Trinity United Church of Christ - St. Petersburg

By calling ourselves Progressive Christians, we mean we are Christians who: 

1.       Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead  to an awareness and 
          experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life;

2.      Affirm  that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness 
         and Oneness of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual
         journey;

3.      Seek community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:
         • Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, 
         • Believers and agnostics,
         • Women and men, 
         • Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities,
         • Those of all classes and abilities;

4.       Know that how we behave toward each other is the fullest expression of what we believe;

5.       Find grace in the search for understanding  and believe there is more value in questioning
          than in absolutes;

6.       Strive for peace and justice among all people;

7.       Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth; and

8.       Commit to a path of lifelong learning, compassion and selfless love. 

From The Center for Progressive Christianity at http://www.progressivechristianity.org 

Trinity United Church of Christ and the Bible

We believe in the Bible

In worship, the reading and understanding of God’s Holy word is the heart of what we do together.

We take the Bible seriously but not literally.

We take it so seriously that we take the time to study the social and historical context in which it was written.

We believe that the Bible is the opening of a conversation in which God is Still Speaking. 

We believe it is appropriate to bring our questions.  We believe that the Bible has withstood similar questions for thousands of years.  In asking questions together in communities of faith, we are engaging in an ongoing life-changing conversation.

We believe that the Bible is God’s own holy word passed down to us through fallible human beings. 

We can imagine that some of what is in the Bible was a product of a particular time and place and is not what God desires for this time and place.

We read the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Our study of the Bible is not merely an intellectual exercise.  It is a spiritual endeavor.  We rely on the Spirit when we attempt to derive God’s truth for our time.

Our teaching is Bible based.

Our teaching is age appropriate, meaning that our teaching is based on solid research about how faith develops through our lives. We introduce our children to the stories of the Old Testament and to Jesus through the gospels found in the New Testament.  In middle school and high school we lead our students to weave together a faith that will sustain them when they meet new situations and during times of trouble which they may encounter.   As adults we continue to grow and to learn as we support and encourage each other in this community of faith.

We believe that God is Still Speaking

We invite our children to learn the Bible stories with the fresh innocence of childhood.  We invite our young people listen and to learn how God is speaking to them.  We invite adults to be open to new ways in which God is Still Speaking to them.

                                                                                                                                              
  Based on material found in the booklet  The Bible and the United Church of Christ