Syncretism in the Spread of Christianity

In this episode, Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley begin discussing what the Apostles’ Creed is and why it’s important. They talk about what a creed is and the nature of belief.

“In the darkest hours of your life you’ve got to believe something specific and that specification is the task of the creed.” Jaroslav Pelikan

Questions Covered in This Episode:

• What is the Apostle’s Creed?
• What is a creed?
• The creed begins: “I believe…” What does it mean to believe in something? What is belief?
• What were the popular beliefs at the time of The Apostles Creed?
• What are false stories we tend to believe in?
• What is distinct about Christian “belief/believing?”

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 catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Helpful Definitions: 

• Tradition 0: No creed but the bible or Solo Scriptura: Scripture alone.
• Tradition 1: The Bible alone is authoritative but we need tradition to come alongside to help us become better readers or Sola scriptura: By Scripture alone. 
• Tradition 2: Tradition is as authoritative as scripture. 
• Credo: Latin “I believe”
• Faith as fact: Apostolic testimony, these things actually happened. Look back.
• Faith as trust: Believing what you heard. I am going to trust this with my life. These things happened and they impact me.
• Faith as obedience: Believing and being compelled to action. Staying faithful.
• Gnosticism: A heresy that plagued the early church, denied the goodness of creation, and elevated the goodness of the created world.
• Syncretism: Blending of many kinds of religious belief to create a new belief.
• American Civil Religion: The story that tells you that Christianity should be palatable to modern sensibilities.
• Empiricism: The story that tells you that the quest for knowledge is sourced in sensory experience and nature.
• Romanticism: The story that tells you that the quest for knowledge is sourced from our feelings.
• Pragmatism: The story that tells you that whatever works must be true. The good life is productivity, functionality, and practicality.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• 1 Timothy 3:16, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 6:9-13, Hebrews 11, Romans 10:9-10, 2 Timothy 1:12, 2 Chronicles 7:14
• The Apostles Creed
• On Being with Krista Tippett
• On Being Episode 523: Martin Sheen - Spirituality of Imagination
• On Being Episode Episode 348: Jaroslav Pelikan - The Need for Creeds
• “The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development Doctrine, Vol 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition“ by Jaroslav Pelikan
• “The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development Doctrine, Vol 2: The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700)“ by Jaroslav Pelikan
• “The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development Doctrine, Vol 3: The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300)“ by Jaroslav Pelikan
• “The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development Doctrine, Vol 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700)“ by Jaroslav Pelikan
• “The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development Doctrine, Vol 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (Since 1700)“ by Jaroslav Pelikan
• “What Christians Ought to Believe” by Michael F. Bird 
• “Salvation by Allegiance Alone”  by Matthew Bates

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patreon.com/knowingfaithIn this episode, Kyle, JT, and Jen begin discussing what the Apostles’ Creed is and why it’s important. They talk about what a creed is and the nature of belief.

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