Short Statement
This vision calls us to the formation of the whole person — body, soul, and spirit — into the likeness of Christ, in whom all things hold together. It encompasses the Church's received understanding of the nature of marriage, the outworking of sexuality, the integrity of embodied human life, and the sanctity of life from conception. We hold these not as partisan positions but as the consistent witness of the Christian tradition, which we are called to honour and to live.
While recognising that members may hold differing convictions or be at different stages of theological understanding and formation, we ask for good-faith respect for this historic Christian ethos in communal gatherings and public representation. This means showing honour toward these traditional convictions, refraining from public advocacy or displays that contradict or oppose this ethos while participating in or representing CAUSA, and pursuing unity, charity, and peace — the marks of Christ's body.
Detailed Explanation
On the received moral vision of historic Christianity
We affirm the moral vision of historic Christianity as something received, not invented. The faith is "once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3), and we are exhorted to "stand firm and hold to the traditions" we have received (2 Thessalonians 2:15) — not as human inventions, but as faithful guardrails for life in Christ. Rooted in our confession of Jesus Christ as true God and true man, this vision seeks the formation of the whole person, body and soul, into the likeness of Christ — for "this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3), and we are called to be transformed, not conformed to the age (Romans 12:1–2).
This moral vision is not the property of any one denomination or cultural moment. It has been expressed in the earliest catechesis of the Church (The Didache, c. 50–120 AD), in the apologists (Justin Martyr, First Apology, c.undefinedAD), in the patristic tradition (Ignatius of Antioch, Cyprian of Carthage, John Chrysostom), and in the continuous witness of the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Wesleyan, Baptist, Pentecostal, and Evangelical traditions as they have classically and historically taught. On its core convictions, namely the nature of marriage, the sanctity of life, the integrity of embodied human life, and the call to holiness, the historic Christian tradition speaks with remarkable consistency across its many expressions, even where particular church bodies have more recently revised their teaching.
On unity, charity, and communal witness
We recognise that members come from varied backgrounds and may hold differing convictions, or be at different stages of theological understanding and formation, including on contested cultural questions. We therefore seek to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3), remembering that "if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all" (Romans 12:18).
When participating in member-only gatherings or representing Christian Arts USA in public-facing contexts, members are expected to show reasonable, good-faith honour toward the organisation's historic Christian ethos. This includes refraining from public advocacy, campaigning, or overt displays intended to contradict, ridicule, or actively oppose the historic Christian moral vision we have received — for "the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone" (2 Timothy 2:24), and we are called to "do all things without grumbling or disputing" (Philippians 2:14). Members must also refrain from speech or conduct that would reasonably be understood to cause offence, create division, or undermine the unity and public witness of the community — for "there is one body and one Spirit" (Ephesians 4:4), and Christ Himself prays "that they may all be one… so that the world may believe" (John 17:21). In all things, we pursue "what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding" (Romans 14:19), "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15).
On the scope of this ethos
The moral vision we honour encompasses the Church's received teaching on:
- The nature of marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman, established by God in creation (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6), and upheld as a sign of Christ's relationship with the Church (Ephesians 5:31–32)
- The outworking of sexuality as ordered toward the covenant of marriage, with sexual union belonging within that covenant — and the call to chastity for all, in whatever state of life (1 Corinthians 6:19–20;undefinedThessalonians 4:3–5)
- The integrity of embodied human life, including the God-given reality of male and female as the two created forms of sexed humanity, and the goodness of the body as integral to personal identity (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13; Ephesians 5:2)
- The sanctity of life from the moment of conception, grounded in God's personal knowledge and forming of human life from its beginning (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13; Job 31:15; James 3:9)
(Sources: The Didache, "The Two Ways"; Justin Martyr, First Apology; Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Philadelphians; Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans; Cyprian of Carthage, On the Unity of the Catholic Church; John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans 14; Clement of Rome, First Letter to the Corinthians)
What is asked of members
This is not a call to pretence, nor an invitation to uniformity of opinion on every question. It is a call to integrity and reverence: "let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27). In practice this means:
- All members are welcome, regardless of background, personal history, or the stage of theological formation they are at
- Members are not required to disclose personal circumstances, resolve all private questions, or perform convictions they do not yet hold
- Members are asked to honour CAUSA's communal ethos in shared spaces and public representation — to refrain from using membership as a platform to publicly contradict, campaign against, or cause contention to the ethos
- Members are asked to pursue unity, charity, and peace in all communal interaction
- No member will be treated with contempt, or subjected to surveillance of their private life or conscience
The standard is conduct in communal and public spaces — not the private realm of personal conscience. CAUSA does not govern what members believe privately, who they are privately, or what they do in their private lives.
Theological Notes
On "received, not invented": This phrase reflects the classic paradosis (tradition) language of the New Testament (1 Corinthians 11:2;undefinedThessalonians 2:15; Jude 3). It signals that CAUSA's moral commitments are not a culture-war posture but a participation in the historic deposit of faith.
On the breadth of the tradition: The moral teachings listed above represent the historic, classical consensus of Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Wesleyan, Baptist, Pentecostal, and Evangelical Christianity across the centuries, the received teaching of these traditions, even though some individual church bodies have more recently revised their positions. They are not the property of any single denomination, nor a present-day poll of every church.
On members at different stages: The explicit acknowledgment that "members may hold differing convictions or be at different stages of theological understanding" is deliberate. CAUSA is an arts community, not a seminary or a church. The bar for membership is good-faith honour of the ethos in communal life, not doctrinal uniformity.