Rock River Christian Camp Doctrinal Statements
· All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16) – We believe that all matters of faith and conduct must be evaluated on the basis of the Bible, the Word of God, which is our inspired, infallible, and inerrant guide.
· This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. (I John 4:9) – We believe that all have sinned and are in need of salvation. Salvation can only be attained through God’s only Son Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, was crucified – paying the penalty for our sins – and was raised to life after three days. All who believe and confess that “Jesus is Lord”, repent of their sins, and are baptized will receive salvation. (Luke 24:7, Romans 3:23, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Romans 10:9, Acts 2:38-41)
· The Son of Man was delivered into the hands of sinful men, crucified and on the third day was raised to life again. (Luke 24:7)
· Then Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. (Matthew 28:19)
· All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
· Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. (I Peter 3:18)
· That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
· The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in Jesus’ name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything He had said to you. (John 14:26) We believe that God exists in three persons – God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (1 Peter 1:2, Matthew 28:19)
· It is written: “Be holy, because I am Holy”. (I Peter 1:16)
· Jesus said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am”. (John 14:3)
Since the Bible speaks to the nature of human beings and their sexuality, it is imperative that we correctly understand, articulate, and practice what the Bible teaches on these matters.
We are committed to the home and family as set forth in Holy Scripture. We believe God has ordained and created marriage to exist between one man and one woman, with absolute marital fidelity. The Bible sets forth specific home and family values, which include the distinct roles of husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and children. It is our firm conviction that we uphold the dignity of each individual as we embrace the unchanging and longstanding principles of scriptural truth.
Based on Holy Scripture we believe:
Marriage — We believe that marriage is the permanent, exclusive, comprehensive, and conjugal “one flesh” union of one man and one woman, intrinsically ordered to procreation and biological family, and in furtherance of the moral, spiritual, and public good of binding father, mother, and child. (Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-9; Mark 10:5-9; Ephesians 5:31-33)
Further, the facilities and property of this camp shall only host weddings in compliance with this policy, and with the approval of the Board or its delegated representative. A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized by us as a legitimate marriage only to the extent that it is consistent with this policy. There shall be no deviation from this policy.
Sexual Immorality — We believe that sexual acts outside marriage are prohibited as sinful. Consequently, We the board members, staff, employees, volunteers, and campers must resist and refrain from any and all sexual acts outside marriage — including but not limited to cohabitation, adultery, fornication, incest, zoophilia, pornography, prostitution, voyeurism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, sodomy, polygamy, polyamory, sologamy, or same-sex sexual acts. (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:7-23; Leviticus 20:10-21; Deuteronomy 5:18; Matthew 15:19; Matthew 5:27-28; Matthew 15:19;Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:4; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 4:17-19; Colossians 3:5)
Sexual Identity — We believe that God created mankind in His image: male (man) and female (woman), sexually different but with equal personal dignity. Consequently, We the board members, staff, employees, volunteers, and campers must affirm their biological sex and refrain from any and all attempts to physically change, alter, or disagree with their created predominant biological sex — including but not limited to elective sex-reassignment, transvestite, transgender, or nonbinary “genderqueer” acts or conduct. (Genesis 1:26-28; Romans 1:26-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Sexual Orientation — We believe that God created and ordered human sexuality for the permanent, exclusive, comprehensive, and conjugal “one flesh” union of man and woman, intrinsically ordered to procreation and biological family, and in furtherance of the moral, spiritual, and public good of binding father, mother, and child. Consequently, we the staff, employees, volunteers, and campers must affirm the sexual complementarity of man and woman and resist the temptations to same-sex sexual attractions and refrain from any and all same-sex sexual acts or conduct, which are intrinsically disordered. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:5-9; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-9; Revelation 21:2)
Sexual Redemption — We believe that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and therefore redemption, forgiveness, and spiritual cleansing is available for all sins. Consequently, we the board members, staff, employees, volunteers, and campers must welcome and treat with respect, compassion, and sensitivity all who experience same-sex attractions or confess sexually immoral acts but are committed to resisting sexual temptation, refraining from sexual immorality, and conforming their behavior to the our Doctrinal Statement (Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 2:17-18; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:9)
Celibacy — We believe that Holy Scripture grants two life-enhancing options for human sexual behavior: (1) the conjugal “one flesh” marital union of one man and one woman, and (2) celibacy. Either is a gift from God, given as He wills for His glory and the good of those who receive and rejoice in His gift to them. Celibacy and faithful singleness is to be celebrated and affirmed within the universal Church. (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18, 21-24; Isaiah 54:1; 56:3-5; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:5-8; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 7:1-8; Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Romans 12:10; 1 Timothy 5:1-2)
This statement does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of our faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the Operating Board is our final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.