We
believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ,
the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through
whom we acknowledge God's gifts, and we repent of our sin
in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.
We
affirm the natural world as God's handiwork and dedicate ourselves
to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.
We
joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of
community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.
We
commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth,
young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to
improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and
dignity of all persons.
We
believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory
of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection
of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as
a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible consumption;
and in the elimination of economic and social distress.
We
dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule
of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom
for all people of the world.
We
believe in the present and final triumph of God's Word in
human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest
the life of the gospel in the world. Amen.
The
Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2004 ; ¶
166.VII.
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