When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the spiritual bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the church, the separate and equal station to which the Bible and God Himself entitle them, our mutual respect requires that we should declare the causes which coerce us to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain inalienable gifts, and that among these are eternal life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness through Christ Jesus.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that churches long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and experience has shown that mankind is more willing to suffer under the tyranny of complacency, because it's easier than to make it right by abolishing the things to which they have become accustomed. But when a long train of abuses of both the Bible and the people in the Name of Christ present themselves, it is our right, it is our duty to throw off such churches, and to provide new guardians of the truth for the future of the lost world.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these people; and such is now the necessity which compels them to alter their former churches. The history of the church in the beginning is not a history of abuses; it was a history of love, taught by Christ Himself for all people. Now it is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having, whether directly or indirectly established a tyranny over these people. To prove this, let the facts of this tyranny be submitted to a candid world.
• Truth is no longer external and absolute.
• Hell is not real.
• The Devil doesn’t exist.
• All religions lead to God.
• Being ‘good’ is enough to get to heaven.
• The Bible says it’s true but let’s take a look at the other options just to make sure.
• The families that pray and study the Bible together are freaks.
• Worship can only happen in a church building.
• Spiritual and moral accountability are omitted.
• The preachers, missionaries and Sunday School teachers are the only ones who are supposed to tell people about Jesus.
• Success is determined by what you have and what people think of you when you die.
• The people we love are the highest priority of life.
• Serving and glorifying God is a part time job.
• A discriminatory attitude is prevalent.
• Hypocrisy runs rampant.
• Disappointment is extensive.
• Jealousy is uncontrolled.
• Envy is widespread.
• Fear is a raging epidemic.
• Discouragement is unchecked.
• Giving up and quitting are the norm.
In every stage of these oppressions we have cried out to God for purification from these tyrannies in the most humble terms, and our repeated prayers have been answered in that we must separate ourselves from such tyranny. A church, whose character is marked in this way, by every act in which we may define the world itself, is unfit to be the spiritual compass of a free people.
Nor have we ignored our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have warned them over and over of our attempts to help reconcile the church in accordance with the Bible while jumping in and serving wherever needed only to be told that what we were doing wasn't wanted, at least not in the way we were doing it. Their teaching, while in most cases Biblical, has failed to satisfy the hunger for God's word we feel and long to fulfill. We have reminded them of the circumstances of the Church in the Bible and our duty to both the saved and the lost. We have appealed to their sense of conviction and generosity of spirit, and we have pleaded with them by the ties of our common faith to renounce these abuses, which, would inevitably interrupt our relationships and walk with God. But they have been deaf to the still small voice of God and the voices of their spiritual brethren. We must, therefore, concede to the necessity, of our separation, and hold them, as unintentional enemies of Christ.
We, therefore, the representatives of Christ in this world, in conference and in concert, appeal to the Supreme Judge of the world for the integrity of our intentions, do in the Name and Authority of Christ solemnly publish and declare, that the true Church is and has the right to be free from any and all tyranny; that they are released from all allegiance to the self-styled church, and that all traditional connection between them and the church, is and ought to be dissolved; and that as representatives of Christ, they have full power to levy war against Satan, conclude peace with likeminded brethren, contract alliances and establish social commerce, give God the glory and to do anything else that might further the Kingdom of God. For the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on God's will for our lives and the lives of others, we mutually pledge to make Christ the center of our lives and become the Church God intended.