We believe it is essential that our beliefs and practices are centered in Jesus Christ and supported by the clearest passages of Scripture. This statement anchors how we curate this research site.
You’ll find evangelically rooted Protestant Christian colleges, universities, Bible schools, and seminaries consistent with these essentials. See About for how we welcome schools into the directory.
1. The Holy Scriptures
The Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice. Because it was inspired by God, it is without error in the original writings. There are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
Human reason is a powerful tool, but it is often distorted by our self-serving perspective. We cannot, by reason alone, figure out the meaning of life; and therefore, cannot comprehend who God is beyond the simple awareness, through creation, that He exists. The only way we can have a relationship with God is for Him to break through to us because we cannot break through to Him. The Bible is the written record of His breaking through to us throughout the history of mankind.
The Bible isn’t just a record of His words; it is the Word of God in written form. It is revelation: truth expressed not by means of humans struggling to find the right way to say it, but truth given by God Himself. The writers’ message was and is God’s message. Because God cannot lie, the Bible is completely reliable. We must let it judge us instead of us judging it.
Scripture foundation: Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21
2. The One True God
We believe that God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He is the Supreme Being of the universe and is to be worshiped above all else. God created the universe and everything in it out of nothing, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom, and goodness. By His authority and power He continues to sustain His creation.
God is holy — different, separate from humans. In His holiness, God is righteous and without any imperfections. He is just, righteous, loving and caring. He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Because God is holy and is Creator, He alone has the authority to define what is right and what is wrong.
We believe in God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. Because the Bible clearly teaches there is only one God, not three, we understand that these three persons fully share the one and only divine nature. The word “Trinity” describes the teaching that God has a singular nature, but a plural personality.
Scripture foundation: Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; John 17:3; Romans 8:28; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 2:3-4
3. Jesus Christ the Son
Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Redeemer, is the pinnacle figure in the history of the world. He was and is the Son of God, the eternal second Person of the Trinity, united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He is equal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless human life in obedience to the Father and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on the cross. This death satisfied divine justice and accomplished salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and, as the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for us. He will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Scripture foundation: Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5; John 10:30-33; John 14:9-11; Acts 1:11; Romans 1:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Philippians 2:5-11; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:8; Hebrews 4:14-16
4. The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son of God, and was sent into the world by the Father and Son. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. The Holy Spirit provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks daily to live under His control.
The Holy Spirit is God, not just “a force.” He works to prepare people to hear and understand the Gospel and then enters the life of the individual at the point of belief. Jesus promised the Spirit’s presence to all His followers. He also gives spiritual gifts to each person in the family of God that allow us the privilege of serving others.
Scripture foundation: John 14:16-18; John 16:7-13; Acts 1:4, 5, 8; 1 Corinthians 2:12-14; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 1:13-14
5. Humanity and the Fall
We believe that man was created by God in His own image and likeness, good and upright in nature. God created humanity to have fellowship with Him and to reflect His glory. However, by voluntary transgression and disobedience, man fell from his original state of innocence and purity. Through this fall, sin entered into the world, and death through sin. All humanity inherited a sinful nature from Adam, and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This sin separates us from God and makes us spiritually dead, unable to save ourselves by our own works or righteousness.
Scripture foundation: Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 3:10-12, 23; Romans 5:12-19; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3
6. Salvation by Grace Through Faith
Salvation is a gift from God to us. Salvation is necessary because of our sin. Human sin demands payment by a human life. In His graciousness, God gave Jesus as a sacrifice for our sin. Jesus did not commit sin and, therefore, he did not have to die for His own sin. In addition, because He was perfectly human, Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was sufficient payment for human sin. God gave Jesus’ sacrifice as a gift to all who have believed as a payment for their sin. Because our salvation was secured by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we live knowing that we are totally and unconditionally forgiven from all sin now, not hoping we will be forgiven at some future point.
Scripture foundation: John 1:12-13; John 3:16; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:1, 8-10; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9-10; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:4-6; Titus 2:13-14; Titus 3:5
7. The Church and Its Mission
The Church is the body of Christ, composed of all true believers in Jesus Christ. We exist to glorify God and fulfill His purposes in the world through evangelism, maturity, service, fellowship, and worship.
Scripture foundation: Matthew 16:18; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 2:9-10
8. The Ordinances
The Church recognizes two ordinances: Communion (the Lord’s Supper) and water baptism. These ordinances are acts of obedience to the commands of Jesus.
Communion remembers the price Christ paid as a substitute for our judgment for sin. We encourage only people who have committed their lives to Christ to partake.
Baptism is a visible testimony that a person has had a change on the inside: that they are committing to live a new life in Christ. It is an outward expression of an inward transformation, symbolizing the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Scripture foundation: Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Matthew 3:13-16; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12
9. The Blessed Hope and Christ’s Return
We believe in the personal, visible, and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. This is the blessed hope of the Church. At His coming, the dead in Christ will rise first, and those who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord. We believe Jesus Christ will reign in righteousness and glory. The return of Christ is imminent and motivates us to holy living, faithful service, and watchful expectation.
Scripture foundation: John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 20:1-6
10. Eternal Destinies
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people, the saved and the lost. Those who have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal life in the presence of God. Those who have rejected Jesus Christ and died in their sins will be raised to eternal judgment and separation from God. This eternal separation is conscious and everlasting.
Scripture foundation: Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; John 11:25-26; Acts 24:15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:1-8; Revelation 22:1-5
Who we welcome
We embrace believers from various Christian traditions who hold to the essentials of the historic Christian faith as revealed in Scripture. Learn how schools join this directory on About.