"Growing into our Convictions"
Over the last two weeks, we talked about the connection between faith and doubt. I suggested that the greater a person’s faith is, the greater his/her doubt will be. Think about it, only Christians stay up at night worrying about whether or not God exists. Atheists, on the other-hand, don’t lose much sleep considering the matter. We also discussed that what we say we believe, our faith, takes faith, effort or strength, to believe it. Finally, we discussed that our theology (thoughts about God) must be more than something in our heads, it must be something that we can be seen in our lives or actions.
On to this week: When I first shared the vision of my teaching a Young Adults' Sunday school class, people asked what I would teach. At first, I thought, "well...I might adapt some of my youth Bible studies.” Thankfully, I kept thinking. After all, its not like you're not youth anymore! Next, I thought about teaching a book in the Bible. Later, I considered talking about current events. I even considered simply fielding you're questions each week. Finally, it hit me or rather God hit me (not literally, God had a thing for smiting people back in the Old Testament, but I am talking here about revelation) that I didn't need to teach anyone about a book or a topic. What I needed to do was to give others the tools to study for themselves...to think theologically. Therein lays the philosophy for this class or at least my approach. That being said, the question remained how one teaches people to think theologically. Well, you're adults...so there is no need to feed you baby food...you're more than ready for something more solid. So...I decided that at the start of this class I would teach you to think theologically the same way I was taught…back when I was at Duke...using the creeds of the church.
This week's lesson; from The Life We Claim: The Apostles' Creed for Preaching, Teaching, and Worship by Dr. James C. Howell. To purchase the book, click here.
Questions for Discussion:
Why study this Creed, why not another one?
Creeds are those things we say each Sunday. We print them in the bulletin. They are even in our hymnals. Yet, do we ever stop to consider that those words represent and remind us of who we are as Christians and what it is that we say we believe? Do we ever stop and think, "Hey, what do all these words mean?" What is so important about us knowing the meaning of these words? Share an experience of when you might have had one of these thoughts. (Note: You can share these questions with our group by email or on our blog site. I want your questions so I can respond to them as we go.)
Why was the Apostles Creed even written? For that matter, why was any creed written?
Is our faith (our beliefs) an inheritance (something we receive from others) or a treasure (something we ourselves discovered) or both?
Some would argue that increasingly people are interested in traditions or our connection to the past. Still, others would have you believe that you shouldn't trust traditions. So, who is right? Where do you stand on the issue of tradition?
What are some benefits of tradition? What are some drawbacks?
By even saying the creed how are we becoming part of something greater than us?
L. Gregory Jones (Dean of Duke Divinity School) once said in a lecture, "Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living." What are your thoughts on this quote?
Howell talks in this week's lesson about how the Apostles' Creed was used as a sort of Q&A for those coming into the faith. A creed (from the Latin word credo, meaning “I believe") is a statement of what a person or group believes. So, is a creed, such as the Apostles' Creed, providing a boundary for beliefs (i.e., that which can be said and you still be considered a Christian) or is it a barrier (i.e., if you don't say this you're not a Christian)?
"'I believe' is not the same as saying 'I feel' or 'I want' or 'I think,'" how is this true?
Nicholas Lash wrote that "I believe" is the same as saying "I promise." When we say "I believe" we are not saying "It is my opinion." No, we are saying that this is true; I promise that I believe this. Share your thoughts on this statement?
There have been Pagan cults and religions throughout history, not one has a creed! Why is this? Why was it then so important for the Church to have their act together, in other words, to state what they believed?
What does it say about the Church's care for the truth? What is gained by having a core set of beliefs or a standard? What is the danger in not having a core set of beliefs or a standard?
You will find in studying the Apostles’ Creed, or any creed, that words are very important. Nowadays, we seldom consider the power of words, and about how they form and shape our thinking. (Philosophers have put forward that words are the handles we use to grab hold of ideas.) Let me offer a thought-exercise on how words shape our understanding. To be less controversial, I will use pandas instead of God. Lynne Truss, writer of the British runaway best-seller Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, offers this reflection on our understanding of pandas. “A panda eats shoots and leaves.” This sentence causes us to think of the adorable panda eating his daily diet of bamboo shoots and leaves. Now, if we change our wording to, “a panda eats, shoots, and leaves,” we get a very different image of pandas. Now, the lovable giant is the rudest of dinner guests, he shows up to eat, then shoots and then flees the scene of the crime. Words are important because they shape our perception. I am not so much asking a question here, as making a point for us to remember as we go forward.
People were killed for saying they believed the claims of the Apostles' Creed. Are there things in your life that you believe so strongly in that you are willing to die for it? We are not likely to die literally for our beliefs. However, do we in some sense die (i.e., metaphorically) or suffer for what we believe? Having asked this, do we actually suffer or die for what we believe? Would we?
I also want to encourage you to post your own questions from this week's reading. The earlier in the week you do this the better chance I have to consider it and respond to it. For that matter, the earlier you post the better chance all of us have to consider and respond. Oh yeah, if you have questions about this week’s questions post those too?
