Our Beliefs
What are we?
Foremost, it is best to establish what we are not. The Christian Furry Fellowship is not a church and it is not intended to be a replacement for church. The CFF is not a church because there are certain “church things” we simply cannot and are not equipped to do. We strongly urge everyone to find a local church that teaches properly from the Bible and where the rituals ordained by Christ, such as baptism and the Lord’s Supper, are properly administered.
So if the CFF is not a church, what is it? Well, the CFF focuses on being a ministry to the furry fandom. As such, the CFF is a safe haven for Christians and non-Christians, furries, and those who are not part of the fandom, to learn about and get to know Jesus for themselves, and to experience His forgiveness and love.
We are governed by a set of theological affirmations; in other words, everything we do here is guided in attitude and action by our statements of belief and practice, which in turn are grounded in the Scriptures.
We are Christian
Firstly, we are Christians. That itself sets us apart from the world’s religions and faith-systems. Christians are those who have accepted the grace of God, been born into his family, and serve and trust Jesus, surrendering our lives to Him. As Christians, we are faithful and conform our lives to the Holy Bible, which produced both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds – accurate affirmations of foundational Christian truths proclaiming about God, who He is, and what He has done.
There are many good and godly ministries who would stop with the historic creeds, but the leadership of the Christian Furry Fellowship understands that they were the product of specific controversies of the time. So while the creeds are accurate explanations of Christian belief, they are not comprehensive or exhaustive in their scope. In the case of the Nicene Creed especially, Christians generally rejected it for many years. There are many things in historic, orthodox Christianity that simply are not addressed by the Creeds, and it would be irresponsible to merely mention the historic Creeds and stop at that.
In summary, Christian simply means that we have submitted our lives to the leadership of Jesus Christ.
We are Evangelical
Secondly, we call ourselves evangelical. Unfortunately, the term “evangelical” has taken on a lot of political and religious meanings as of late, but despite the baggage that has swirled around our cultural climate recently, we only affirm the classical meaning of evangelical Christianity.
Emphasizes Life Change:
- Lives need to be transformed through a “born-again” experience and a life long process of following Jesus. This transformation is either practical or potential (as in the case of someone growing up in the faith) but is authentic either way.
Prioritizes the Bible:
- We place a high regard for and obedience to the Bible as the ultimate authority for how we know about spiritual birth and what it looks like in practice.
Prompts Responsible Action:
- Having one’s life relationally connected with Jesus results in outward expression and demonstration of the gospel in missionary and social reform efforts.
Focused on the Cross:
- At the heart of the Faith is the humbling and loving knowledge that sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as makes possible the redemption of humanity.
We are Missional
Thirdly, the Christian Furry Fellowship is missional. This is just a big word that means we acknowledge, celebrate, and obey the command we have from Jesus to go into the world to make more people who love Him, trust Him, and obey Him. We are to do this in the best, most culturally relevant ways that we’ve been granted in our place in history. Simply put, out of thankfulness for what we have received from God, we then go out and let others know they can receive the very same gift. Our aim is to serve Jesus by serving others.
We are Post-Denominational
Finally we are post-denominational. We don’t stop at simply being non-denominational or inter-denominational. Instead, we strive for unity among the different Christian traditions: denominational differences between those firmly within historic Christian belief are not the same thing as sinful, destructive disunity. Because people are limited in their knowledge and perspectives, and because God has decided to work within a limited existence for a time, differences in understanding will arise. These differences are used by God to foster communication and wisdom between groups of Christians that may not feel a need or want to interact.
We celebrate our denominations, knowing Christ is glorified the most when we worship and serve in unity with one another. We only draw “lines in the sand” where God has clearly demonstrated and affirmed is where he draws His line in the sand.
The Creeds
The CFF, as an organization, confesses the following creeds:
We believe that the Holy Scriptures (properly understood) are the primary and final authority in matters of faith and morals. We believe in salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Sexual Ethics
Due to the nature of the Fandom, it is necessary to state the CFF’s stance regarding sexual activity, sexual attraction, and sensuality, expressly.
We believe that all forms of sexual activity are exclusive to, and only permitted within, the marriage between a man and a woman, as defined biologically. And on the matters of sexual attraction, we believe that simply experiencing such attractions or desires is not inherently sinful, even despite those desires originating from our sinful nature.
In both matters, we firmly believe it is necessary to approach these topics with wisdom and good decision-making, to avoid the trappings of lust and sensuality, and to honor God and genuinely demonstrate love to other people.