We Are Explicitly Christian but with Open Minds
You will never hear us say we have God figured out or that God prefers our version of church. Instead, we are searching for Truth in all the places God has revealed God’s self to the world. Whether you are a person who belongs to our particular Methodist tradition, another denomination or religion, or does not practice faith at all, we are glad you’re here and look forward to learning from you, as well.
Instead of a literal interpretation, our goal is to read the Bible in context.
Whenever we engage scripture, we do so while paying close attention to the biblical context (such as the ancient languages, political history, and worldview) and the vast library of theologians and scholars that came before us. We also consider science, reason, and the human experience. Collectively, this gives us a fuller picture of God and helps us avoid depictions of God that have harmed people throughout history.
We always seek to interpret scripture through the person of Jesus Christ.
All Christians believe that Jesus was the clearest depiction of God we’ve ever had. Thus, Jesus is the filter through which we read the whole Bible. Passages that are contradictory to the person, teachings, and character of Jesus need to be critically examined and discussed with speculation. It is through this lens that we condemn violence, misogyny, slavery, homophobia, xenophobia, and many other injustices. We take this approach on the words of Jesus in John 5:39: “You search the scriptures because you think they give you eternal life, but the scriptures point to me.”
All persons are included and affirmed in what God is doing at The Peak.
We take seriously the lesson of Acts 10 where the Spirit revealed to Peter that “God possesses no favoritism.” That nothing God has made should be called unclean. We therefore have no interest in preventing or limiting participation based on anyone’s race, gender, sexual orientation, age, cognitive abilities, socio-economic status… you name it. We would rather be found too generous with God’s grace and hospitality, rather than not enough. All people are invited to attend our church, become members, partake in the sacraments, serve, and hold positions of leadership within our church.
The Peak Church is a United Methodist Congregation, which means we believe that:
Salvation is not just a moment, but a process.
While many traditions preach the importance of becoming “saved,” we see salvation more as a life-long journey. The grace that God extends to us might lead us to conversion; however, that is simply the first step in what we like to call “sanctification” – the process by which God not only forgives our sin, but delivers us from the power sin has over our lives.
Faith and works go hand-in-hand.
Oftentimes our actions are more of an indicator of what we believe than the words we speak. Theologians refer to these concepts as orthodoxy (right beliefs) and orthopraxy (right actions). We strive to be people who seek to do both equally.
Salvation is both personal and social.
The founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley, used to say there is no such thing as private holiness. We must simultaneously perform vertical devotion to God and horizontal acts of compassion and justice toward our neighbors. Thus, you will occasionally hear us tackle tough topics such as race, mental health, human sexuality, and poverty, during worship.
Don’t check your brain at the door.
One of the tools we use is called the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral.” While Scripture might be the primary source we consult in studying our faith, it is also important that we utilize our reason, tradition, and personal experiences to arrive at an understanding of God that is most faithful. As an example, subjects like faith and science are not opposed to one another, but actually compliment each other.
