and the human condition.
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
The church is the bride of Christ, or the body that the spirit of God will unite with becoming one. It is the collection of image bearers living out the calling described in the Old Testament of loving God and neighbor, confirmed by Jesus in the New Testament, and making disciples. The church exists beyond walls, or without walls and lives in a way unique to the rest of the world by surrendering power, ego, and a scarcity mindset for the ways of Jesus.