Statement of Faith
What We Believe
Every Woman a Theologian exists to equip women, men, and families to know what they believe, why they believe it, and how to communicate it graciously to their world. As a theology ministry, 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.
On the Bible: Every Woman a Theologian is founded on the inspired Word of God, inerrant and infallible in its original manuscripts. All manuscripts copied from the originals are unable to deceive and 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).
On the Trinity: We hold to the historically-orthodox understanding of the Trinity as expressed in the Athanasian Creed:
That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,
neither blending their persons
nor dividing their essence.
their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.
On Salvation: We believe all humanity is born with a predisposition toward sin which, when acted upon, inevitably 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 specifically 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 who put faith in Christ (give their allegiance to Him) will inherit eternal life (John 3:16), which means a life of fullness, goodness, and purpose from present day to eternity. Those who reject Christ will remain in separation from God and experience His just wrath by their own conscious choice (Rom. 1:18, 12:19, 13:4).
On the Body of Christ: The Body of Christ is His church, which is not made up of one specific denomination or building but is made up of all persons who have given their allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord. The church is made up of believers from all denominations who adhere to the fundamental truths of our faith. This would be as G.K. Chesterton said those who hold to “the creeds, and the historic conduct of those who held such a creed.” The Body of Christ is a diverse gathering of individuals from all nations, of all ages, and with myriad giftings, unified in allegiance to Christ and love for one another.
On Christian Life: Those who have been justified in Christ will receive the Holy Spirit to sanctify, convict, and comfort them (John 14-15). The natural outworking of an authentic faith is sanctification, or growing more like Christ. Christian life should reflect the fruit of God’s Spirit (Gal. 6) and the values of God’s law (Deut. 20).
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 each new convert would be taught:
“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 (abstain from idols), sanctity of life (abstaining from blood), and sanctity of sex (abstain from all sexual behavior outside of heterosexual marriage). These basic virtues align with both 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 are attempting not to conceive, but the heart toward children should be one of openness, recognizing that procreation is one of the created functions of the sexual act. This recognition should cultivate restraint, compassion, and self-control on the part of husbands who seek to understand their wives’ bodies and have respect for their inherent design.
- Marriage is a sacred union and covenant before God, breakable only in instances of unfaithfulness or abuse.
- Those who wrestle with desire of any kind and walk in holy restraint may still be an integral part of the Body of Christ as we all walk in faithfulness, purity, and self-control. The end goal of all such sanctification is our glorification as image bearers of God, to be ultimately 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).
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