Our Practice
Summary of how we view the Christian life
God created the heavens and the earth and pronounced His creation "good" (Gen. 1:31). Therefore, we live in the world He created and do not feel guilt about enjoying what He made.
Our beliefs are to guide not only our thought, bringing every thought captive to Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 10:5) but to offer up our entire lives as an act of worship: all things are to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, not just the "religious" things.
Given our roots on the Protestant Reformation, we would reject as medieval monastic tendencies the trend toward separation from the world. We are to be in the world, like salt and light, yet entirely of Christ's spiritual kingdom not made with hands. We have a dual citizenship, one in this world, one in the world to come.
If you are new to the Reformed faith, you may find Calvinists seem "worldly" as they generally do not speak in "christianese" nor view drinking and smoking in moderation as sins, as these are gifts God gave for our enjoyment. We wholeheartedly reject the notion of a Christian subculture in favor of the Creation ordinance to "rule and subdue" (Gen. 1:28). Christians, rather than cloistering in Christian groups, Christian music, Christian bowling leagues, ought to strive to be cultural elites and take back culture from the forces of wickedness that arise out of the natural state of the fallen human heart. It has been said, "preach the Gospel, and use words if necessary."
This tendency to enjoy Christian liberty is also rooted in our understanding of the Covenant of Grace, that God's Commandments, while not able to save us, are commandments we want to keep out of a heart of love and gratitude for what Jesus has done for us. Practically, this means Reformed people would not go out to eat on Sunday in deference to the Fourth Commandment and therefore do not need to invent unbiblical commandments -- "taste not, touch not" -- nor embrace unbiblical doctrines like the "age of accountability".
Furthermore, we do not generally speak of "ministries". It is true there is a "holy calling" for the minister of the Gospel, a full time vocation, but all work, whether a minister preaching from the pulpit or a worker digging a trench for a new city sewer line, is equally honorable before the Creator.
