I've been doing extensive research into ecumenism which I am fond of. In this matter I've been drawn into contemplating what exactly constitutes the Christian faith, or what are the articles of it.
In my estimation there are at least five articles:
1--God is One
2--God is the triunion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit
3--The Son of God became man (Jesus Christ), lived perfectly, and conferred the faith of the New Covenant
4--Jesus Christ was crucified as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity for all time
5--God is love and we must love God and love others
Without these it seems that it would cease to be the Christian faith. But, although there are these I find other items are difficult to ascertain, for instance, the physical resurrection and the virgin birth are both not considered strictly necessary to the faith by Anglicans and Episcopalians, yet seem to be integral, albeit perhaps not required, elements of faith--or are they required? I can't find anything in scripture demanding their acceptance, but I find the denial of them a bit unseemly, especially by mainline denominations.
In my estimation there are at least five articles:
1--God is One
2--God is the triunion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit
3--The Son of God became man (Jesus Christ), lived perfectly, and conferred the faith of the New Covenant
4--Jesus Christ was crucified as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity for all time
5--God is love and we must love God and love others
Without these it seems that it would cease to be the Christian faith. But, although there are these I find other items are difficult to ascertain, for instance, the physical resurrection and the virgin birth are both not considered strictly necessary to the faith by Anglicans and Episcopalians, yet seem to be integral, albeit perhaps not required, elements of faith--or are they required? I can't find anything in scripture demanding their acceptance, but I find the denial of them a bit unseemly, especially by mainline denominations.