Introduction:
Community Bible Church of Olathe is part of the United States Mennonite Brethren Denomination. As I explored this position, I was surprised at how much agreement I had with the USMB. I must admit my ignorance about how broad Mennonite-influenced churches are. I found myself in full agreement not only with the Community Bible Church, Olathe, Statement of Faith, but also with the USMB Confession of Faith.
As I explored the Plant Pastor position with CBCO, I discovered that I needed to be licensed by the USMB. After I submitted these answers and then read Family Matters, I was interviewed by three USMB (Southern Conference) leaders in about a two-hour conversation. That went well and I have been recommended for full licensure.
The following questions and my answers were part of the licensing process.
Attachment to “USMB Ministry Licensing Application and Covenants”
Shaun LePage, June 6, 2023
The following questions are to be answered in the form of a paper, using a clear font. Each question should be answered with at least a paragraph, explaining your personal convictions and beliefs clearly. The paper will likely be 3-5 pages in length, single-spaced.
[ See August 6 post for Questions 1-4. ]
5. What was your home life like growing up?
I grew up in a Roman Catholic Church (RCC) world—my family, extended family, friends and acquaintances were all RCC. I even went to 12 years of Catholic school. I have come to believe that my home life was a rather typical RCC experience. Religion was very important, but had little bearing on our daily lives and how we treated each other. I was generally pretty happy, but there was quite a bit of conflict in my parents’ marriage and between my siblings and me, yet far less serious than many others I know. I have come to respect my father for working hard and consistently providing for us, and my mother for staying in her marriage when most women would have given up.
6. Discuss your view of the authority of the Bible.
The Bible is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) and both God’s explanation of reality as well as His explanation of morality—what is good, right, true and best. In other words, it is the lens through which we understand the world and the foundation on which we build our lives. It is the final court of authority—all other traditions, beliefs, practices, opinions and feelings must be in submission to the Scriptures. As a former Roman Catholic this is a critical issue for me. In the RCC, when tradition contradicts Scripture, tradition always wins. This is one of the main errors of the RCC. Whatever raises itself up against the knowledge of God must be destroyed (2 Corinthians 10:5)—including man-made traditions (Colossians 2:8). I also believe the authority lies not in a particular translation, but in the original documents. While it is true that the original documents apparently no longer exist, the manuscript tradition provides us with great confidence that the original words have been preserved. Thus, I believe we must carefully weigh the manuscript evidence and—as in interpretation—make wise decisions regarding the original wording. I also believe most modern translations are faithful to the original words and can be trusted to provide us with the authoritative word of God. There are no differences between them that change the essential doctrines of Christianity.
7. Discuss your view of the atonement.
My view of the atonement is that Christ’s death on the cross served as a substitutionary sacrifice that satisfied God’s righteous judgment of sin. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Christ “atoned” (paid the penalty) for the sin of the human race and provides forgiveness, righteousness, and reconciliation to all (unlimited) who believe in Christ. I reject all other proposed views—primarily from those who call themselves “progressive” Christians—such as moral example, ransom to Satan, moral influence, etc.
8. What do you think are additional critical theological and ethical issues of today?
Some issues always have been and, until Christ returns, always will be critical: Christological issues of the atonement and deity of Christ, bibliological issues of inerrancy and sufficiency, and soteriological issues related to the ever-present tendency to add to salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Anthropological issues of the identity of mankind are getting a lot of attention (and rightly so) because it surfaces such important ethical issues as homosexuality, transgenderism and the personhood of the unborn. An issue that doesn’t get as much attention as it should is ecclesiological—the centrality of the local church in the work of God in this age. The Church is being crippled by individualism and the de-emphasis of the importance of the Bride of Christ.
