Statement of Faith

Every Woman a Theologian exists to equip women, men, and families to understand what they believe, why they believe it, and how to communicate it graciously to others. It is of utmost importance that our treatment of theological topics align with the Word of God as historically taught and upheld by the global Church.

Our approach to theology is tiered, a methodology popularized by Dr. Albert Mohler. First-tier theology is core doctrine: non-negotiable truths that must be affirmed to call oneself a follower of Christ. Changing core doctrines alters the nature of God, Christ, the Spirit, salvation, and sin/holiness. These doctrines are often called “orthodoxy” or sound teaching. G.K. Chesterton summarized them as: “The creeds and the historic conduct of those who held such a creed.” Secondary doctrines are questions of application: how do we baptize—infant or believer’s baptism? Christians may practice either and remain within orthodox teaching, and both can be argued from Scripture. Christians often gather in churches that align with their secondary views. Tertiary doctrines are questions of conviction. This concerns how the Spirit applies first and secondary doctrines in a person’s life. Christians may differ on these convictions and remain in the same church.

We also use the Wesleyan Quadrilateral to navigate theological issues. The Quadrilateral begins with Scripture, first and foremost, as the primary filter. The next three—used in equal measure—are reason (logic/argumentation/research), tradition (the historical behavior and priorities of the church), and experience (spiritual intimacy with God and others). These are our methods for discerning theological issues.

Following is our statement of faith regarding core doctrinal issues related to bibliology, Christology, soteriology, and Christian life. For details on these topics, please see Verity podcast or the book Every Woman a Theologian.

On the Bible: Every Woman a Theologian is founded on the inspired Word of God, which is inerrant and infallible in its original manuscripts. All manuscripts copied from the originals are unable to deceive and remain consistent in all doctrinal truths. We believe the Bible “is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). It is “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness… so that [we] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

On the Trinity: We hold to the historically orthodox understanding of the Trinity as expressed in the Athanasian, Nicene, and Apostles’ Creeds:

That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,
neither blending their persons
nor dividing their essence.
For the person of the Father is a distinct person,
the person of the Son is another,
and that of the Holy Spirit still another.
But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one,
their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.

On Salvation: We believe all humanity is born with a predisposition toward sin that, when acted upon, leads to separation from God. This sinful nature puts all humanity in need of a Savior and Redeemer. As Wesleyans, Phylicia and Josh Masonheimer (EWAT founders) hold to a salvation theology of “libertarian free will”: God knew before the foundation of the world that humanity would need a Savior and predestined Jesus Christ to be the plan of that salvation (Eph. 1). All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13). While this is Josh and Phylicia’s personal view, many staff members at EWAT hold to Reformed theology and the belief that God has elected who will receive salvation. We believe there is room for both interpretations within the sound teaching of Scripture.

On Eternal Life: Those who call upon the name of the Lord and put faith in Christ (give their allegiance to Him: John 11:25-26) will inherit eternal life (John 3:16). This means a life of fullness, goodness, and purpose from present-day to eternity. Those who reject Christ by their own conscious choice will remain separated from God and experience His just wrath (Rom. 1:18, 12:19, 13:4, Matt. 10:28, Matt. 25:41, Rev. 21:8).

On the Body of Christ: The Body of Christ is His Church. The Church is not made up of one denomination or building but of believers from all denominations who adhere to the fundamental truths of our faith and give their allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord. The Body of Christ is a diverse gathering of individuals from all nations, all ethnicities, all ages, and all stages of life unified in allegiance to Christ and love for one another.

On Christian Life: The natural outworking of an authentic faith is sanctification, which is growing more like Christ. Those justified in Christ will receive the Holy Spirit to sanctify, convict, and comfort them (John 14-15). Christian life should reflect the fruit of God’s Spirit (Gal. 6) and the values of God’s law (Deut. 20). Such virtues include love, faith, purity, generosity, restraint, honor for the poor and weaker brother, faithfulness in marriage, and grace for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

EWAT holds to the fundamental truths of Scripture as expressed in the creeds (Apostles’ and Nicene), the model of the early church as outlined in the Didache, and the moral values of God’s Law as expressed in the Ten Commandments (upheld by Jesus Christ Himself: John 10, Matt. 5-7). In Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council decided upon fundamental virtues taught to new converts at the outset of his/her faith:

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.” (Acts 15:19-20).

According to this early church model, new converts were taught an ethic that included sanctity of worship (abstaining from idols), sanctity of life (abstaining from blood), and sanctity of sex (abstaining from all sexual behavior outside of heterosexual marriage). These basic virtues align with the Ten Commandments and the fruits of the Spirit outlined elsewhere in Scripture.

Due to these proofs, EWAT holds to a historical sexual ethic:

• The commandment against adultery applies to all sexual acts outside of covenant marriage between a man and a woman.
• Just as God’s love is free, total, faithful, and fruitful, so should the sexual act be in marriage. Sex is for both pleasure and procreation. God grants wisdom and self-control to couples who attempt not to conceive. But the heart toward children should be one of openness, recognizing that procreation is one of the functions of the sexual act. This recognition should cultivate restraint, compassion, self-control, and understanding on the part of husbands, who should seek to understand and respect the inherent design of their wives’ bodies.
• Marriage is a sacred union and covenant before God, breakable only in instances of unfaithfulness or abuse.
• Those who wrestle with desires of any kind and walk in holy restraint may still be an integral part of the Body of Christ. The end goal of all such sanctification is our glorification as image bearers of God and to be united with Him as His unstained Bride: “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27).