Why is the Apostles' Creed important? How was it written? What was its purpose? Why do we need the creed in these modern times when everyone has a Bible? Author Michael F. Bird walks us through the history and the theological lessons of the Creed - that is to say, what he feels Christians ought to believe.
The Apostles' Creed itself is meant to succinctly present the Christian faith in an easy-to-understand and memorise format. This protects the Christian, Bird seems to argue, from the more obvious heresies out there.
I'm not so sure that that's true today in a modern world. I've seen plenty of charismatic preachers building empires for "Jesus" who would ascribe to the theology of the Apostles' Creed. There are also people of variant lifestyles from "gay Christians" to Westboro Baptist Church adherents who would agree that Jesus died and rose again. And yet most mainline Christians would not count either camp as being "Christians" at all!
But I'd definitely agree that there are some basic doctrinal truths contained (if one is not a Oneness Pentecostal, another day perhaps!) in the Apostles' Creed and Bird's book worthy of a good look. I will say that because he delves into history and theology that it would make an excellent Bible study book for small church groups. Worthy of a look if you want a book to think about this summer!
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I never knew there was an Apostles Creed.
ReplyDeleteI just live and treat others the way I'd like to be treated myself.
Scroll down to the "Church of England" version and I think you know it without realising. :)
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed