BELIEFS
What we believe.
rooted in the creeds. walking in the way.
GoodLion School of Discipleship is built around practicing the way of Jesus, together, in Yukon / Oklahoma City.
We believe that to be an apprentice of Jesus is to order your life around three goals: be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did — all by the power of the Spirit.
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statement of faith
We believe this.
GoodLion stands in the stream of historic Christian faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.
One GodWe believe in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The FatherWe believe God the Father created heaven and earth, and that all things exist by his love, wisdom, and power.
The SonWe believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully human. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived without sin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose bodily from the dead. He ascended to the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead and make all things new.
The SpiritWe believe in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, who convicts, comforts, empowers, sanctifies, and forms the people of God into the likeness of Jesus.
ScriptureWe believe the Scriptures are true, trustworthy, and authoritative. They tell one unified story that leads to Jesus and trains us to live as faithful witnesses to the Kingdom of God.
The ChurchWe believe the Church is the body of Christ, called to worship God, proclaim the gospel, make disciples, practice forgiveness, serve the poor, pursue holiness, and bear witness to the coming renewal of all things.
SalvationWe believe salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection reconcile sinners to God and open the way into new creation.
HumanityWe believe God created humanity male and female in his image, and that the historic Christian vision for sex and marriage is a covenant union between one man and one woman. We also believe every person bears God’s image and must be treated with dignity, compassion, truth, and love.
The KingdomWe believe Jesus is Lord, and his Kingdom is already breaking into the world. His people are called to live now as citizens of that Kingdom while we wait for him to make all things new.
three goals
Be with. Become like. Do what he did.
All by the power of the Spirit.
Be with Jesus.
Discipleship begins with communion. Before we do anything for Jesus, we learn to be with him.
Become like Jesus.
The goal of formation is love: becoming people whose inner lives, habits, desires, and actions are slowly transformed into the likeness of Christ.
Do what Jesus did.
Jesus sends his disciples to embody his kingdom in the world: proclaiming good news, practicing mercy, resisting evil, serving the poor, forgiving enemies, and bearing witness to the Father.
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how we hold it
Convictions that shape the room.
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Jesus-centered reconstruction
GoodLion is evangelistic and Jesus-centered. We believe Jesus is the Savior of the world, the source of truth, and the true King.
Many people are deconstructing inherited faith, often for understandable reasons: shallow theology, unanswered questions, spiritual abuse, or failures of leadership. We do not want to mock those questions or rush people past them. We want to help people rebuild a faith centered on Jesus, rooted in Scripture, and strong enough to endure.
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Historic Christian faith
GoodLion stands within historic Christian orthodoxy. We affirm the central truths of the Christian faith: the Triune God, the authority of Scripture, the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus, salvation by grace, the work of the Spirit, the church, and the hope of new creation.
We hold a high view of Scripture. We believe the biblical authors wrote with meaning and intention, and that faithful interpretation requires humility, context, church history, careful exegesis, and attention to the whole story of the Bible.
We read Scripture as one unified story that leads to Jesus. We believe Jesus is the Word made flesh, the only Savior, and the true King. His Kingdom is already breaking into the world, and not yet fully here, so disciples of Jesus live now as witnesses to the coming renewal of all things.
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Theological depth with charity
GoodLion is a school of theology rooted in historic Christian faith, centered on Jesus, and committed to Scripture.
Students come from different church backgrounds and may hold different views on secondary issues. Aaron teaches from his own convictions, but the room is designed for careful Bible study, charitable discussion, and honest questions around the parts of theology where faithful Christians have long disagreed.
We also invite guest teachers who do not agree with Aaron on every detail, because we want students to see what healthy disagreement can look like in the church.
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Truth and love
We place a high value on truth and love. The internet rewards outrage, speed, and contempt, but that is not the way of Jesus. Around our room, we want to tell the truth without cruelty, listen before we answer, and practice charity toward those who disagree.
We believe the church is bigger than any one evangelical movement, denomination, or network. We want students to honor faithful Christians who differ on secondary matters while staying rooted in the core truths of historic Christian faith.
what we are
Practicing the way of Jesus, together.
Our dream is that as we live this way, our lives, our churches, and our city will be transformed, and Jesus’ prayer would be realized in our time: that the Father’s kingdom would come in Oklahoma as it is in heaven.
We are not a church, and we are not a replacement for one. We are a school of apprentices: young adults, mentors, pastors, and ordinary disciples gathered to learn, wrestle, and follow Jesus.