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“The Creed: ‘I Believe in God’” In a survey taken by the Pew Research Center in September of 2021, 91% of Americans say that they believe in God or a higher power. Well, whoop-de-do. That doesn’t say much. Which God or higher power do they believe in? And what do they mean by “believe”? Maybe they believe that there is only one God, not many gods. OK, but that does not say much. In James, it says: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder!” In other words, even the demons know that much,...

On a trip to England, I attended an Evensong service at Christ Church, Oxford. The worship was deeply moving, and the liturgy was beautiful.At one point we recited the Apostles’ Creed, which says that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell: the third day he rose again from the dead.”Why does the Creed state that Jesus “descended into hell”?Why does the issue matter?Dealing with a tough text Our conversation centers on the following sentences from 1 Peter, among the most difficult to interpret in all of Scripture: “It is better, if it is...

People on Twitter are calling out President Donald Trump for failing to recite the Apostles’ Creed at the funeral for former President George H. W. Bush on Wednesday. Footage from the event shows much of the church, including the former presidents seated with Trump, standing to recite the profession of faith.

The Minnesota Conference of the United Methodist Church has removed the term, ‘Father,’ from the Apostle’s Creed in an attempt to be more gender inclusive to God. The ancient creed of the Christian Church reads: 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, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. However, United Methodists in the Minnesota Conference decided that referring to God as “Father” wasn’t inclusive...

In an article on Good Friday, NPR described Easter inaccurately as "the day celebrating the idea that Jesus did not die and go to hell or purgatory or anywhere like that, but rather arose into heaven — is on Sunday." The error was corrected that Easter commemorates Jesus' resurrection, but did He go to hell after crucifixion?NPR corrected it as, "Easter — the day Christians celebrate Jesus' Resurrection — is on Sunday." But the error "practically begged Christians to renew charges that the media is biased against them," an article in The Washington Post commented.The post referred to the Apostle's Creed, saying...

“Created, Redeemed, and Sanctified by the Triune God” (Apostles’ Creed)Bob, Karen, Michele, friends and family of our dear sister Dottie: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian funeral service is both a time of sadness and a time of hope. It is a time of sadness, because we will miss our dear loved one. And so we grieve. However, as St. Paul tells the Thessalonians, we grieve, but not as those who have no hope. We do have hope, the only hope that works. For the Christian, our hope is firmly...

“The Catechism in Six Parts: The Creed” The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, in a big national survey a few years ago--the Pew Survey found that 92% of Americans say they “believe in God or a universal spirit.” 92%! Well, whoop-de-do. Big deal. That doesn’t really say much. Who is this God you believe in? Allah, the false god of the Muslims? Sorry, I bear witness that there is no god called Allah, and Mohammed is his false prophet. Is this “god” you believe in some depersonalized “universal spirit” or “higher power”? That won’t do you any good,...

“Thanking God for His First-Article Gifts” (Apostles’ Creed) Thanksgiving is a time for “Thanking God for His First-Article Gifts.” What do I mean by that? I mean all the good gifts our heavenly Father gives us that are summarized in the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed. Let’s turn there, shall we? Page 322 in your hymnal. We’ll read that article of the Creed itself and then the explanation from the catechism. Together: “The First Article: Creation. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. What does this mean? I believe that God has made me...

Did Christ ever descend to hell? There are two passages in the New Testament that, taken a certain way, would seem to indicate that he did. One is in Ephesians 4:9 where it says that Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth. This probably means that he descended to the earth, which is the lower parts. The "of" there doesn't mean that he is going under the earth. So I don't think that text warrants the interpretation that he descended into hell. The other text is 1 Peter 3:18-20 where it says that Christ went to speak to...

Part One:  The Apostles’ Creed The Basic Profession of Faith Table of Contents     The Apostles’ Creed was originally a profession of faith required of converts to Christianity before they were baptized. As a formula of belief it goes back in substance, if not in words, to the twelve apostles. Following Christ’s declaration that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16), the Apostles’ Creed was the precondition for baptism. Only believers could be baptized. Even when children were baptized in the early Church, someone had to profess the faith for them. Since the Apostles’ Creed was first...

The Essentials of the Catholic Faith   Introduction As we begin our inquiry into the Catholic religion, it is important to explain briefly what we are about. Our purpose is very simple. We want to learn what the Catholic Church teaches her members should believe, where to obtain the help they need from God to live as faithful Christians, how He wants them to serve Him, and how they are to pray. These four dimensions of the Catholic religion are as old as Christianity. They may be expressed in four words: faith, sacraments, commandments, and prayer. They are, in...

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall 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...

  Email This ArticleResurrection of the Dead   FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS Question: At Easter, we celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead. In the creed, we believe in the "resurrection of the dead." Could you better explain these beliefs? In the Gospels, Jesus had predicted three times that He would be arrested by the chief priests and scribes, suffer, be condemned to death, and be crucified; however, He also predicted that He would be "raised up" on the "third day" (cf. Mt 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:17-19). The predictions came true. On Easter Sunday morning, when Mary Magdalene and other women, St. Peter...

  Email This ArticleResurrection Means a Glorious Existence Resurrection Means a Glorious Existence   FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS In the Apostles Creed we say, "I believe in the resurrection of the body." I have never really understood what this means. Will we have the same body? Please explain. This question prompts me to think back when I was at Washington Irving Junior High School and a friend of mine showed me a religious magazine from her church which showed the end of the world and resurrection of the dead. In "comic book" form, the magazine depicted people coming out of graves and...