About Celtic Christianity
What We Believe
We hold to the following tenets as a Community of Believers:
1). Hope - Looks first for the good rather than the evil in all things.
"And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." -Genesis 1:31
"And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." -I Corinthians 13:13
_________________________________________
2). Equality - Of men and women, clergy and laity.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus." -Galatians 3:28
"You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." -I Peter 2:5
_________________________________________
3). Mystery - The Infinite God cannot be fully comprehended or explained by finite man.
"Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen." -I Timothy 6:16
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." -I Timothy 3:16
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? ...For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." -Romans 11:34-36
_________________________________________
4). Environment - Stewardship of God's Creation.
"Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." -Genesis 2:15
"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." -Psalm 8:6-8
_________________________________________
5). Holism - Awareness of the sacred in all times and places; refusal to compartmentalize life.
"And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up." -Deuteronomy 6:6-7
_________________________________________
6). Immanence - God is present with His Creation.
"For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be the glory for ever. Amen." -Romans 11:36
"That they should seek the Lord...though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being;" -Acts 17:27-28 _________________________________________
7). Simplicity - Emphasis on the "main and plain" basic essential doctrines: The Nicene Creed.
"But I fear, lest by any means...your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
-II Corinthians 11:3
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"
Who We Are
We desire to be a family of sojourners in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, seeking community with others who may not "fit in" with the teachings or dogma of traditional Christian denominations.
We are a family of believers that do not adhere to endless lists of dogmatic instruction, but find beauty in diversity of spiritual thought.
We encourage our friends and family to engage in all areas of spiritual thought and practice. There are many wells by which a person can drink the of the goodness of The Lord. No matter your religious background there is room for your spiritual process here.
.jpg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1209,h:605,cg:true)
What is Celtic Christianity?
Celtic Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages. None, some or all of the following Celtic practices may be observed by those in this community:
Celtic Christians are generally members of non-centralized abbeys and devote themselves to whichever aspects of Celtic Christianity appeal to them within the context of their spiritual journey. These include:
- A love of nature and the practice of seeing God’s character and glory in His creation (without devolving into pantheism). A conviction to care for creation often follows.
- An acknowledgement of the divine feminine. Women can have authority in the church, ordain and consecrate.
- The belief that marriage is a sacrament that should be available to all clergy.
- A monastic life, whether in a specific monastery or within a family and a private life, but overseen by a spiritual leader.
- The blurring of the line between sacred and the physical- the belief that one’s spiritual life and worldly life should be combined and never separated.
- The belief of the existence of “thin places”: original Celtic Christians continued the pagan, Druidic belief that specific geographical locations provided a closer view of the spirit world; with Christianity, these places became sacred sites where worshipers could be closer to the Holy Spirit and receive His guidance.
- Loyalty to family, extended family, and “tribe,” combined with a welcoming hospitality to everyone.
- Small abbeys, often meeting in rented spaces, as the center of religious life. (Or in our case, the internet!)
- A love of art and music.
- Veneration of particularly Celtic saints, such as St. Brigid, St. Columba, and St. Patrick.
- The use of an Anam Chara, or “soul friend,” as a mentor to guide an initiate into the practice of Celtic worship.
Celtic Christianity is more about the expression of faith than the definition of theology.