What I Believe
The Aposltes Creed (below) serves as a excelent summary as to what I believe. It doesn't get all of the nuances, but no one readable and fully understandable document will.
I believe that Faith comes by hearing the Word Rom 10:17. Faith alone can save James 1:12. Chirst died to restore all that was Created John 3:16-17. Faith bears fruit James 1:2-4. Sanctification is a work in progress Phil 2:12.
The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic1 church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Catechism
I wish Catechism wasn't such a loaded word. Can we just call it Questions and Answers about our Faith instead? Catechism is simply a (traditionally oral) summary of doctrine or beliefs. Unfortunately, I don't know any from memory. I have read many. I do think that catechesis, instruction by word of mouth, has tremendous value for the young and old, and the new and experinced believer. They can help us understand the basics of our beliefs and, importantly, recall those basics when we face trials and temptations and complex questions. I encourage you to take a look at one (or more) of the following. Each cover very similar topics but in different questions and answers.
- Westminster Shorter Catachism opc.org prts.edu
- Westminster Larger Catechism opc.org Truths We Confess
- Anglican Confession of Faith (To Be A Christian) anglicanchurch.net pdf
- Church of England / Book fo Common Prayer churchofengland.org
- Heidelberg Catachism crcna.org wts.edu
- New City Catachism newcitycatechism.com mobile app curriculum and devotionals available
Church History
Where we start has little to do with where we end. How we get to that end does matter greatly. No history is a perfect history. Man has always been involved and man is greatly flawed. We really mess things up sometimes. That is what Christ came to redeem. It wasn't just our future He wants to redeem, but He wants to make everything right. And He will one day return to do that.
From the early church, to the canonization of Scriptures, to formalizing traditions the church - the body of followers of Chirst - has helped man understand how and why to follow God. The church hasn't always gotten it right. Thowing out every tradition, sacriment, litergy because of a few flaws doesn't make sense either. As we learn and grow we also see God's work of sanctification in the traditions, habits, and litergies we continue to embrace and use.
Topics
Below are some more detailed thoughts about what I believe on various subjects. Many of these are works in progress with potential to change. They are not fixed and may change to some degree or another over time. Each of these articles can be taken with a grain of salt. For the most part, these are personal beliefs and opinions on a subject matter that isn't clearly discussed in scripture. Some of them do delve into areas of belief that are clearly addressed. In those cases, I have indicated such. I don't offer comments on my site for various reasons. Feel free to reach out to me via email if you want to discuss something in more detail.