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We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are fully inspired of God, and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority for faith and practice. We believe that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that God created the entire universe including human beings by special operation of divine power. We believe in the fall of Adam and Eve and the consequent sinful nature of all humanity which necessitates a divine atonement. We believe in Jesus Christ as truly God and truly man, and in His virgin birth, His matchless teachings, His vicarious death, His bodily resurrection, and His promised second coming. We believe in justification by grace through faith and in regeneration by the Holy Spirit, who makes the penitent believer a new creature in Christ and commences His lifelong sanctifying work. We believe that the Christian may be filled with the Holy Spirit, or sanctified wholly, as a definite act of divine grace wrought in the heart of the believer to take full possession, cleanse and equip for service on condition of total surrender and obedient faith. We believe in the personal existence of Satan. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead -- of the saved to everlasting blessedness and of the lost to everlasting punishment. I have studied carefully the "Statement of Faith" printed on this form, and have read the booklet "This We Believe." I am in agreement with these doctrines and practices and will conduct myself in harmony with them and be supportive of them. I will also pattern my life according to the "Responsibilities of Community Life" at Houghton. Signed_________________________________ Date______________
Houghton College derives its purpose from the mission statement approved by the board of trustees and contained in the college Catalog. As an independent liberal arts college of The Wesleyan Church, Houghton recognizes a responsibility to its students and to the Christian community at large. As an academic institution, Houghton has an obligation to pursue truth unflinchingly and without bias. Members of the college community recognize this task, and seek to create an educational environment that integrates faith, learning, and living. We are confident that all areas of knowledge and truth finally reflect and are extensions of the reality of God and His work in and through His creation. I. Preamble. The people of Houghton College comprise a community of Christians that have joined together to seek academic progress, personal development, and spiritual growth. We strive to uphold a unity based on the lordship of Jesus Christ, guided by Biblical principles and the moral laws of God. We affirm our commitment to the triune God, perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ. We recognize that the Biblical standards for both individual and corporate life within the body of believers are necessary bases upon which to live. As members of a community, we expect each other -- trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and students -- to take seriously the responsibilities mentioned herein, We dedicate ourselves to individual academic progress, personal growth, and the building of a Christ-centered community that will provide spiritual nurture for all. Together, we seek to honor Christ by integrating faith, learning, and living as we reflect the process of maturing in Him. We choose to live according to the Word of God, to respond to one another in love, and to make decisions motivated by unselfish love and divine truth. Our goal is the ideal of mature self-regulation and active participation in fulfilling community responsibilities. In joining this community, we freely and willingly take upon ourselves the responsibilities outlined in this statement. II. Assumptions. Believing that the demands of community life require mutual forbearance, we make the following assumptions as we attempt to establish reasonable, viable expectations: We believe that the scriptures call us to worship our Creator, and that the Sabbath should be observed as the Lord's day for the express purposes of corporate worship, rest from labor, Christian fellowship, and service to others, especially people in need. We also believe the Scriptures condemn certain attitudes, such as greed, jealousy, pride, lust, bitterness, needless anger, harmful discrimination, prejudice, and an unforgiving spirit. We will seek to repudiate these attitudes in ourselves and in our community. We will seek God's forgiveness and help to grow in grace. We believe Scripture condemns certain acts, including drinking alcohol to excess, stealing, speaking or writing profanely or slanderously, acting dishonestly, cheating, engaging in occult practice, and engaging in sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage (including premarital sex, adultery, and homosexual behavior). We also find other practices to be inconsistent with scriptural principles for Christian living and our view of our bodies as the temples of God. Therefore, we do not tolerate the following: demeaning gestures or words, threats of violence, or physical attack on people or property; pornography; the use of beverage alcohol, tobacco, and non-medical drugs * and other chemical substances (except as specifically prescribed by a physician). We believe that Scripture calls us to submit to the authority of government, except on those rare occasions in which obedience to the civil authorities would require us to act in conflict with our consciences as they are informed by Scripture. On such occasions, we will submit voluntarily to the civil penalty for our behavior. We believe that living as part of this community provides us with significant benefits and opportunities for growth in all areas of life. We also recognize that community living requires us to forego rights which might be available to us elsewhere. The Bible does not provide specific teaching about every behavior and situation. Scripture does urge us, however, to be willing to give up even our rights for the benefit of others, especially when exercising our rights is harmful to them. We believe that both consideration for others and standards of good taste may either limit or re-direct our activities. Based on these principles, we voluntarily submit ourselves to the additional standards of behavior listed below. These standards are for the good of individuals, the smooth functioning of the community in which we live, and the reputation of our community in the world. Consequently, we consider these rules to be prudent expectations, not Christian absolutes or measures of spiritual commitment. As we choose to live by these expectations, we live out our belief that mutual trust and responsibility are necessary requirements of community. We expect that honoring these standards will help us to build a sense of community integrity, and we think that violation of these standards threatens community integrity. When one of us errs, our common integrity suffers. We also believe that the Biblical principles of love and grace must be applied to both keepers and violators of these standards. c. We recognize that concern about the morality of social dancing has been declining among evangelical Christians of many denominations. At the same time, both Houghton's historical tradition and the home churches of a significant part of our community oppose participation in social dancing. Believing that much social dancing is unnecessarily sensuous and erotic, we agree not to engage in social dancing as a part of our community or under our sponsorship. d. We show that we recognize our responsibility to God by careful use of our time, so we choose to engage in activities which contribute to our spiritual, moral, intellectual, and physical well-being. Fellow Christians have urged discretion and restraint in our choice of television programs, music, movies, theater, printed matter, card games, social dancing, video and computer games, the Internet, and organizations with which to associate, especially if these activities are morally questionable or diminish our moral sensitivity. V. Application. Community members are expected to live by the principles and standards described in this Statement of Community Responsibilities, and accept these responsibilities by their signature thereto in the application process, and annually in a community affirmation and mutual forgiveness chapel. We ask our trustees, administrators, faculty, and staff to strive to live by these principles and standards. Because the policies of the college are not intended to infringe on the government of the home; we specifically exempt students under either of two conditions: Return to Academic Dean's Page Return to Houghton College Web Site
Please feel free to contact us by phone at: 585-567-9315 or Fax: 567-9572 |
