Statement of Faith

Ratio Christi’s (RC) faith statement affirms those areas of doctrinal agreement widely considered to be the historic Christian faith. There are additional components of our faith statement that are important to Christian apologetics. Freedom of conviction is allowed on other doctrinal matters, provided that no such interpretation hinders our ministry. Christians who dissent from a significant portion of our faith statement, as well as those of no or alternative religious faith, may participate in non-leadership capacities. A university faculty or university staff member may serve as an advisor or assistant to a RC chapter if the RC chapter directors determine that they affirm virtually all of our faith statement and would be a good fit for RC. Student officers are to be selected and approved in the same manner. RC chapter directors and all other RC leadership beyond the independent agents specified above must affirm the entire RC faith statement. If there is disagreement on certain nuances, then such should be addressed on a case-by-case basis at hiring and through duration of service with RC. Appropriate fit with the organization will ultimately be determined by the national director or board of directors. The various levels of faith statement affirmation specified above must also come with attitudes and actions consistent with those doctrinal affirmations. Discussion of doctrinal differences is encouraged within RC chapters to facilitate understanding Christian diversity. However, clubs will focus on defending basic (mere) Christianity as needed for gospel proclamation.

Scripture

We believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are inspired in all their very words1 by God, and inerrant2 in the original manuscripts (autographs). These sixty-six books alone are the final authority in faith and life.

God

We believe in one God who is Creator of heaven and earth. He is infinite Spirit, eternal, almighty, and infallible, including His omniscience and knowledge of all future events. He is unchangeable in His essence, and all wise, just, and holy. The triune God eternally exists in one essence and three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God intervenes in the universe in many ways.

Creation

We believe in the ex-nihilo special creation of the universe and in the supernatural creation of many diverse biological categories. We also believe in the historicity of the biblical record, including the special creation of Adam and Eve (the first human male and female) as the literal progenitors of all humans.3

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Eternal Word manifested in the flesh. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and He is fully God and fully man, having two distinct natures co-joined in one Person. Jesus died as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice for human sins and offers salvation by grace alone. He arose from the dead in the same physical body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died, and His resurrection body is the pattern of that body which will be given to each believer. Christ ascended into heaven, showing the perfection of His redemptive work. He will literally and bodily return to earth to finalize the divine plan for humanity.

Humanity

We believe that humans were created in God’s image, and that in a discrete historical event Adam and Eve fell from their good relationship with God through sin. As a consequence of his sin, there is a divine curse on “the whole creation” (Romans 8:18-25 ESV) and all descendants of Adam became spiritually dead through having inherited a corrupt nature, Christ being the exception.

Human Sexuality

We believe that marriage is a conjugal, covenantal and non-incestual union ordained by God, of one adult biologically born male and one adult biologically born female, and historically understood by the Church, to be the most basic societal institution and the exclusive institution appointed by God for sexual intimacy.4

Sanctity of Human Life

We believe that all human life is created by God in His image, including fetuses , the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to protect and value all human life.

Social Justice

We believe primary human identity lies in being made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27) and this bestows intrinsic dignity that is worthy of Christian compassion and justice. Sin is the ultimate problem and Christ’s redemption the ultimate solution. Redeemed people should promote genuine Social Justice within a biblical framework (Col. 2:8). So-called Critical Social Justice is corrupted by a focus on power and privilege rather than truth as the way to understand human relationships. “Social Justice” corrupted in this way misconstrues justice, grace, and compassion, and ultimately undermines the mission of the church and its gospel. We reject as anti-biblical any interpretation of Social Justice as a metanarrative inspired by the false components of Critical Theory (or Cultural Marxism). This views primary human identity in terms of opposing oppressor/oppressed groups along the axes of race, class, sexuality, gender, etc., granting special knowledge found only in the “lived experience” of the oppressed.

Salvation

We believe that only those who come to the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior by faith alone, apart from good works, are justified before God, have become God’s children, and inherit eternal life with God.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, being the Third Person of the Trinity, convicts humans of sin, regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals, and sets believers apart to a holy life; that He keeps and empowers believers.

The Final State

We believe that Christ shall return to judge the living and the dead. The righteous will inherit eternal life and the kingdom prepared by God from the foundation of the world. The lost will inherit eternal punishment and be cast into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:31-46).

The Church

We believe that the universal Church of Jesus Christ is composed of those who have been redeemed and washed in His blood, regenerated and sealed by the Holy Spirit, and that they are saved to worship and to serve. It is the responsibility and privilege of all who are saved to seek to win others to Christ and live a holy life.

Final Authority for Matters of Belief and Conduct

The RC Faith Statement does not exhaust the extent of our Christian belief. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God, is the authoritative source of Christian doctrine. With respect to faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the board of directors is the final arbiter on the Bible’s application for the purposes of RC as an organization.

Apologetics Methodology

While not a doctrinal issue, our ministry is eclectic in its methodology of apologetics and evangelism. Christianity can be supported in many ways, including classical and presuppositional apologetic methods (exclusive reliance on one approach is unwise). Humans, though corrupted by sin, can acquire important, but limited, knowledge from nature that points to God. Accordingly, we affirm the use of both natural revelation (nature) and special revelation (Scripture) to reason toward Christianity.

Notes

(1) “In all their very words” means the same as “verbal plenary.” That is, the inspiration is in the specific words and for the full extent of the text (as originally written). “Verbal” does not mean God audibly spoke each word to the human author.

(2) For details on biblical inerrancy see the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. We recognize that this doctrine is not necessary either for salvation or for use in many approaches to apologetics. Rather, it is the final result of the apologetics enterprise in recognizing Jesus as God and His view of the complete accuracy of the Bible. Biblical inerrancy was assumed by the early Christian creeds, and for a good reason, because it is necessary as a foundation for all other Christian doctrine.

(3) We do not require a position on the age of the universe. Genesis is to be interpreted in an accurate historical-grammatical-literary manner, but the time frames and sequence of origins are still debatable. We do not affirm theistic evolution (TE) as the best explanation of origins, yet acknowledge some Christians hold this position. We welcome TE advocates to take on non-leadership roles within RC. This facilitates dialog and partnership with TE adherents while acknowledging our differences. For more detail on TE go here (forthcoming webpage).

(4) Here is RC’s human sexuality statement.