The Creeds
Christian Faith Essentials
(2023)
The old saying goes, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity [or love].” There is no better way to define what is essential to the Christian Faith or to stand firm in what we believe (“creed” comes from the Latin for “I believe”) than in knowing and cherishing the short teachings of Scripture that were encapsulated in the ecumenical creeds of the early church.
For nearly 2,000 years, the creeds (our “one faith”) have been lighthouses, guiding and protecting the church through dark and dangerous storms that batter her people with waves of doubt and unbelief, and through howling winds of human cunning, craftiness, and deceitful doctrines, blow her off-course, carrying her dangerously close to rocky shoals.
The Creeds is a collection of five sermons (along with several helpful appendices) adapted to book form on four creeds of the early church: the Old Roman Symbol (2nd cent.), the Apostles’ Creed (4th-7th cent.), and the Nicene Creeds (325 and 381). After an important grounding introductory chapter, it looks at the four parts of the creeds (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and the Kingdom) in harmony with one another, making this a unique and devotional contribution to this subject.
What they're saying
“The Creeds by Doug Van Dorn is a must-read for Christians who are for or against creeds. Its focus on the most ecumenical creeds for all Christendom provides an excellent glimpse into the history of the Church and how unity manifests itself in the Body of Christ. It offers a thoughtful, rich exploration of the biblical beliefs most necessary to the faith, and much needed by our truth-starved era. In this book, doctrine is not boring, it's worshipful of God!”