DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

New College Madison stands in the broad stream of orthodox Christian faith and practice, in what C. S. Lewis termed Mere Christianity. "What most Christians, at most times and places, have believed..." is stated classically in the Apostle's and the Nicene Creeds and is expressed in more recent terms in such creedal affirmations as the Westminster Confession and the 39 Articles of the Church of England. The board and staff of New College Madison adhere to these expressions of the Christian faith and commend them to the larger university community.

Given our theological commitment, however, it is important to note that our conferences, lectures and seminars are open to those living out of a wide variety of creedal affirmations, as well as to those who are not aware that they are living out of any credal or religious tradition at all. We take all comers in our various programs, as long as they are willing to enter into dialogue with us on the issues of the day and to participate in that "fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth may be found." (From a statement by the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents in 1894).

We are aware that our position is a minority one within the ideological mix that is the contemporary university. Yet we feel that traditional Christian faith, rightly understood and expressed in our particular setting, has much to offer to the life of the university community. As Reinhold Niebuhr noted in his Gifford Lectures (delivered just as World War II was about to engulf Europe), the church's dual fight against idolatry and injustice, and its struggle to form a new and more life-giving community within the chaos and disintegration of modern civilization, is very much needed.

It is our conviction that what Niebuhr observed in 1939 is still true today, in our different (but nevertheless very challenging and threatening) setting, and it is in this spirit that we offer our presence, participation and programs to the University of Wisconsin-Madison community and the larger society of which it is a part.