Statement of Beliefs

Our Christian Beliefs

1. We believe that the Bible is the complete, infallible, inerrant, inspired written Word of God. It is the final authority on what a Christian is called to believe.
2. We believe that there is one God: He is of one essence yet He has existed eternally in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
3. We believe that Jesus, God in flesh who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins and rose again the third day.
4. We believe that we are sinners and could never be "good enough" to make it to heaven or to please God in any way, and, without Christ, we are enemies of God and destined for eternal punishment and separation from God.

   As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Romans 3:10, 11, 12 (KJV)

   Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:21-24 (KJV)

   The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

   But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6 (KJV)

   For the wages of sin is death, . . . Romans 6:23a (KJV)

5. We believe that salvation is a free gift from God, and we are not saved by our own works, but rather we are saved by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone.

   . . . but the gift of God is eternal life in (through) Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23b (KJV)

   For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8, 9 (NKJV)

6. We believe that those who are saved have been given a new heart which desires to do His will and which loves Him above all else.

   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. II Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

   Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14:23 (KJV)

   For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26 (KJV)

Our Parenting Beliefs

1. We believe that all children are a gift from God.

   Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3 (KJV)

2. We believe that life begins at conception, and unborn babies have a right to life and should be nurtured and loved.

   For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16 (NIV)

3. We believe that babies deserve the most natural and gentle birth possible.
4. We believe that babies communicate through crying, and their cries deserve a quick, nurturing response.
5. We believe that parents should not put an unnecessary emphasis on schedules.
6. We believe that children greatly benefit from lots of physical touch, and that babies can not be held too much.
7. We believe that breastmilk is God's design in infant nutrition.
8. We believe that breastfeeding satisfies not only hunger and thirst, but also is a great way to pacify and comfort our babies.
9. We believe that breastfeeding on cue is important not only to help our babies' grow strong and healthy, but it also helps our babies to learn to trust (and it can provide natural child-spacing).
10. We believe that a child's nighttime needs are as worthy of being met as his daytime needs, and each child has individual nighttime needs that should be respected and met to the best of our ability.
11. We believe that there should be minimal separation between mother and baby, and we need to be sensitive to our children's need to be close to their parents and not force separation before they are ready.
12. We believe that we all benefit when our children are an integral part of the family's daily life.
13. We believe that the father's involvement in raising his children is vital.
14. We believe in using gentle, loving discipline.
15. We believe in making informed choices about healthcare issues.

We are not perfect mothers, and we make mistakes all too often, but we believe that our children are a gift from God. God chose us to parent our children, and we can be sure that He, by His grace and mercy, will provide the tools necessary to do so in a way that will bring glory to Him.

Would like to join our group of "Gentle Christian Mothers"?