F.A.Q.’s
RESOLUTION AGAINST THE DISCRIMINATION OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS
HCC believes that:
o discrimination against others based on race or ethnicity is a sin (1 Timothy 5:21).
o God has created all humans from the same blood and intentionally brought each into existence when and where he planned (Acts 17:26).
o discrimination creates divide and separates people (Romans 10:10-13).
o discrimination causes unnecessary hurt and suffering. It prevents progress from happening (Galatians 3:26-29).
o all humans were created in the image of God and from the same human origins (Genesis 1:26-27).
o everyone needs a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23 & 2 Peter 3:9).
● Therefore, HCC firmly opposes any form of discrimination against racial and ethnic groups (Galatians 3:26-29).
● We recognize that all humans have implicit bias concerning an unlimited range of topics. This implicit bias can result in conscious and unconscious hurt. Therefore, in the spirit of Christian confessional prayer, we ask for forgiveness from God and others for past, present, conscious or unconscious discriminatory thoughts or actions towards any race or ethnicity (Psalm 139:23-24, 1 John 1:9).
● We value all individuals from all racial and ethnic groups and pray for those who have not surrendered to God (John 1:12).
● We rejoice in the diversity of earth, and intentionally commit to connect, understand, and enjoy all racial and ethnic groups by enfranchising diverse leadership and inclusive programing (Colossians 3:11 & Ephesians 2:14-18).
*All Bible references are from the New Living Translation.
WHAT DOES HCC BELIEVE ABOUT “TRANSGENDER” IDEOLOGY?
HCC leads in the gender conversation with the following principle, Christians are to follow Jesus’ lead in welcoming all into the grace of the gospel, because Christ’s gospel is applicable and available to all (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). So, we gladly offer genuine love to anyone struggling with gender confusion (Mark 12:30–31). But as Christians, we’re also required to confront the challenges of our broken world with biblical truth, even if that truth goes against current cultural rationale. HCC believes that the gender confusion people may be suffering is something God wants to help them navigate through to clarity and peace. Therefore, anyone struggling with gender confusion is welcome to chart a new course toward a biblical theology of sexuality in the loving gracious context of HCC. God made men and women different (Gen. 1:27). Contrary to mistaken interpretations, except in extreme cases of an intersexed person gender difference does not exist on a continuum where some males are more female or vice versa. Males and females are discretely different at the deepest levels of their being. Our chromosomes are different. Our brains are different. Our voices are different. Our body shapes are different. Our body strengths are different. Our reproductive systems are different. The design for what our bodies are structured and destined for are different, and these designs bear witness to differences that reflect God’s creative will for humanity. These difference, are simply Divinely designed differences, not gender related choices.
Because men and women are different, it’s philosophically impossible for a man to become a physical woman or a physical woman to become a man. Those who say otherwise are trafficking in fiction about human nature. If God made men and women fundamentally and comprehensively different, then the idea that a man could ever become a woman (or vice versa) is simply impossible. The differences between men and women can’t be overcome simply because one person feels they’re a member of the opposite sex. And even more extreme the difference between a male and female cannot be overcome even by physical alterations. Your psychology (feelings) cannot change your physiology (body) or ontology (created nature).
Therefore, HCC recognizes gender based on a person’s physical reproductive reality, and biology (birth sex).
That being said, HCC also recognizes that due to the brokenness caused by original sinfulness (Genesis 3), human beings are subject to all kinds of biological and psychological struggles. For example, our hearts break for those individuals suffering from inter-sexed genitalia, or gender confusion.
Therefore, HCC will be a gracious place for people struggling with any kind of brokenness. HCC will bring the good news of Christ’s riches to the poor, proclaim that Jesus sets free those held captive, gives sight to the blind, advocates for those who are oppressed, brings clarity and peace to those confused in their gender, and HCC will continue to proclaim that the Lord is coming soon to set all things to rights (Luke 4).
If you’re struggling with this issue, or have further concerns/questions, please contact Pastor Steve for an appointment by emailing cindy.ellison@heritage-cc.org.
*Thanks to Dr. Karl Benzio MD, The Washington Post and The Gospel Coalition for content input related to this FAQ.
WHAT DOES HCC BELIEVE ABOUT MARRIAGE?
HCC believes that the institution of covenant bond (marriage) between a man and woman was originated by God during the creation account found in Genesis 1&2, and described in Ephesians 5:21-33. This covenant bond is sacred and should be tenaciously preserved by the couple, church and culture. In keeping with this high view of sacred marriage we are very committed to marital health including reconciliation when trauma and or separation occurs.
Because marriage is sacred to God and HCC, only HCC Covenant Partners will be married at HCC. An HCC covenant couple will meet with the pastor and proceed through a rich mentoring program before their wedding. Based upon this holy view of marriage, and Genesis 2:24 that states a man and woman should leave their mother and father to become one (“one” being understood to be marriage), HCC is opposed to living together as a romantic couple without formally covenanting together in holy matrimony.
HCC is dedicated to lifting each other up through accountability, with grace and understanding. If a couple embraces HCC’s vision of sacred marriage, the church will come alongside to help and encourage every Christian couple as they conform their life into the original design of biblical marriage.
WHAT DOES HCC BELIEVE ABOUT ABORTION?
WHEREAS life originated in the creative work of Almighty God; and
WHEREAS man himself is created in the image and likeness of God; and
WHEREAS God assigned special value to human life; and
WHEREAS divine law forbids the indiscriminate taking of human life, exacting heavy penalties of those who violate this commandment; and
WHEREAS contemporary society demonstrates a low esteem for the sacredness of life; and
WHEREAS abortion-on-demand now receives serious consideration as a means of birth and population control; and
WHEREAS abortion is a vicious attack on the weakest and most helpless form of human life; and
WHEREAS the unborn are unable to speak in their own defense; and
WHEREAS intense pressure is being brought upon state and national legislative bodies to liberalize abortion laws; and
WHEREAS it is the duty of the church to raise an authoritative moral voice concerning this vital issue;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the General Assembly of the Church of God, reaffirm our historic commitment to the sacredness of human life; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we stand opposed to the use of abortion as a means of birth or population control; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge our entire constituency to actively oppose any liberalization of abortion laws by state legislatures and by the Congress of the United States; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no individual should ever consider abortion as an option except in the gravest circumstances, after medical and religious consultation of the most serious nature.
What HCC believes about tithing
What is tithing?
“Tithe” means “a tenth part.”
What is the difference between a tithe and an offering?
A “tithe” is bringing the first tenth of my income.
An “offering” is anything I give in addition to my tithe.
Why should I tithe?
Because God commands it.
“A tenth of all you produce is the Lord’s.”
Leviticus 27:30
Because Jesus commanded it.
“Yes, you should tithe, and you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone either.”
Matthew 23:23
Tithing demonstrates that God has first place in my life.
“The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God in first place in your lives.”
Deuteronomy 14:23 (LB)
Tithing reminds me that everything I have was given to me by God.
“Always remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
Deuteronomy 8:18
Tithing expresses my love to the Lord.
“Each of you should bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.”
Deuteronomy 16:17
God says that refusing to tithe is stealing from Him.
“God says ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!’ But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ God says ‘In tithes and offerings ... Bring your whole tithe to My house.’ ”
Malachi 3:8-10
Tithing gives God a chance to prove He exists and wants to bless you.
“Bring your whole tithe to My storehouse. Test me in this” says the Lord, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you won’t have room enough for it!” Malachi 3:10
What should I tithe?
The tithe should come from the first part of what I earn.
“Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income.”
Proverbs 3:9-10
Where should I give my Tithe?
The tithe should be given where I worship.
“Bring your whole tithe to My Storehouse (Temple).”
Malachi 3:10
When should I Tithe?
The tithe should be given weekly, by dividing your annual household income by 52. Then making the tithe a weekly habit.
“On the first day of every week, set aside some of what you have earned and give it as an offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn.”
1 Corinthians 16:2 (LB)
Tithe – The benchmark of Christian giving…
It pre-dates the Law and sets the benchmark for giving...
Genesis 14:18-20 “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
Abraham’s benchmark became Law for God’s people...
Leviticus 27: 30 "A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to him as holy.”
Malachi 3:8-12 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Jesus validates the benchmark of tithing...
Matthew 23: 23-24 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!
Offering – Any giving below or above the tithe benchmark.
Old Testament benevolence...
Leviticus – 19:9-10 “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.
New Testament benevolence...
2 Corinthians 9: I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem. For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.
· 10% tithe is the benchmark for Christian giving. Giving under 10% with tithing as a goal is blessed by God. Giving as little as one can without feeling guilty, with no intention of moving toward tithing is not blessed by God. Giving more than 10% with a prideful attitude yields no blessing from God.
· The principle is that sacrificial giving is the way God provides for His people and advances His kingdom. The tithe is simply a benchmark for giving. Not equal amounts, but equal giving is the biblical standard.
WHAT DOES HCC BELIEVE ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING?
Heritage Community Church (HCC) believes that God created all human beings in His image and likeness with dignity, equality, value, and worth. Therefore, we believe that people are not commodities to be bought or sold for any form of commercial exploitation to include, but not limited to labor, organs or sex.
Likewise, we believe that God created sex as an exclusive sharing of the physical body between a man and a woman within the sacred covenant of marriage. As a result of humanities’ separation from God, the gift of sex as designed exclusively for the sacred covenant of marriage has become perverted in our modern society as a consumer-driven commercial enterprise, i.e. human trafficking, pornography, gender discrimination in the workplace, etc. We believe such practice is in opposition to God’s design for human dignity, sex and sexual intimacy. Therefore, Heritage Community Church stands against the practice of buying and selling individuals for sex, whether sanctioned by a government as in “legal prostitution” or forced through illegal means such as human trafficking.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS REGARDING MINISTERING TO THOSE IMPACTED BY SLAVERY: The Amazing Grace Ministries believes that every person is in need of God’s saving grace. The mission of Amazing Grace Ministries is to share the message of God’s love as revealed through Jesus Christ to the hurting and the broken, allowing the redeeming work of Christ to set the captives free in body, mind and spirit; and through the work of the Holy Spirit to restore their God-given worth and value.
REFERENCE MATERIALS IN PREPARING THIS STATEMENT: From an article written by Mark Driscoll.In the Bible, Paul says of the human condition: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!" Amen (Romans 1:21-25).
All of humanity is in the same boat, writing, "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things" (Romans 2:1).
And to drive the point home, Paul writes, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Thankfully, he also adds, "and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." (Romans 3:23-25).
The point is this: as humans, we're all sinners and all in need of God's grace, given freely through Jesus. And apart from Jesus, we all pervert God's good gifts, such as sex.
Mark Driscoll book, "Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, & Life Together":
God created us male and female in His image and likeness with dignity, equality, value, and worth.
Men and women are different and complement one another (Genesis 1:27-28).
Marriage is for one man and one woman by God’s design.
This is the consistent teaching of the Bible from the table of contents to the appendix and the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself (Genesis 2:24-25, Matthew 19:4).
God created sex.
God made our bodies “very good” with “male and female” parts and pleasures. When our first parents consummated their covenant, God was not shocked or horrified, because He created our bodies for sex. The reason that sex is fun, pleasurable, and wonderful is because it is a reflection of the loving goodness of God who created it as a gift for us to steward and enjoy (Genesis 2:24-25).
Sex outside of marriage is a sin.
Sinful sex includes homosexuality, erotica, bestiality, bisexuality, fornication, friends with benefits, adultery, swinging, prostitution, incest, rape, polygamy, polyandry, sinful lust, pornography, and pedophilia (I Corinthians 6:9-11,18-20, Hebrews 13:4).
Sex is to be done in such a way that there is no shame (Genesis 2:25; Proverbs 5:18-23). Many people experience shame in regard to sex. Sometimes shame is a gift from God in response to our sexual sin, sometimes it is the devastating feeling we bear because we have been sexually sinned against, and other times we have not sinned or been sinned against sexually but feel shame because we have wrong thinking and feelings about sex in general, or a sex act in particular.