Welcome to our Theology of the Body Church, a twofold community of faith: Gentile Protestant & Messianic Jewish, in friendly cooperation with Catholic programs for outreach, pastoral care and Theology of the Body formation.
Our Protestant Church
For those not as familiar with the term Protestant, Protestantism is a type of Christianity born out of a movement of church reform that began in northern Europe in the early 16th century.
Mainstream Christian traditions, from the oldest to the youngest, are: Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Nestorianism, Catholicism, Sedevacantism* and Protestantism. A Protestant is an adherent of any of those Christian denominations that separated from the Church of Rome during the Reformation over the controversy of the sales of indulgences.
Protestants agree on salvation by grace through faith alone into good works, where our good works are not a means but evidence of our salvation. Our major denominational families are: Adventists, Anabaptists, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Salvation Army, Baptists, Calvinists/Reformed, Lutherans, Mennonites, Methodists, Moravians, Plymouth Brethren, Presbyterians, Quakers, Pentecostals, Messianics, Zionists, etc. Most of us are commonly referred to as evangelical Christians, and, while diverging on non-fundamental theological opinions, all Protestants agree on the doctrine of the Trinity as well as the divinity, incarnation and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most scholars would agree that the Protestant Reformation was an attempt to bring the Church back to the purity of the gospel, as expressed in the first centuries of Roman persecutions until the forming of ancient Celtic Christianity in opposition to the Constantinian Church (both Roman and Byzantine). Thus all our denominations form a single Church unity where we accept differences of opinions that do not differ from aforementioned fundamental doctrines. The Anglican Communion acts as 'Via Media' between Catholics and Protestants, as it maintains within itself three overlapping traditions: Anglo-Catholic, both charismatic and conservative evangelical, and liberal. All Protestant denominations have one of three church government styles: congregationalist, presbyterian and episcopal - although at times even these styles tend to overlap each other.
No Share in Protestantism
Arianism, an ancient antitrinitarian movement condemned by the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, still exists to our present day as Jehovah's Witnesses and their parent denomination Christadelphians. The same applies to the Mandaeans (aka St John Christians or Sabeans), who are a modern-day version of Gnosticism, composed of the descendants of the early disciples of John the Baptist who never accepted Jesus as Messiah. Similarly, Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormons) base their beliefs on another testament recorded in the Book of Mormon. New religious movements like the Church of Scientology (as well as Christian Science) and Rastafarianism have members who identify as Christians but have nothing to do with Protestantism due to certain aspects of their teachings that conflict with the Five Sola pillars of the Reformation. Of particular attention is the aforementioned Via Media, which includes not only Anglo-Catholics, but also the Old Catholics of the Union of Utrecht (birthed out of Jansenism and separated from Rome since Vatican I), Filipino Independent Catholics and Mar Thoma Christians; these three denominations are part of the Anglican Communion, while maintaining their original liturgical non-Protestant practices and traditions. The same applies to all other Independent Catholic denominations who, though not part of the Anglican Communion, follow the model of the Old Catholics.
* Although some Sedevacantist denominations are of recent formation (ex: the 'Palmarian Church' or the 'Universal Christian Church of the New Jerusalem') and most of them contest papal authority at various recent ages, this phenomenon factually began in 1378 with the Schism of the Western Church, hence before the Protestant Reformation. Sedevacantism differs from Protestantism on how we view the role of the Bishop of Rome and the teaching authority of Western church tradition.
Our Statement of Faith
Our community is a Christian online church that, while keeping our Protestant identity, embraces the message of late pope John Paul II known as Theology of the Body. This was a series of lectures given in Vatican City during his early pontificate that takes roots from a biblical and eschatological vision of human sexuality. Our theology holds on to the tenets of the Nicene Creed as well as the five sola of Martin Luther's teaching (sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura, solus Christus, soli Deo Gloria) and the TULIP Calvinistic concept of predestination (Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints). But we respectfully welcome Armenians and Unitarians in our fellowship. Our ordinances are Baptism and the Eucharist, and we regard marriage as a great mystery divinely ordained and pointing to our eternal union with God in Christ (Eph 5:31-32). We also honor celibacy for the kingdom as an alternative calling to marriage, living out firsthand the foretaste of the eternal reality of the heavenly marriage.
Our hope is that, as you navigate through our website, you will find a way to dive into this beautiful message and that you will be able to discover God's passionate love for you, stronger than death itself (Song of Solomon 8:6).
Our Mission Statement
Our mission as an online church is to provide evangelical Christians with a like-minded Christian fellowship where a redemptive approach to sexual purity is fostered, exploring the true meaning of sex and marriage, and offering a compelling vision of what it means to be created male and female. Equal attention is given to the fact that some Christians are not showing up at our churches because of a perceived repressive message on human sexuality. We intend to provide them with the assistance and care they need by means of an ongoing pastoral formation on Theology of the Body in a supportive and loving environment.
Our History & Leadership
Our community was birthed during the Covid-19 pandemic to break isolation among Protestant students from the Theology of the Body Institute. Dr Christopher West, President of the Institute, had authored Our Bodies Tell God's Story, a Protestant approach to the Theology of the Body. This gave us the idea to start monthly bible studies, which then developed into an organized online church. In terms of government and church authority, we have chosen a congregationalist model - i.e. while maintaining independent jurisdiction as a church community, we are able to choose which denomination we wish to be part of as our wider network. We have chosen to partnership with UPPERROOM [Online Campus], whose message also focuses on our heavenly wedding with the Lamb and pastoral outreach to the sexually broken and marginalized. UPPERROOM is led by Pastor Michael Miller (senior pastor, based in Dallas). We also partner with Theology of the Body Institute for theological formation and with The Chosen Team for pastoral outreach. Additionally, we have developed a program of Church History, in partnership with Church History Institute, to build a common bond of unity among Christians.
Please join our fellowship. You can connect with us by joining one of our ministries. These range from social media groups, to free formation courses, Saturday socials and Sunday services. Check our monthly schedule and do reach out for more information about our church by filling in the Submit form here.
Meetings & Services Schedule
1st Wednesday: Course on Theology of the Human Body @ 5pm EST - 10pm UK
2nd Wednesday: Course on Christian History @ 5pm EST - 10pm UK
3rd Wednesday: Course on Theology of the Body @ 5pm EST - 10pm UK
4th Wednesday: Course on Theology of the Body for GenZ @ 5pm EST - 10pm UK
Thanksgiving Vigil: Made4More Service@ 5pm EST - 10pm UK
Black Friday: Family Movie @ 1pm EST - 6pm UK
Good Friday: Easter Movie @ 1pm EST - 6pm UK
Reformation Day: Documentary on the Protestant Reformation @ TBC
Christmas Day: Christmas Movie @ TBC
Saturday: The Chosen Movie @ 5pm EST - 10pm UK, followed by discussion
Sunday: Worship Service with UPPERROOM Global @ 10.50am EST - 3.50pm UK
Every Other Sunday: Sunday School @ 3pm EST - 8pm UK
Pastoral Conversations: Available by arrangement
Baptism: Available by arrangement
Baby Dedication: Available by arrangement
March/August: No weekday events - Sunday Service on Mondays @ 8am EST - 1pm UK
Our Venue
Join us at...
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5268896520pwd=3q647WQgDU_aEIoQz3Vr-RIiD7GFgx.1
Church ID: 526 889 6520
Passcode: 989571
The UPPERROOM Network
Luther and the Jews: As a community of both Messianic Jews and Gentile Protestants, we cannot ignore Luther's embarrassing shortcomings towards our fellow Jews; yet, nor can we disregard his legacy in the Reformation, which has paved the way for an unadulterated Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles today, We feel our TOBChurch has a vital role to play in the much needed process of repentance and forgiveness not only between Protestants and Catholics, but also between Christians and Jews, in order for God's Kingdom to be fulfilled through a unified, reconciled, Universal and Messianic Church.
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