October 19, 2022

There are many directions we could take in applying Jason’s teaching about the Apostle’s Creed - but a few salient points stood out to me while I listened from the back.

First - its origin in the context of gathered worship speaks volumes concerning the foundational importance of worship in the Church. We should not take Sunday morning lightly.

Second - we can, by examining the content of the creed, tease apart the difference between unity and uniformity. The unity of the Church is shaped by Christ, through the power of his word in Scripture. Because of what God has done in Christ - all Christians share a common identity regardless of our history, nation, or economic contexts. Uniformity tends more to do with matters of expression or application. Two churches that hold to the truths confessed in the Apostle’s Creed but differ in their expressions of worship remain united in Christ, even though there is a lack of uniformity between the two congregations.

The creeds help us address an oft-cited critique of post-reformation Christianity, that the number of denominations is evidence concerning the lack of unity in the Church. Although we are not uniform in our convictions or expressions of worship - we can still point to the unity of the Church that speaks these creeds regularly, and that is a wonderful thing.

-Matt Allhands