“With God, all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
May 22, 2025
We often divide Christians into three main categories: conservative, centrist and progressive according to their theological perspectives.
I think that these labels are no longer helpful. It has occurred to me that it might be more helpful to distinguish between those Christians who believe in the power of prayer—that “with God all things are possible”—and those who don’t believe that God listens to our prayers or performs miracles in the world today through the power of the Holy Spirit.
There are some theologically conservative Christians who believe that the healing miracles of Jesus and his followers stopped with the death of the last apostle and God does not perform healing miracles in the world today.
There are some centrist and progressive Christians who believe that the miracles described in the Bible did not actually happen historically but are mythological stories created by the authors of the Bible to encourage belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Some of these theologians believe that today we need to “demythologize” the miracle stories in the Bible to discover the truth that the story is intended to convey even though the miracles did not actually occur.
United Theological Seminary is a seminary where Christians from many different denominations and theological traditions come together. What unites us is our belief that God is still alive and working miracles in our world, especially when we pray together. United is a place that is Spirit filled and prayer fueled.
At the seminary’s spring Board of Trustees meeting, held May 16, we adopted a strategic plan which reaffirmed our vision, mission, values and beliefs.
The vision statement of United Theological Seminary is “Spirit-led leaders, Christ-like Church, transformed world.” This means we seek to produce leaders who are guided by the Holy Spirit and exemplify the teachings of Christ in their churches, which will result in the transformation of the world.
Our mission is to “prepare faithful and fruitful Christian leaders to make disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Our values which help to achieve this vision and mission are commitments to:
- HISTORIC FAITH: We believe that the faith in Jesus Christ passed down to us through the centuries by the fathers and mothers of the Church is crucial for the life and witness of the Church today. The Bible is our centerpiece for theological formation and reflection. Through sacraments, creeds, the writings of great teachers and other resources, we grow in the knowledge and love of the Triune God.
- SCRIPTURAL HOLINESS: We believe in the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit, who helps us to become Christ-like individuals and communities. Holiness is not simply about personal transformation. It is also about transforming the world through faithful discipleship and just action.
- CHURCH RENEWAL: We believe that renewal, whether of individuals, congregations, the Church universal or all creation is the work of the Holy Spirit who is always ready to lead the faithful in this redemptive activity.
I love this about United. We are a place where we believe God is still alive, hears our prayers, and is at work performing miracles in our world today.
I often hear about students who ask for prayers for physical healing and their professors sometimes stop their lectures and invite the class members to join them in laying hands on a person and praying for the miracle of healing. I have seen some students come out of class completely healed of a painful physical condition and giving praise to God.
We are a group of Christian followers of Jesus who believe in the power of prayer, and that miracles still happen because “WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.”
Grace and Peace,
President Kent Millard