Brief Statement of Faith of the Mexican Communion of Reformed and Presbyterian Churches (CMIRP) As heirs of the reformed, biblical, and theological tradition, rooted in the liberating impetus of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (John 8.36), we present ourselves as a communion of churches and communities willing to offer a solid testimony thereof in any place and circumstance. 1.1 We affirm the conviction that God has revealed himself/herself in history as father and mother (Matthew 7.11; 23.37) 1 and in that capacity has expressed his/her sovereignty, love, justice and goodness in order to manifest his/her beneficent presence without distinctions of any kind (Amos 9.9), a presence that must confront, here and now, any human and structural obstacles that hinder its proper understanding and acceptance. 1.2 We therefore affirm that we are urged to reflect God’s love in our faith communities (2 Corinthians 5.1415). These communities —in their smallness and finitude (Matthew 25.31-46)— responsibly assume this task with the confidence derived from the promises of God’s closeness and support. 2 In this way, we affirm God’s open preference for childhood as symbol and reality of God’s Kingdom. 1.3 We underscore the commitment to continuously guide our actions so that they may be the result of a prophetic discernment of the current and future times, in this way positioning ourselves according to the challenges set forth by our efforts. 2.1 We affirm the conviction that in Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, the believer, and of Sophia, the wisdom (Proverbs 8), the God of the migrants Abraham, Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 21.8-21), 3 God of many other representatives and participants in the biblical covenant, manifested fully in order to make the life of all beings worthy and whole (John 10.10), with all the benefits made possible through a life of authentic testimony that led
Cf. Sallie McFague, “God as Mother”, in Models of God: Theology for an Ecological Nuclear Age. Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1987, pp. 97-123; Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel, “God as Father” and Jürgen Moltmann, “God as Mother”, in God-His and Hers. New York, Crossroad, 1991, pp. 25-32 and 33-38, respectively. 2 See Paul Tillich, The Eternal Now. New York, Scribner’s and Sons, 1963, pp. 119-120: “The prophets give the answer: Nations are saved if there is a Small minority, a group of people, who represent what the nation is called to be. They may be defeated, but their spirit will be a power of resistance against the evil spirits who are detrimental to the nation. The question of saving power in the nation is the question of whether there is a minority, even a small one, which is willing to resist the anxiety produced by propaganda, the conformity enforced by threat, the hatred stimulated by ignorance”. 3 Cf. Elsa Tamez, “La mujer que complicó la historia de la salvación: el relato de Agar leído desde América Latina”, in Vida y Pensamiento, San José, vol. 3, núm. 1-2, 1983, pp. 19-30; “The Woman Who Complicated the History of Salvation”, in John S. Pobee and Barbel von Wartenberg-Potter, ed., New Eyes for Reading: Biblical and Theological Reflections by Women from the Third World. Geneva, World Council of Churches, 1986, pp. 5-17. 1
him to endure an ignominious death on the cross, a death perpetrated by the established powers (Colossians 2.13-15 ). But thanks to his resurrection, he has been able to renew hope and the action of his people in the world. 2.2 We therefore affirm the reality of his presence in the midst of the contradictions of the world and in the church as part of the historical and eschatological project of making his Kingdom a place of inclusion, of absolute grace, peace and justice, full respectful of and committed to the promotion of human rights as an indispensable ethical value to our faith, without discrimination of any kind (Acts 10.35 , PDT, Romans 2.11, TLA; Galatians 3.28 RVR60). 2.3 We underscore the commitment to vigorously join divine action in all areas that are within our reach as the central task to which we are called by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. Therefore, we will dialogue with science in its various forms and contributions as part of the Christian vocation of testing everything and holding on to the good (I Thessalonians 5.21). 4 3.1 We affirm the conviction that the Spirit of God, based on the promises of the Risen Jesus, baptizes, seals and teaches us (John 14:26; Ephesians 1.13-14), leads the fate of the Church in the world (Revelation 2-3) and awakens the minds and hearts of people, organizations and institutions calling them to join the project of radical transformation of every corrupt and unjust human structure. 3.2 We affirm that the same Spirit challenges us, within his Church, together, as men and women of all ages, cultures and conditions, as part of a shared priesthood, to apply our gifts to service wherever this may be required, and to accompany with solidarity those just human causes that seek to transform a reality marked by violence, injustice and death, in order to establish peace with justice in this world through practices of active nonviolence. We will always be willing to talk and cooperate with all faiths, traditions and Christian movements. 3.3 We underscore the commitment to develop lifestyles derived from the work of the Spirit in our world, making the benefits of the Spirit visible in the care of creation, called to ongoing renewal while awaiting final redemption (Psalm 104.29-30, Romans 8.19-23). For all these reasons, we affirm that the principles emanating from this declaration of faith shall inspire and regulate our membership as part of the Church of Jesus Christ dispersed and present in all its manifestations. We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords–areas in which we would not need justification and sanctification through him. THE THEOLOGICAL DECLARATION OF BARMEN (8.15), Confessional Synod of the German Evangelical Church, 1934.5 and everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father PHILIPPIANS 2.11, NCV
Mexico City, October 25th 2015 Translation: Rubén Arjona Mejía
Cf. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, I, v, 2; and II, ii, 14 ff. “If we regard the Spirit of God as the sole fountain of truth, we shall neither reject the truth itself, nor despise it wherever it shall appear, unless we wish to dishonor the Spirit of God. For by holding the gifts of the Spirit in slight esteem, we condemn and reproach the Spirit himself” (II, ii, 15). 5 Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 2004, p. 249. 4
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