1. Introduction
In spite of its name, we are only too aware that our church falls far short of paradise. But we are delighted that you have discovered us and are interested in identifying with us. This brief overview is designed to help you understand the kind of church we are, and where we fit into the denominational scene.
First and foremost we are a Christian church. We believe that Jesus Christ is the final revelation of God to us human beings and that salvation is uniquely found through faith in Him. We see it as our primary task to proclaim Him to the world and follow Him in our lives.
Eden is also an evangelical church. By this we mean that we stand unashamedly on the supreme authority of the Bible. We seek to order all our public teaching and our church practice by its careful study, believing it to be the inspired Word of God. This evangelicalism is by far the most important distinctive in our identity. We eagerly encourage fellowship with all other churches that share our commitment to the Bible.
We are also a church in the reformed tradition. Historically our roots lie in a congregation of non-conformist believers who met in Green Street, here in Cambridge in the 17th century. Subsequently they moved to a Chapel in Fitzroy Street, which was rebuilt in the mid-19th century and finally incorporated into the Grafton Centre shopping mall in the early 1980's. Since then we have been based at our present chapel building on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Fair Street. Throughout its long history our congregation has reflected the confessional stance of the Calvinistic independent wing of the Protestant reformation.
Finally, we are a baptistic church. We believe that baptism, as the sign of regeneration and the new covenant, is properly applied only to Christian believers. Believers‘ baptism is a condition of church membership. We recognise that this issue has been divisive among Christians so we seek to discharge our conscience in this matter with discretion and sensitivity. Hence, since June 2022, an application for membership will be considered from someone who has been a regular attendee at Eden for at least one year and who was christened as an infant and who, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Elders, sincerely believes this to have fulfilled the command of Christ to be baptised such that he or she cannot in good conscience submit to believers’ baptism. We also open our communion table to guests who are communicant members of other evangelical churches, irrespective of whether they have been baptised as an adult or not.
In outlining these distinctives we want to stress that Eden is a warm-hearted and tolerant-minded church. Our philosophy is that of the apostle Paul:
“...by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2)
Furthermore, in all other matters we as a church aim to give the maximum liberty to our members, consistent with the maintenance of church order and unity. Accordingly we have not formed any defined position as a church on questions like the charismatic movement, creationism, the millennium, etc. You will find a considerable spectrum of opinions on such issues among regular Eden attenders. Our goal in all matters of controversy is to demonstrate mutual love and maintain the unity of the Spirit.
We hope you will feel that Eden is a church that witnesses faithfully and biblically to Jesus Christ, and that within its fellowship you will be able to grow in your knowledge of Him.
2. Marriage
Our Basis of Faith sets out that the Bible is the final authority for all matters of belief and practice. The Church upholds that the teaching of the Bible is that marriage is between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, Ephesians 5:31-33) and that all sexual practices outside of marriage between a man and a woman are sinful and wrong. This includes homosexual practices (Romans 1:24-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) regardless of whether or not homosexual marriage is permitted by the laws of England and Wales.
As a member of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC), this Church holds to the Doctrinal Distinctives on Same-Sex Marriage adopted by the FIEC on this issue. This is available on the FIEC website (https://fiec.org.uk/who-we-are/beliefs/same-sex-marriage).
3. Gender
We recognise that God created us male and female and calls us to live according to our gender identity, which is inseparable from our biological sex determined at conception. Our gender cannot be changed or reassigned. This is in line with the Doctrinal Distinctives adopted by the FIEC.
4. Women in Ministry
This Church’s position is that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life and church leadership. We affirm that men and women are of equal worth before God and a range of important ministries remains open to women.
This Church holds to the Doctrinal Distinctives on Women in Ministry adopted by the FIEC in their Statement on this issue. This is available on the FIEC website (https://fiec.org.uk/who-we-are/beliefs/women-in-ministry).
5. Gospel Unity
As a member of the FIEC, this Church holds to the Doctrinal Distinctives on Gospel Unity adopted by the FIEC in their Statement on this issue. (https://fiec.org.uk/who-we-are/beliefs/gospel-unity).