About

Beliefs

Our beliefs are best expressed by the Church’s foundational creeds: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.

Creeds

Three Streams Church

We reflect a “three streams” approach to faith and worship. It is our conviction that this approach encourages humility, maturity, and a healthy appreciation for diversity.

Scripture

We take seriously God’s command to speak about and live like Jesus. We preach and teach from the Bible because we believe it is the inspired word of God, and our desire is for all people to enter into a saving relationship with Jesus.

Spirit

We believe God is present and active among his people. We anticipate the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church for the conviction of sin, the illumination of truth, and the restoration of all things.

Sacrament

We value the longevity of historic tradition, the rhythms of the church calendar, the consistency of a lectionary-based teaching plan, and our connection to the global Church.

The Creeds

The term “creed” comes from the Latin credo, meaning “I believe.” They are statements of our fundamental beliefs about God. In reciting and affirming these creeds, we join Christians worldwide and throughout the ages in affirming our faith in the one God who creates, redeems, and sanctifies us.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth;

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Athanasian Creed

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith. Which faith unless every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the Catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Substance [Essence] of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance [Essence]; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.

Position Papers

Clear is Kind

It is our conviction that clarity is kindness. To that end we have from time-to-time written down our positions on some of the more pressing issues of our time. Click the links below for more on each topic.

On Baptism, Confirmation, & Blessing

Baptism

Baptism is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given to believers by God.[1] The gospels describe Jesus’ own baptism (Matt. 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; Jn 1:32-34) and his commandment to his followers to repent and be baptized (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:16). Therefore, we acknowledge that baptism is an act of obedience for anyone who confesses belief in Jesus Christ. According to Scripture, baptism is not required for salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

At Trinity we affirm and practice a dual approach to baptism which includes both “paedo” and “credo” baptisms. We believe this dual approach to baptism is most consistent with our “three streams ministry” and gives honor to the diversity of traditions and backgrounds represented within our community.

Paedo Baptisms:

As has been practiced by the historic church, we gladly affirm a form of baptism known as “paedo” or infant baptism. This means that we administer the sacrament of baptism to babies and small children of committed Christian parents.

Since the earliest days of the Christian church, the baptism of infants and small children has been administered as a sign of God’s covenantal faithfulness.

Parents who present infants or small children to be baptized must commit to raising their children in the knowledge and fear of the Lord with the expectation that they will one day profess full Christian faith as their own.

Credo Baptisms:

“Credo-baptism” occurs when a person of reasonable age makes a profession of faith, receives theological instruction, and is baptized. We joyfully celebrate children, youth and adults who come to have a genuine faith in Jesus Christ and desire to be baptized.

Confirmation

At Trinity, confirmation is for anyone who has been baptized earlier in life and wants to make a mature confession of faith by publicly renewing the promises made at baptism.

In confirmation, through the bishop’s laying on of hands and prayer for daily increase in the Holy Spirit, God strengthens the believer for Christian life in the service of Christ and his kingdom. Grace is God’s gift, and we pray that he will pour out his Holy Spirit on those who have already been made his children by adoption and grace in baptism. (BCP 2019, p. 174)

Blessing

Many parents of small children who ascribe to credo-baptism want to have their children blessed in anticipation of that child’s future baptism. Therefore, just as Jesus laid his hands on small children to bless and affirm them (Mark 10:16), we bless small children at Trinity.

Sources

[1] To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism. Wheaton, Il.: Crossway, 2020.

[2] Howe, John W., and Samuel C. Pascoe. “Chapter 6/ A Sacramental Church.” Our Anglican Heritage: Can an Ancient Church Be a Church of the Future? Eugene, Or.: Cascade, 2010.

For further study on Baptism and Confirmation, we recommend the following resources:

A Bridge over ‘Troubled Waters’ — Rethinking our Theology of Baptism — Ben Witherington

Believing and Belonging — N.T. Wright

To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism (pp. 55-59) — ACNA

On Women In Ministry

At Trinity we are fully affirming of women serving as pastors, teachers and in other leadership capacities in the church. We believe Scripture teaches that men and women have been created equal, though distinct, in the likeness of God. We also believe Scripture demonstrates that throughout history both men and women have been mutually gifted to lead and serve the local church.

In the Old Testament, women played vitally important leadership roles throughout Israel’s history, in spite of their place in overwhelmingly patriarchal societies. For example, the prophetess Miriam was one of the first to lead Israel, along with her two brothers, during the wilderness journey (Micah 6:4). During the pre-monarchial period, Deborah fulfilled the most prestigious role of leadership in Israel acting as prophetess, judge and military commander (Judges 4:4). Although her male contemporaries are much more well known, it was the prophetess Huldah’s counsel to King Josiah that gave rise to one of the greatest religious reforms in Israel’s history (2 Kings 22:11-14).

Following a similar trajectory, the Gospels attest to the ways in which Jesus’ ministry served to redeem and redefine social mores regarding women. Jesus defied cultural convention by allowing Mary of Bethany to sit at his feet and learn as a disciple (Luke 10:39). Jesus also disregarded legal taboos in his offer of healing and renewal to women who were social outcasts, such as the woman at the well (John 4) and the woman with a bleeding disorder (Mark 5:25-34). In spite of strong cultural suspicions against their testimony, a group of women were the first commissioned to report the good news of Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24:10 and John 20:17-18).

Given this redemptive trajectory, it is no surprise that Paul’s letters to the early church reflect the active ministries of women serving in various positions of leadership. Phoebe served as a deacon in the church in Rome (Ro. 16:1-2). Mary, Lydia, and Nympha were overseers of house churches (Acts 12:12, 16:15; Col. 4:15), and it was Priscilla along with her husband Aquila, who instructed the famed Apollos (Acts 18:25). Euodia and Syntyche served as deacons in the church in Philippi (Phil. 1:1), and Paul specifically names Junia as a prominent apostle (Ro. 16:7).

It is our conviction that those verses traditionally interpreted as universal prohibitions against women holding positions of leadership in the church are rather unique inhibitions addressing particular pastoral concerns. For example, in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses the common practice of women prophesying in the church not to condemn the practice, but rather to ensure that women are wearing the appropriate attire when they do publicly prophesy (1 Cor. 11), meaning when they offer inspired words of exhortation to the church they should be dressed appropriately.

It is, therefore, exegetically inconsistent to read the admonition to certain women to remain silent (1 Cor. 14:34-45) as a universal prohibition against all women in every place. It is most likely that Paul was addressing a cultural taboo specific to a first century Roman context in which it was considered inappropriate for married women, and particularly those who were uneducated, to publically question or even engage other married men or unmarried men to whom they were not related. Paul does careful work to negotiate between honoring accepted cultural norms and challenging those norms when they are in violation of the work of the Holy Spirit in a post-resurrection world.

Similarly, in 1 Timothy 2:11, Paul admonishes women to learn “in full submission,” which many have taken to mean that women are meant to be subservient to the leadership and authority of men at all times and in all circumstances. However, given the role women played in the early church and Paul’s stated belief that men and women ought to be mutually submitted to one another for the sake of the Gospel (Eph. 5:21), it is most consistent with Paul’s broader teaching to assume that he is commanding women not to abuse the newfound freedoms available to them in the church. Likewise, the following verse, “I do not allow a woman to teach or hold authority over a man”—is, according to some scholarly opinions, an attempt to combat the worrisome cultural side effects of the famed female-only cult in Ephesus. (There is much to be said on the translation of this verse. See Wright.) [1] This letter makes clear that women were not to exercise a kind of domineering authority over men, which may have been encouraged given their context, but rather they should serve as partners for the sake of the Gospel. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul expresses the redemptive spirit of the Gospel by insisting that in the renewed creation of Christ’s kingdom all are one in Christ, equals before him, and heirs according to promise—not according to race, sex, or social status.

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:28

Paul, like Jesus, was counter-cultural in certain situations, and yet, he strategically accommodated the local culture in others. Therefore, while we are admonished by Scripture to honor authority and social mores across cultures, we are not required to institute the same social structures or to observe the same cultural practices reflected in ancient historical contexts. In the spirit of humility, and for the sake of hermeneutical integrity, we believe that these texts are best interpreted in light of the full of witness of Scripture.

Finally, in agreement with Anglicans around the globe, it is our desire to uphold the maxim of the great reformers, “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, and In All Things Charity.”

Sources

[1] Women’s Service in the Church: The Biblical Basis — N.T. Wright

For further insight into differing perspectives on this issue, we recommend the following resources:

Women in Ministry — Craig S. Keener

Why Arguments against Women in Ministry Aren’t Biblical — Ben Witherington

Women’s Service in the Church: The Biblical Basis — N.T. Wright

A Report of the Study Concerning the Ordination of Women — Anglican Mission in the Americas

Books

Beck, James R., Craig Blomberg, and Craig S. Keener. Two Views on Women in Ministry. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001.

Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1996.

Pierce, Ronald W., Rebecca Merrill. Groothuis, and Gordon D. Fee. Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.

On Faith & Sexuality

At Trinity, we understand that the topic of sexuality is complex and sometimes controversial. Given the weight of our convictions and the complexity of the subject, we are committed to having a posture of humility, making space for theological and practical conversations, and being a welcoming community for anyone who comes into our church, regardless of stage of life, sexual orientation, or gender.

Our intention in what follows is threefold:

to provide a biblical rationale for our position on these issues, as well as to give clarity to the practical implications of that position for our church community,
to call the church to thoughtful and Christ-like engagement on this topic, and
to begin a dialogue on how we, as a church – which is made up of varied gender expressions, sexual attractions, and opinions – can love one another through our differences.

Beliefs on Human Sexuality

We believe that every human being is made in the image of God, regardless of sex, gender, orientation, age, or marital status. We understand that as human beings, every person deserves dignity, respect, and honor. We are committed to following Jesus’ example of being a curious, loving, and welcoming community that speaks biblical truth with grace and compassion.
We believe that God creates humans to desire intimacy (whether sexual or non-sexual). We understand that intimate relationships are vital to the flourishing of every human being.
We believe that God creates every person as a sexual being with a physical body and a capacity for sexual pleasure. We understand that our sexuality is an important but not primary aspect of our identity.
We believe God creates human beings with sex difference (male and female).
We believe that God’s creational intent was alignment between one’s gender identity and one’s biological sex.
We believe that a full and flourishing life is possible both in singleness and in marriage.
We believe that the Bible affirms that heterosexual marriage is God’s desired design for human sexual expression. We understand that sex difference (male and female) is an intrinsic part of what marriage is.
We believe that all humans are affected by the Fall, have disordered desires, and can fall into temptation that is against God’s original intent. We understand that the world’s fallen state and our sinful nature affect varying parts of our lives, including how we interact sexually.
We believe that there is a distinction between sexual attraction and sexual behavior.
We believe that every person has a sexual story which affects how we see the world, how we interact with ourselves, and how we relate to people of the same and opposite sex.
We believe that consumptive, exploitative, and non-mutual sexual activity, along with lustful thoughts, sexual activity outside of marriage, and same-sex sexual activity are all sin.
We believe that God offers redemption, healing, and restoration for those who have been harmed sexually and for those who repent of sexual sin.
We believe that as Christians, we are called to live all parts of our lives as an act of worship to God, including how we engage our bodies sexually.

Life Together at Trinity

Below, we address some of the questions that are frequently raised in this discussion.

A note on language: We use the term “Side A” to refer to those who are affirming of same-sex sexual relationships and “Side B” to refer to those who are not affirming of same-sex sexual relationships.

Q. Can someone be both gay and Christian?

Yes. Salvation is available to all who profess that Jesus is Lord and believe in his resurrection (Romans 10:9). Sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of every Christian to bring about holiness and full maturity in Christ. Therefore, our hope is that the church will continue to make room for disagreement on this issue as a matter of secondary rather than primary importance, trusting that the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit is at work among us and through us.

Q. Are “Side A” Christians invited to attend and/or become members at Trinity?

Yes. Our intention is to create a culture of hospitality in keeping with the Spirit of Jesus, who not only welcomed but sought out the company of those who longed for community and belonging without qualification or condition. Therefore, the communion table, which is the apex of our Sunday worship at Trinity, is open to all who belong to the worldwide church. Membership, according to our understanding, is inclusion and participation in the common life of the church. Therefore, in order to become a member at Trinity, we require the following:

Belief in historic creeds (Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed) of the ancient and undivided Church

Christian Baptism

Regular Church Attendance

Q. Are “Side A” Christians encouraged to participate in the life of the church?

Yes. If you call Trinity home, we would love for you to get connected by joining a group and joining a team. Everyone is welcome to participate by using their gifts.

Q. Are “Side A” Christians invited to participate in pastoral leadership at Trinity?

No. In order to participate in pastoral leadership at Trinity, a person must possess a shared commitment to our mission and be able to lead in agreement with our convictions. Positions of pastoral leadership would include those that require generating theological content and giving pastoral counsel, such as: teaching, preaching, and leading worship.

Q. Will you perform marriage ceremonies for gay couples at Trinity?

No. Given that marriage is both a political and a religious institution, we support the right of all people to receive equal benefits, both legal and personal, afforded through civil marriage. While we acknowledge the complexity and concern this issue presents for many, our posture at Trinity is in the spirit of rendering “unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which is God’s.” This means that while we concede that all Americans are entitled to the pursuit of civil liberties, at Trinity, we will continue to uphold an orthodox understanding of marriage and will retain the right to perform only those ceremonies in agreement with that understanding.