Emmanuel Faith & Values

Emmanuel University was established and continues to operate on the basis of several fundamental tenets of the Christian faith. All that we do is driven by what we believe about God, His Son, the Holy Spirit, and His Word. Throughout our campus we would expect one to see the evidence of these beliefs lived out in our classrooms, in our relationships, and in our service.

• We believe the books of the Old and New Testament constitute the Holy Scriptures, which are the divinely inspired and fully authoritative Word of God and are the supreme authority for faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
• We believe in one God who has eternally existed as three equally divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While the persons of this triune Godhead, or Trinity, share equal status and nature, they remain distinct from one another. (Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 6:3; Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:9-11, 25-26; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:9-20; 1 Peter 1:1-5)
• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His atoning death on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. (Mark 1:1; Luke 1:26-35; 1 Peter 2:21-22; Acts 2: 22-24; Philippians 2:5-11; John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 10:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:16)
• We believe in the sinfulness of mankind and the need for all people to be reconciled to God. God’s salvation is freely offered to all and is received by the grace of God through an expression of genuine repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ, who through his perfect life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection paid the price to remove the penalty and power of sin (which is death) and make people children of God. (Romans 3:21-26; 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:4-9; Titus 3:4-7)
• We believe that all Christians are to grow in their relationship with God through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Disciples of Jesus Christ are to live in total reliance upon and full surrender to the Holy Spirit in every area of life, whether it be in the home, the church, or the marketplace. (John 14:15-17, 25-26; 16:13; Acts 2:1-4; Romans 5:10-11; 8:11-14; 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Galatians 6:7-10; Ephesians 5:25; 6:4; James 2:23)
• We believe the church is a local community of baptized followers of Christ who are unified through their common faith in and union with Christ. The local church is committed to the obedience to and declaration of the teachings of Christ in love and the proclamation of the gospel to a lost and dying world. (John 15:4-5; 17:20-21; Acts 2:47; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 4:1-6, 14-16; Hebrews 10:23-25)
• We believe that God creates and values all human life from conception to final breath. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7; 9:6-7; Job 14:5; 33:4; Psalm 8:3-5; 116:15; 139:13-16; Isaiah 44:24; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Matthew 6:26; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

1. We value the body of Christ.

• We seek to love Christ supremely and love others unconditionally, as Christ loves us.
• We practice a lifestyle of worship, including repentance and confession of sin.
• We acknowledge the importance of prayer, both private and corporate.
• We seek to cultivate the spiritual formation and growth of all believers.
• We encourage the diversity of gifts within the body of Christ.
• We acknowledge individual differences and honor diverse traditions among Christians who are seeking to follow biblical truth. 

2. We value the worth of each person as a unique creation of God.

• We respectfully listen to the opinions of others, seeking first to understand and then be understood.
• We endeavor to help everyone discern and fulfill God’s calling upon their lives.
• We demonstrate integrity with each other, confronting rumors, disagreements, and controversy with openness, honesty, and compassion.
• We promote a commitment to a life of Christian service, and we provide opportunities for students and employees to serve locally and globally including a compassionate focus on helping the poor and other marginalized populations.
• We affirm the biblical truth that all people are created equal in the image of God, and therefore reject and renounce hatred and racism in any form.

3. We value Christ-centered higher education that integrates faith and learning.

• We acknowledge Jesus Christ as the ultimate truth and the source of all knowledge. 
• We expect personal integrity within the learning environment and practice personal and professional ethics based on biblical principles in order to reach our full spiritual and intellectual potential.
• We pursue excellence in our academic and co-curricular programs while promoting the spiritual formation of individuals.
• We value teaching and learning as our commitment to God ‘ s calling in our lives. 
• We recognize the place of the liberal arts in our varied educational programs as a necessary building block to developing students as holistic individuals in society.
• We promote critical thinking, speaking and writing clearly, using technology effectively, and developing interpersonal skills based on a biblical worldview.
• We mentor others through our character, actions, and speech.

4. We value our Evangelical/Pentecostal tradition and heritage.

• We believe in the Bible as the fully inspired word of God.
• We believe in the necessity of repentance and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the basis of salvation.
• We are committed to advance God’s kingdom on earth through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
• We train and mentor the future leadership of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church and those from other Christian traditions.
• We influence, engage, and transform the culture through our commitment to biblical truth, independent of societal norms as reflected in our Statement of Faith and Lifestyle expectations.

The biblical foundation for Emmanuel University also leads to a set of lifestyle expectations. Practices that are known to be morally wrong by biblical teachings are not acceptable for members of the Emmanuel University community (Galatians 5:16-21). Such practices include but are not limited to specific behaviors such as drunkenness, stealing, use of slanderous or profane language, cheating, dishonesty, and sexual sins such as premarital sex, adultery, and homosexual behavior.

The University also recognizes that, while the Scriptures do not provide specific teaching regarding all social practices, they do advocate self-restraint in that which is harmful or is offensive to others. Consequently, the University has chosen to adopt certain rules which will contribute to an environment that is appropriate to its objectives and goals and expects members of the Emmanuel University community to refrain from gambling, drinking alcoholic beverages, the use of tobacco products, the use of illegal drugs, and the abusive use of legal drugs.

Emmanuel University views biblical truth, not societal trends, as the basis for establishing moral and ethical norms. As Christ-followers we are called to be salt and light in the world, to be influencers of culture rather than being influenced by it. To this end we strive to be in the world, not of it, and to impact our culture through the promotion of biblical truth, expressed in love, as the means of determining lifestyle choices and expectations.

We recognize there is a difference between biblical truth and civic values, and although the Bible does not endorse any specific form of government, we are instructed in scripture to obey governing authorities and to be good citizens (Romans 13:1-7). Because Emmanuel University is established in the United States, we acknowledge and support the Constitution of the United States and our national, state, and local governments. We respect other nations and recognize that Christians in other countries have their respective governing authorities to support.

It is our commitment as responsible citizens who serve first, our God and second, our country and communities to teach and instill the ideals of our democracy with our students in ways that God enables us. Among these are to . . .

• Support the blessings and freedoms provided by our democratic system, including freedom of religion,
• Follow the Christian principles of our faith without undue intrusion by governments,
• Support forms of capitalism and free enterprise that are pure and devoid of exploitation and that promote opportunity, independence, free markets, and fair play as a means for people to achieve economic freedom,
• Protect the individual and unalienable rights as stated in the Declaration of Independence and as guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, and
• Advance the cause of freedom throughout the world so that all people live without fear of tyranny and oppression