PTS Beliefs
Beliefs
Preterists cherish and defend religious liberty, and deny the right of any secular or religious authority to impose a confession of faith upon a church or body of churches. We honor the principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers, affirming together both our liberty in Christ on the essentials of our faith and our accountability to each other under the Word of God alone (Sola Scriptura), and through mutual consent of those who wish to enter into an alliance for the sake of unity and clarity.
Preterist churches, associations, and general bodies have now adopted a consensus doctrinal statement on those essentials, and as instruments of doctrinal accountability to one another. We are not embarrassed to state before the world that these are doctrines we hold precious and as essential to the Christian tradition of faith and practice. In addition to those essentials we have also defined clearly our position as a unified body of like minded Christians those particular doctrines that, although not essential for the believer’s salvation, are the fibers that knit us together with a common world view and outlook. While we believe in the unity and liberty of the church and in the joint efforts of all denominations together for the sake of the Gospel in love, we also recognize the differences that exist within the church which lead many people to behave in different ways due to their differences of a future hope, their world view, their involvement in the world and political affairs, spiritual gifts, and many other issues that are defined by how a person views secondary doctrines of Scripture.
As a society, we have been charged to address the “certain needs” of our own generation within the context of both essential and secondary issues. Every age since the early church has had hostility towards Christian truth, and it is our challenge to express the truth as revealed in Scripture, and to bear witness of Jesus Christ, who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” And so it is that we are united on the essentials of the Christian faith, we share liberty within the preterist framework of our alliance, and we show love to all those who are both allied with us or who have distinctive differences from the preterist theological framework.
Study
The Preterist Theological Society has sought to identify and affirm “certain definite doctrines that Preterists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely and specifically identified.” Our living faith is established upon eternal Christian truths. “Thus, this generation of Preterists are in full agreement of intent and purpose as it endeavors to state for its time and theological climate those articles of the Christian faith which are most surely held among us, including both essential elements of the orthodox Christian heritage contained soley in God’s Word, and non-essential elements of the Preterist heritage believed to be a correct understanding of secondary matters also found soley within God’s Word.”
On Christian essentials we stand firm, on preterist beliefs we unite with liberty, and on secondary matters we dialogue, discuss, and debate.
UNITY
In all essential beliefs – we have UNITY. “There is one Body and one Spirit…there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all…” Ephesians 4:4-6
LIBERTY
In non-essential beliefs – we have LIBERTY. “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters…Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his master he stands or falls…So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” Romans 14:1,4,22
LOVE
In all our beliefs – we show LOVE. “…If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the Faith that can move mountains – but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.” 1 Corinthians 13:2
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