Statement of Faith

This page says what we believe and what that means for the books we publish. If you’re thinking of sending us a proposal, please read it first.

The historic Christian faith

We gladly confess the faith of the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, as Christians have for more than fifteen centuries. Their texts are below. With them, we believe:

• One God in three persons. There is one God, holy, loving and eternal, who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, one in nature, power and glory.
• Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became fully human without ceasing to be fully God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived without sin, died on the cross to atone for the sins of the world, rose bodily from the dead, ascended to the Father, and will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
• The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is fully God. He convicts the world of sin, brings new birth, makes believers holy, and guides and empowers the church.
• Scripture. The books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, fully inerrant in their original manuscripts, and our final authority for what we believe and how we live. They contain everything necessary for salvation.
• Salvation. All people have sinned and need a Savior. God offers salvation to everyone, by grace, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Those who believe are forgiven, born again and adopted into God’s family.
• Holiness. God calls his people to be holy. The Spirit who gives new birth goes on making believers holy in heart and life, so that they grow in love for God and their neighbors and in obedience to his Word.
• The church. The church is the body of Christ, the community of all true believers, called to worship, to make disciples, and to celebrate baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
• The last things. Christ will return in person. All the dead will be raised bodily and judged: the righteous to eternal life with God, the unrepentant to eternal separation from him.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

“Catholic” here means universal: the whole church of Jesus Christ in every place and time.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made; being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man. He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. On the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Across the evangelical church

We’re glad to work with authors from across the evangelical church. Christians who love Jesus and trust the Bible disagree about many secondary questions, and you don’t have to share every one of our views to publish with us. Books that make the case for one tradition’s distinctives are usually better served by other publishers; our note on theology says more.

Life, marriage and the body

On these questions we hold the historic Christian teaching drawn from Scripture. We hold it with conviction, and we try to hold it with love, knowing that every reader is someone Christ died for.

• The sanctity of life. Every human life is a gift from God and sacred from conception to natural death. We oppose abortion, except where the mother’s life is at risk, and we oppose euthanasia. We support compassionate care for the dying, including relief from pain. Christ’s forgiveness is open to everyone, including those who carry regret over these choices.
• Marriage and sexuality. Marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and sexual intimacy belongs within that covenant. Same-sex sexual relationships, and sexual relationships outside marriage, are contrary to God’s design. Experiencing same-sex attraction isn’t itself sin, and we honor believers who live in faithful chastity. We grieve the ways Christians have mocked or mistreated gay and lesbian people, and we reject that cruelty.
• Created male and female. God creates every person in his image, male or female, and our bodies are his gifts to steward. We don’t affirm gender transition. We welcome people who struggle with gender identity, and we want to meet them with humility, patience and the hope of the gospel.
• The dignity of every person. Every human being bears God’s image, whatever their race, nation, age, ability or station, and deserves to be treated with dignity.

What this means for authors

• We publish only books consistent with this statement.
• We won’t publish books that deny the Trinity or the full deity and humanity of Christ, that question the authority of Scripture, or that affirm same-sex marriage, gender transition or abortion. Non-Trinitarian groups, such as Oneness Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Latter-day Saints, hold views we can’t publish.
• When you send a proposal, we’ll ask you to confirm that you’ve read this statement and that your book is consistent with it. If we work together, we’ll ask you to affirm it in writing.
• You don’t need to agree with us on every secondary question, only on what this statement sets out.

If you’re not sure whether your book fits, write to us before you send a proposal. We’d rather tell you plainly up front than waste your time.