# Core Theological Foundation

Our religious practice flows directly from fundamental convictions established through 130 years of faithful witness:

Sacred Axiom: Every person possesses inviolable worth regardless of any human-constructed category, making radical inclusion, protection of the vulnerable, and resistance to oppression religious imperatives binding on our covenantal community.

Religious Authority: Our faith draws from sacred sources commanding love of stranger, celebration of diversity, and resistance to unjust authority—including Jewish/Christian teachings, humanist ethics, earth-centered traditions, and progressive revelation through lived experience.

Covenantal Practice: Through democratic processes spanning decades—Welcoming Congregation (1998), Sanctuary vote (2017), Eighth Principle (2021)—this congregation has formally covenanted to an ongoing practice of our faith within and beyond our walls as a binding religious commitment.