Essay 78 (6-24-05)

THE APOSTLES' CREED AS COMMON GROUND (1)

I join Alexander Campbell in advocating that this ancient creed, which dates back at least 1500 years, be placed on the table as an expression of our common ground in the Christian faith. It may appear unlike Campbell, who bequeathed to us an anti-creedal heritage ("No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible") to appeal to a creed as a basis for unity. But it was human creeds – "man made" they were dubbed – that our forebears objected to, particularly when they were imposed upon others as tests of fellowship and church membership.

In spite of its name the church has never claimed this creed was actually the work of the apostles themselves. Its claim to integrity is both its antiquity and its reflection of apostolic teaching.

Before we proceed further we reproduce the creed for those who may not have ready access to it.

And the Apostles’ Creed, Campbell observed, is a litany of facts – what God has said and done through Christ. Each proposition is part of the core gospel or emanates from the gospel.

The last phrase is important, for one might be able to recite the creed in general, and yet have reservations about the way some items are stated, such as Christ’s descent into hell or the resurrection of the body. While I would allow latitude to a conscientious sister or brother who is trying to be honest in his or her faith, I would hope that one would not go as far as Prof. Henry Cadbury of Harvard. He said in a class where I was present that when it came to reciting the Apostles’ Creed he joins in when it says, "Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead, and buried." That is all of the creed he believed, at least in reference to what it says about Christ. Being a theist he would have confessed faith in God.

The creed has variously read "I believe . ." and "We believe . . ." And it can be both personal and communal. Our faith may sometimes waver, and yet we remain a part of the community of faith. There may be a time when one can say We when he can’t say I. In times of doubt we can let the church believe for us. This is when a struggling faith is hanging on, perhaps victoriously.

The creed is an extension of the trinitarian formula in Mt. 28:19 – "baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." And so the creed falls into these three categories, with a few attending affirmations. In this series my comments will follow these headings.

Jesus and the early church – Jesus in particular – gave special meaning to God as Father. While the prophets had extolled God as "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts" and "The Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silent before him," Jesus spoke of God in endearing and intimate – even "down to earth" – terms. God is there in "the secret place" when one prays, and "your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Mt. 6:6). And "your Father knows the things you have need of even before you ask him" (Mt. 6:7).

To Jesus God is not only the seeking and the welcoming Father, but one who goes after the lost child. He is like the good shepherd who pursues a lost sheep, a concerned woman in search of a displaced coin, and like a compassionate father who hastens to welcome a wayward child back home. "If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children," our Lord went so far as to say, "how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Lk. 11:13)!

But while God is a tender, loving Father, he is also the Almighty, which means he is fully able to do all that he has promised. While God has infinite power, he uses it in love for his creation. It is reassuring that the love of God is backed up by the power of God. Unlike ourselves, who are often frustrated in that we are unable to do what we would like for our loved ones, God is able "to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Eph. 3:20).

The most impressive expression of God’s power is that he created the heavens and the earth. It is noteworthy that when Jesus addressed God in prayer he began,"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth" (Mt. 11:25). We do well to ponder the first claim of the Bible: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." If God is indeed creator and Lord over all creation -– if he created us and not we ourselves – then he justly lays claim to being Lord over our lives.

The creed begins where faith must begin – with God who is the loving Father as well as creator of all things. And is this not the essence of our common ground?

                                                          (To be continued)

Personal

Last week I helped The Worship Place in Jacksonville, Florida celebrate its anniversary. It is an African American congregation with Churches of Christ background. I was impressed when a sister stood before the congregation with a wrapped gift for me – to take home to my wife Ouida. She said the wife of visiting speakers are the forgotten ones, but not this time.

While there I was interviewed by Barclay Key, who is researching race relations in Churches of Christ for a thesis at a Florida university. He asked about my racial attitudes while growing up. I told him there were two cultures – not all that different from now – one white and one black, and that was the case with the churches as well as the rest of society. Ours was a kind of benign racism in that we suffered the blacks while ignoring them. At our white church we gave our worn song books to the black church. And we went to hear R. N. Hogan and Marshall Keeble preach, segregated seating of course. I recalled segregated seating in "street cars," water fountains, and toilets, with the ubiquitous sign "For Colored." But what made the interview interesting is that the black staff at the church was also in on it, and they told their stories. One fact surfaced – they were always aware that they were black in a white man’s world. The pastor told how he worked as a farm hand along with poor whites. While they were served the same lunch, the whites went inside to eat while the blacks stayed outside on the porch – where it was cooler!

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