In her book Creed or Chaos, Dorothy Sayers observed that “it is worse than useless for Christians to talk about the importance of Christian morality, unless they are prepared to take their stand upon the fundamentals of Christian theology”. This May on the theological round-table program, WHITE HORSE INN (Sun 800, Tue 1430, St 200), the hosts begin a series on the importance of recovering creeds and confessions in contemporary Christianity—Creed or Chaos?
Whether we like it or not, we can’t get away from dogma. Everyone has a creed or a basic way of summarizing what it is the Bible teaches about God or the person and work of Jesus Christ. For the last two thousand years, the church has crystallized various summary statements about the Bible’s most important teachings into clear, short, and easy-to-memorize statements that outline the most crucial and non-negotiable aspects of the Christian faith. Reciting them publicly during our worship services allows “the pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) to become part of our new identity. Knowing the ancient creeds help us determine whether our beliefs and assumptions are faithful and accurate reflections of the Christian faith, or something altogether different.
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he didn’t tell his disciples to go into all the world in order to induce authentic worship experiences with the proper use of stage lighting, fog machines, and powerful sound systems. He also didn’t encourage his followers merely to make one-time converts, but rather he said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). The series concludes by taking a look at the church’s role in making lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.
