Phoenix Affirmations
Encyclopedia
The Phoenix Affirmations is a set of twelve principles originally penned by a group of clergy and laypeople from Phoenix, Arizona
, in an attempt to articulate clearly the broad strokes of the emerging Christian faith
. Pastors, theologians, and biblical scholars from every mainline denomination , with degrees from major seminaries and divinity schools, added input. The first published commentary on The Phoenix Affirmations appeared in 2006 (Jossey-Bass), written by Dr. Eric Elnes. According to Phyllis Tickle, author of The Great Emergence, Elnes’ The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity stands today as the clearest, most articulate presentation of Progressive Christianity
.
The Phoenix Affirmations take on a threefold structure, based on the Three Great Loves identified by Jesus
and affirmed within Judaism
: Love of God, Love of Neighbor, and Love of Self.
(Matthew 22:34-40//Mark 12:28-31//Luke 10:25-28; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18)
The Phoenix Affirmations are not meant to be a static set of principles to stand for all time. The authors attached a version number to them—currently 3.8—indicating that the Affirmations are the product of continual modification and may be amended in the future in light of new awareness and deeper understanding of what is believed to be God’s call. In contrast to a Creed
, the Affirmations are not meant to serve as a test of faith against which a person’s Christian commitments are to be verified.
In 2006, some members of an organization called CrossWalk America spent 5 months, walking 2,500 miles from Phoenix, AZ, to Washington, D.C.
, to deliver a set of The Phoenix Affirmations as part of a Labor Day
Rally.
J. Shelby Spong, theologian and author, was present in Washington at the end of the walk. Spong wrote: “The Phoenix Affirmations call on Christians to love God in all of God’s expressions, to love our neighbors, including our neighbors who call God by a different name and even our neighbors who use the literal texts of the Bible
as a weapon with which to attack the objects of their prejudice, and finally to love ourselves, just as we are, male, female, black, white, brown, gay, straight, transgender
, bisexual, learned and unlearned, left-handed and right-handed, indeed in all of the rich variety of the human family. We are to stand as one against any religious system that encourages self-hatred
, that manipulates through guilt, or that presents God as a punishing parent who delights in our groveling before the throne of grace.”
THE PHOENIX AFFIRMATIONS
Version 3.8
CHRISTIAN LOVE OF GOD INCLUDES:
1. Walking fully in the Path of Jesus without denying the legitimacy of other paths that God may provide for humanity.
2. Listening for God’s Word, which comes through daily prayer and meditation
, studying the ancient testimonies which we call Scripture, and attending to God’s present activity in the world.
3. Celebrating the God whose Spirit pervades and whose glory is reflected in all of God’s Creation, including the earth and its ecosystem
s, the sacred and secular, the Christian and non-Christian, the human and non-human.
4. Expressing our love in worship that is as sincere, vibrant, and artful as it is scriptural.
CHRISTIAN LOVE OF NEIGHBOR INCLUDES:
5. Engaging people authentically, as Jesus did, treating all as creations made in God’s very image, regardless of race
, gender
, sexual orientation
, age, physical or mental ability, nationality, or economic class.
6. Standing, as Jesus does, with the outcast and oppressed, the denigrated and afflicted, seeking peace and justice with or without the support of others.
7. Preserving religious freedom and the church’s ability to speak prophetically to government by resisting the commingling of church and state.
8. Walking humbly with God, acknowledging our own shortcomings while honestly seeking to understand and call forth the best in others, including those who consider us their enemies.
CHRISTIAN LOVE OF SELF INCLUDES:
9. Basing our lives on the faith that in Christ all things are made new and that we, and all people, are loved beyond our wildest imaginations—for eternity.
10. Claiming the sacredness of both our minds and our hearts, and recognizing that faith and science, doubt and belief serve the pursuit of truth.
11. Caring for our bodies and insisting on taking time to enjoy the benefits of prayer, reflection, worship, and recreation in addition to work.
12. Acting on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose, a vocation
and ministry that serve to strengthen and extend God’s realm of love.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, in an attempt to articulate clearly the broad strokes of the emerging Christian faith
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Pastors, theologians, and biblical scholars from every mainline denomination , with degrees from major seminaries and divinity schools, added input. The first published commentary on The Phoenix Affirmations appeared in 2006 (Jossey-Bass), written by Dr. Eric Elnes. According to Phyllis Tickle, author of The Great Emergence, Elnes’ The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity stands today as the clearest, most articulate presentation of Progressive Christianity
Progressive Christianity
Progressive Christianity is the name given to a movement within contemporary Christianity characterized by willingness to question tradition, acceptance of human diversity with a strong emphasis on social justice or care for the poor and the oppressed and environmental stewardship of the Earth...
.
The Phoenix Affirmations take on a threefold structure, based on the Three Great Loves identified by Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and affirmed within Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
: Love of God, Love of Neighbor, and Love of Self.
(Matthew 22:34-40//Mark 12:28-31//Luke 10:25-28; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18)
The Phoenix Affirmations are not meant to be a static set of principles to stand for all time. The authors attached a version number to them—currently 3.8—indicating that the Affirmations are the product of continual modification and may be amended in the future in light of new awareness and deeper understanding of what is believed to be God’s call. In contrast to a Creed
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
, the Affirmations are not meant to serve as a test of faith against which a person’s Christian commitments are to be verified.
In 2006, some members of an organization called CrossWalk America spent 5 months, walking 2,500 miles from Phoenix, AZ, to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to deliver a set of The Phoenix Affirmations as part of a Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
Rally.
J. Shelby Spong, theologian and author, was present in Washington at the end of the walk. Spong wrote: “The Phoenix Affirmations call on Christians to love God in all of God’s expressions, to love our neighbors, including our neighbors who call God by a different name and even our neighbors who use the literal texts of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as a weapon with which to attack the objects of their prejudice, and finally to love ourselves, just as we are, male, female, black, white, brown, gay, straight, transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
, bisexual, learned and unlearned, left-handed and right-handed, indeed in all of the rich variety of the human family. We are to stand as one against any religious system that encourages self-hatred
Self-hatred
Self-hatred refers to an extreme dislike and hatred of oneself, or being angry at or even prejudiced towards oneself. The term is also used to designate a dislike or hatred of a group, family, social class, mental illness, or stereotype to which one belongs and/or has...
, that manipulates through guilt, or that presents God as a punishing parent who delights in our groveling before the throne of grace.”
THE PHOENIX AFFIRMATIONS
Version 3.8
CHRISTIAN LOVE OF GOD INCLUDES:
1. Walking fully in the Path of Jesus without denying the legitimacy of other paths that God may provide for humanity.
2. Listening for God’s Word, which comes through daily prayer and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, studying the ancient testimonies which we call Scripture, and attending to God’s present activity in the world.
3. Celebrating the God whose Spirit pervades and whose glory is reflected in all of God’s Creation, including the earth and its ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s, the sacred and secular, the Christian and non-Christian, the human and non-human.
4. Expressing our love in worship that is as sincere, vibrant, and artful as it is scriptural.
CHRISTIAN LOVE OF NEIGHBOR INCLUDES:
5. Engaging people authentically, as Jesus did, treating all as creations made in God’s very image, regardless of race
Race
Race is classification of humans into large and distinct populations or groups by factors such as heritable phenotypic characteristics or geographic ancestry, but also often influenced by and correlated with traits such as appearance, culture, ethnicity, and socio-economic status...
, gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, age, physical or mental ability, nationality, or economic class.
6. Standing, as Jesus does, with the outcast and oppressed, the denigrated and afflicted, seeking peace and justice with or without the support of others.
7. Preserving religious freedom and the church’s ability to speak prophetically to government by resisting the commingling of church and state.
8. Walking humbly with God, acknowledging our own shortcomings while honestly seeking to understand and call forth the best in others, including those who consider us their enemies.
CHRISTIAN LOVE OF SELF INCLUDES:
9. Basing our lives on the faith that in Christ all things are made new and that we, and all people, are loved beyond our wildest imaginations—for eternity.
10. Claiming the sacredness of both our minds and our hearts, and recognizing that faith and science, doubt and belief serve the pursuit of truth.
11. Caring for our bodies and insisting on taking time to enjoy the benefits of prayer, reflection, worship, and recreation in addition to work.
12. Acting on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose, a vocation
Vocation
A vocation , is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.-Senses:...
and ministry that serve to strengthen and extend God’s realm of love.