What we believe

The essentials

• We believe the Bible is the authority for Christian faith and life.
• We believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• We believe Jesus Christ is the center of the gospel and the reason for Christian hope.
• We believe marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman, held together by grace, forgiveness and daily decisions rather than by constant feelings.
• We believe forgiveness is possible and that reconciliation is good when it is safe and genuine.

How we use Scripture, and how we do not

We use it to orient, not to pressure. A biblical text is not a lever for getting someone to do what we want, nor a promise that meeting a condition will repair a marriage.

When Scripture appears in a guide it is marked separately rather than mixed into the practical section, so that readers who do not share the faith can still use the content, and readers who do can see clearly what is biblical principle and what is our own judgment.

The limits we set

• We never use submission, headship or the call to forgive in order to justify mistreatment, control or violence.
• We do not present prayer as an alternative to professional help when professional help is what is needed.
• We do not claim that faith guarantees a marriage will not end.
• We do not judge anyone who arrives separated, divorced or without faith.

On divorce and separation

We believe marriage is meant to last, and at the same time we do not treat divorce as a topic that can be settled by a general rule applied from the outside.

Where there is violence, abuse or danger, the safety of the people involved comes first, and no reading of Scripture should be used to ask someone to remain in a situation that is harming them.