Chi Alpha @ Stanford

The Brief Version

Our core beliefs can be summarized in a few key sentences:

1) God is real.
2) God has revealed Himself in Jesus.
3) The Bible is God’s word.
4) God still does stuff.
5) God ought to be the most important thing in every person’s life.

The Long Version

Our beliefs can be described as orthodox, evangelical, and Pentecostal.

By orthodox, we mean that we affirm the historic declarations of the Christian faith: specifically the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

By evangelical, we mean that we take the Bible seriously and believe that faith is something you have to choose for yourself. There’s a Wikipedia article that explains the nuances.

By Pentecostal, we mean that we believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit includes miracles, and this is an important part of the life of the church. We’re sponsored by the Assemblies of God, the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination (although we welcome students from all backgrounds). Our formal declaration of beliefs is called the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths.

This is a plain-English version of them:
1. WE BELIEVE… the Bible is God’s message to us.
SO WE SEEK… to understand and obey its truth.

2. WE BELIEVE… there is one God who is three persons.
SO WE YEARN… to know Him in all of His complexity and beauty.

3. WE BELIEVE… Jesus is fully God and fully human.
SO WE REJOICE… that Christ can be a bridge between us and God.

4. WE BELIEVE… people, throughout history, have sinned against God.
SO WE ARE… deeply aware that we too are marked by willful disobedience.

5. WE BELIEVE… God extends forgiveness to us through Christ.
SO WE REPENT…. and rejoice in our forgiveness.

6. WE BELIEVE… God offers freedom from sin’s grasp.
SO WE LIVE… lives that are pleasing to God.

7. WE BELIEVE… followers of Jesus must be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
SO WE EXPECT… supernatural power in our daily lives.

8. WE BELIEVE… that God can heal both the body and the heart.
SO WE PRAY… with faith and hope.

9. WE BELIEVE… the mark of surrender to the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.
SO WE PRAY… that God would grant us this supernatural gift.

10. WE BELIEVE… in the Church.
SO WE LIVE… in this community of faith, inviting others to join us.

11. WE BELIEVE… God gives leaders as gifts to His Church.
SO WE SERVE… those whom the Lord entrusts to us.

12. WE BELIEVE… God commands his followers to celebrate communion and baptism.
SO WE PRACTICE… these symbolic actions, reflecting on their significance.

13. WE BELIEVE… Jesus will return to claim His Church.
SO WE LIVE… in expectancy of his coming.

14. WE BELIEVE… Christ will one day be seen clearly as King on earth.
SO WE LIVE… as citizens of His Kingdom now.

15. WE BELIEVE… God is the ultimate Judge.
SO WE LIVE… knowing that our choices will echo through eternity.

16. WE BELIEVE… we will live with God forever.
SO WE LIVE… with hope regardless of our circumstances.

Our name was inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:20, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Taking the concept of Christ’s Ambassadors, our founders chose to make our name sound similar to the names of honor societies popular at the time we were established (1953). Hence, Christ’s Ambassadors was rendered as Chi Alpha (XA).

Given that we have Greek initials for a New Testament phrase, you might assume that our initials actually stood for the Greek phrase in question.

Oddly enough, you would be wrong.

If you look at the Greek words in 2 Corinthians 5:20 (alternate site), you will notice the word that is translated as ambassadors is presbeuo. Being bright, you will instantly notice that this word doesn’t begin with an alpha (a).

Fortunately, some resourceful Greek-speaker decided XA could also stand for the Greek phrase Christou Apostoloi, which means Christ’s Messengers or Christ’s Sent Ones, which is really pretty similar to the idea of Christ’s Ambassadors anyway…

And it was just so that Chi Alpha got its name…