Doctrinal Statement of the "Continual Reformation Church"

THE DOCTRINAL "NEW DEAL"


We believe in the apostolic creeds to which Bible-believing Protestant churches in general adhere to.

This is basically what our doctrinal statement is. It is not in adding or subtracting from these that we want to establish specificness. The doctrinal specifics of theContinual Reformation Church (CRC) lies not in the content, but the administration, defense and contextualization of Christian dogma.

Our vision is to re-establish the apostolic teaching of Christianity by a rigorous re-implantation of the doctrine of Christ as it had been fought for and established in the first four centuries after Christ. We believe that this has to be done and can be done. We believe that all doctrinal weaknesses, of churches that have departed from sound apostolic doctrine as well as all weaknesses of defense of sound doctrine, found in churches that officially adhere to apostolic doctrine but in practice have become wavering, lukewarm and irrelevant, can be met by a redefining of apostolic doctrine taking for each and every theological discipline a correct appreciation of the double-nature of Christ as well as of the Christian's identity in Christ , i.e. the doctrine of the incarnation, as a starting point from which these are to be developed. So while CRC strives for an existence rooted in the apostolic and universal church of old, it also wants to instigate a doctrinal "new deal",  i.e. stimulate towards the reformulation of everything in Christian doctrine that is currently generally accepted in mainstream Evangelicalism/Protestantism. 

Besides of CRS's strategic considerations concerning the doctrine of Christ (Point I.), here are 6 more theological disciplines we are aiming at and reformulating in this sense:

II. Hermeneutics. CRC strives towards a hermeneutic guide based on a doctrine of inspiration and canonicity that is based on the double-nature of Christ and therefore is neither rationalistically anti-supernaturalistic (arianistic) nor gnostic-manichaeistic (apollonarianistic). Once the Bible is re-established in this way, it will be like a bomb whose trigger had been lost or had become wet and has now been found again resp. newly installed and which now can produce society-changing "explosions". A hermeneutic that is re-united with systematic theology, not shrinking away from the formulation of dogmatic creeds, will give the church again the spiritual authority for which it has been designed.  CRC stands for dynamic, non-static dogmatism as salutary alternative to both naive clinging to past reformation dogmas on one hand and sloppy theology, dogmatic indifference and ambiguousity on the other hand.

III. An ecclesiology based on Old Testament prophecy. CRC believes in covenant theology, i.e. in that teaching according to which the New Testament Church is the spiritual heir of the Old Testament Israel-remnant. We are snatching Bible-verses which dispensationalism has thrown into the throat of a political Israel away from the former, giving them back to the church. Thus the church will gain its true identity again. In opposition to an ecumenical movement based on horizontal unity and clerical-political schemes CRC wants to establish networks of christians that humbly seek after truth first and unity second. 

IV. Soteriology and anthropology. Only a correct appreciation of the incarnation of Christ can lead to a correct appreciation of the creation of man and vice versa.  The heresies of Arianus and Apollonarianus affect not only christology itself but also the doctrines of creation, salvation and sanctification.

V. Pneumatology. An incarnational doctrine of inspiration and canonicity has to consequently lead to a redefinition of who the Holy Spirit is and how he works resp. does not work. A full application of the doctrine of the Christian's identity in Christ is only possible when that teaching is rejected, according to which certain spiritual gifts are operative during Christ's or the apostles' time only. For this would mean that one could only be "IN CHRIST", while Christ Himself was still physically on earth (or at least His eye-witnesses). Pneumatology has been tossed to and fro between the two heretical extremes of arianism and apollonarianism. This has to be ended and it can be ended by a redefinition of pneumatology within the incarnational-doctrine-frame.

VI. Missiology. A missions philosophy rooted in the Christian's dying in and for the world similar to Christ's dying for mankind. A differentiated biblical definition of the term "world". Overcoming of both ghetto-mentality and worldliness.

VII. End-time eschatology.  There are two extremes in common contemporary end-time eschatology which in their basic structures are either arianistic or apollonarianistic. CRC offers a search towards an alternative to these two extremes. Following a critical analysis of the reconstructionist "Kingdom-Now" view on one hand and that kind of gnostic pietism leading to ghettoism (and those turning away from it into the open arms of reconstructionism) on the other hand, biblical support is raised in favor of alternative outlooks in eschatology avoiding both extremes.

You may now navigate to each one of the above by clicking on the respective title-text of the doctrinal points which for that purpose are listed up again here:

I. Strategic considerations concerning the doctrine of Christ

II. Hermeneutics (Doctrine of the Bible)

III. Ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church)

IV. Soteriology and Anthropology (Salvation through Christ's Work and the doctrine of man)

V. Pneumatology (Doctrine of the Holy Spirit)

VI. Missions philosophy

VII. Towards new paradigms in biblical eschatology

VIII. Miscellaneous (Trinity, Tithing, Integrity; Ethical issues)


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