1956-1957 Academic Catalog

., General Infonliation visible, premillennial return to establish His kingdom on earth and to reign as the Only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 9. We believe that at any moment the rapture of the saved may occur, when ' 'the Lord shall descend from heaven' ' to catch up His people to meet Him in the air, and ' 'so shall we ever be with the Lord. ' ' 10. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead - the saved to a life of eternal glory and bliss in Heaven with God; the 11nsaved to eternal judgment of conscious suffering and woe in the lake of fire. 11. We believe in separation from all worldly practices and in wholehearted devotion to the cause of Christ as the only scriptural basis for a happy and useful Christian life. F or this reason we oppose all indulgences in intoxicating liquors, in dancing, card playing, the narcotic use of tobacco in any for1n, theatre going, membership in secret societies, and all similar practices which detract from a spiritual life. 12. We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to be a personal soul-winner and to do his utmost to give the Gospel of Christ to the whole world. 13. We believe that the true, univer sal Church includes all believers in Christ during this present dispensation and is the body and bride of Christ of which He is the Head. We believe that the local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant, observing the ordinances of Christ, exercising the gifts, privileges, and r esponsibilities given in the New Testament, and following a democr atic and con– gregational type of government. 14. We believe that there are two church ordinances: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful mble1n our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savio1·, and our death to sin and resurrection to a n w life, and that it is prerequisite to local church relation. The Lord's Supper is a men orial s rvice conunemorating His death until He comes, and should b · preced d by believer's baptism and solemn self- xaminat on. 13