Well Dave I guess I will be the black sheep with the traditional churchly answer. I strongly believe that Athanasias hit it on the head with the Nicene Creed. I feel strongly like those are the essentials and if the church is ever to experience unity it will be over those words. (posted on blog by a reader)
Andrew, I have been thinking about your comments, and have been slow to respond in writing as I have been preoccupied in setting up a team to go to Haiti. Here are my thoughts:
I think the Nicene Creed is great, and agree with it, but what happened for the first three centuries before it was agreed upon? If people then, and today, don’t agree with all the points, through ignorance or through false teaching, are they then rejected by God?
And why the Nicene Creed? What is the authority, the evidence, that this is “it”? Is it your personal judgment or sense of correctness? Is it a pragmatic decision? Is it a faith based on the collective wisdom of the church throughout the ages? Is the church infallible? Many of my Evangelical friends would want to avoid a creed, and would simply cling to “the Word”? But what interpretation and whose list? What version of the Bible is correct? What books should be included?
Things are too gray and murky for us to be so sure of much. I think Jesus was trying to give us some direction when he said, “Love God; love your neighbor: all the commandments are wrapped up in these.” This, I believe is the common denominator; recognition, submission and dedication to the Creator (Jesus, whether we know his name or not), and the practical out flowing of service to the image of the Creator in our fellow man. This works for Noah, Abraham, Nebuchadnezzar, Cornelius, and for those around the world without the knowledge that we have.
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