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Christian Thought classes at Southern Nazarene University often begin with the class reciting aloud the Apostles' Creed.
"Next to Scripture, the statement of faith most often used to communicate the
essence of Christianity is the Apostles' Creed. For the Early Church, it provided a touchstone to
guide both evangelism and discipleship in a vast world of
diverse cultures and beliefs"
-- cover blurb on
A Layman's Guide to the Apostles' Creed by H. Ray Dunning
The doctrinal statements of all evangelical Christian churches build on this ancient statement of belief that began to take form around 125 A.D. The Nicene Creed was formulated a couple of centuries later. It is longer and responds to heretical preaching about Jesus Christ. The Articles of Faith of the Church of the Nazarene are good examples of modern affirmations of faith.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin
Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He
descended into Hades;
The third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into
heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence, He
shall
come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Church universal,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.1
That's always a key question, isn't it? No, it probably won't show up on a test. But we'll say it often enough in class to make many of its phrases stick in your long-term memory.
The Apostles Creed was a clear rejection of the teaching of the Gnostics who argued that Jesus could not have been fully human. It seems to have been written to declare that Jesus of Nazareth was fully human, not just some ghostly apparition. Though brief, the idea of God as Triune can also be seen in this early creed.
1The Apostles' Creed was not originally written in English. Since this is a translation, several versions with slightly different wording do exist. This version is from the hymnal Sing to the Lord.
Why was the Apostles' Creed written? The Apostles' Creed versus Gnosticism
Piece of trivia: The name "Nicene Creed" is derived from the name of the city where the council met that first adopted it (Nicea in modern-day Turkey),
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him, all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin
Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the
Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Christian Thought was one of Southern Nazarene University's "General Education" courses. Required for all students, it was a basic, introductory Christian doctrine/theology course taught from a Wesleyan-Arminian perspective.
"We do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" -- 2 Corinthians 4:2
See samples of devotional reflections I've written
There are many church congregations where the Sunday morning attendance is no larger than our class. Leading our class in our devotional time will prepare you to be a leader in your church.
Tempted to cheat on schoolwork? Before you do, read SNU's academic integrity policy
Most class assignments will be submitted online via Moodle.
| Writing Standards Most courses at SNU contain a writing component. I expect students to produce written work that is focused, well developed, organized, and relatively free of grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. Papers falling short of this standard will not be graded. That work may be returned to the students for further revision and resubmission. See my writing checklist. |
-- Howard Culbertson,
In Christianity, a creed is a formal statement of faith that summarizes the core beliefs of a Christian community. Creeds are declarations of what people believe. They are often recited in communal worship settings such as church services or ceremonies. They articulate fundamental theological truths and unify believers around shared doctrines. The most well-known Christian creeds are the Apostles' Creed (2th or 3rd century) and the Nicene Creed (325 AD). Others include the Chalcedonian Creed (451 AD), the Creed of Constantinople (381 AD), the Creed of Ephesus (431 AD), and the Athanasian Creed (4th or 5th century). These all emerged at different points in the early centuries of Christian history to address specific theological controversies and clearly establish orthodox beliefs. These creeds affirm beliefs in the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the nature of salvation, and other central aspects of Christian doctrine.
Christian creeds serve several important purposes and hold significant value within the faith. Here are some key aspects:
| Professors in the SNU School of Theology and Ministry believe that in Christ alone God has definitively and finally revealed Himself . . . [ read more ] |