Statement of Faith added!
Lately I’ve been thinking that I should post a Statement of Faith on the website, something that lets people know what I believe–especially those considering using my class materials or reading my books. People want to know what doctrine they’re going to encounter and whether my studies will work for their group.
I wrote one statement, forgot that I wrote it, and then wrote another. I think that’s a sign that I’ve been a bit forgetful this semester!
But then I realized that I really like both of them, and they serve different purposes. I’ve added both as Statement of Faith as a webpage on my site, and linked to it in the About page of the website, but I’m also posting about it here.
The first one, “Statement of Faith: What I Believe” is a short but dense statement of belief in God the Fathers, Son and Spirit, in the church, and in Scripture. It follows the familiar structure of the statements of faith issued in the early history of the church. It’s very important, but it may strike you as what all Christians believe (which is fair) and therefore not as helpful for the distinctions you’re most concerned about.
The second one, “Statement of Faith: How I Teach” is more of a conversation. It talks about how yes, the core elements of our faith are the same across Christian traditions, which is important, but our differences matter too. A Catholic might not disagree outright with “What I believe” but would certainly add to it. A Calvinist doesn’t think the way I do about election and free will. I hope you’ll read it and let me know what YOU want to know about!
Let me know what you think, what I’ve left out, or what needs clarification!
