We believe that the modern world needs Christians who are prepared to give the reasons for the hope that is within us, and at the Christian Apologetics Alliance we are dedicated to that mission. We have created a community where Christians can learn from each other, ask the hard questions of our faith, and receive the support of a loving community of Christian thinkers.
While any group of this size will always have divergent views at many different points, we are united by our Statement of Faith, which all of us affirm (and which we ask all of our members to affirm). Also see the unity statement in our community discussion guidelines.
Statement of Faith
The Christian Apologetics Alliance (CAA) is an evangelical, non-denominational Christian ministry. Although we have a wide variety of Christian beliefs among our members, the CAA does not, as an organization, have positions on many of the doctrinal or theological debates that take place within the church. While we do believe that many of these issues are significant, our primary concern is to promote the gracious, rational defense of the central claims of Christianity and the irenic critique of opposing systems of thought and ways of life.
The CAA Statement of Faith:
We affirm that there is only one, Triune God,
existing eternally in three distinct persons:
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We affirm that God is the all-powerful Creator.
We affirm that Jesus Christ, our Lord, is the only Son of God,
fully God and fully man, yet one person.
He became incarnate by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary,
lived a perfect and sinless life,
was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
suffered death for the forgiveness of our sins, and was buried.
On the third day he bodily 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 look forward to the resurrection of the dead.
There is no other name by which we may be saved. [1]
We affirm that the Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life,
who is to be worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son.
We believe the Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and
we affirm that they are historically trustworthy and doctrinally authoritative. [2]
We affirm that there is one, holy, universal, and apostolic church. [3]
We affirm the Christian worldview encourages a holy and joyful renewal of each individual and the whole universe. We therefore promote the biblical convictions:
*that the love of our neighbors and the alleviation of human suffering in all its forms is integral to Christian discipleship, [4]
*that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and
that marriage is the only legitimate context for sexual activity,
*that all human beings have a right to life, including those not yet
born, [5]
*that we are called to participate in the restoration of all things, and
*that the Christian Apologetics Alliance is ultimately meant to serve the church and our family in Christ, as one part of God’s mission to evangelize and disciple all people to maturity in Christ. [6]
CLARIFYING NOTES:
[1] The doctrine of universalism–that all will eventually be saved, even those who explicitly reject the gospel–is contrary to our Statement of Faith.
[2] The “Scriptures” here refers to the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. The CAA does not take a position on the Apocrypha.
[3] The phrase “the one, holy, universal, and apostolic church” does not refer to a particular denomination. Instead, it refers to the universal Christian church without regard to specific denomination.
[4] We are commanded by God to show compassion to suffering people. We explicitly reject any teaching that says our health, wealth, or prosperity indicates our righteousness, the strength of our faith, or our standing before God. These teachings stonewall our mission to alleviate the suffering of our neighbors and therefore contradict our Statement of Faith.
[5] This is a ‘prima facie’ right to life. The CAA does not have a position on the death penalty or just war theory. We recognize that some members may believe abortion is permissible in certain, strictly limited situations, but we are clarifying that our basic principle is pro-life.
[6] This includes support for members whose calling is to the university, the marketplace, the home, the arts, politics, and all other spheres of influence.