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For those of you non-seminarians out there, "systematic theology" is where you take one central theme/belief/focus and turn it into a logically consistent overarching "system" of theology, where everything works and fits together. (Yeah. It works a lot better in the classroom than it does in real life, which doesn't normally fit into coherent and consistent systems, but it's still a good exercise because it forces you to clarify and examine your ideas about God, about humankind, about creation, etc.) To give you an example, one of the books we're reading for the class is called "The Apostles' Creed" by Pahnenburg, and it's a whole book exploring the meaning of the Apostles' Creed and what it means to us today in light of modern questions, all laid out logically and in order (he spends 15 pages on the first two words, "I believe," and goes on from there).
But the class isn't just about reading other peoples' theologies, it's about helping us develop our own system. So we're supposed to take apart the Nicene Creed and write three one-page papers of how we interpret it, one for each article (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Obviously, one could write much more than a single page, but that would take too long to go over in class and the idea is to get us thinking, not to get us the answers, so one page it is. For those of you curious about my beliefs: here we go.
This creed was developed by the Council of Nicaea of 325 CE, was revised by the Council of Constantinople of 381 CE, and has been in continuous use ever since by the vast majority of Christians ever since. It is used as a statement of doctrine, a liturgical affirmation of communal belief during worship, as a subject of personal devotions, and more.
The first important statement of the Nicene Creed, for me, are the opening two words. “We believe.” Unlike the Apostle’s Creed, which uses the singular, the Nicene Creed chooses to frame everything in plural. These are not merely the beliefs of any one Christian; this is the witness to our faith that has been handed down for over 1500 years. It implies commonality. No matter how many hairs we split over doctrine and praxis, no matter how we divide the body of Christ which is the Church, this core of unity remains.
God is our Father. I understand that this patriarchal formulation of our beliefs has been used to exclude women for almost the entire history of Christianity, and continues to be used that way in certain places today. That is an unfortunate manifestation of the brokenness of all creation and humankind in particular, not a purposeful domination on God’s part. If the traditional formulation of the trinity was “mother, daughter, holy spirit,” I have no doubt the same issues would have arisen in the opposite direction. What the formulation of a “father/mother” vision of God does (at its best) is remind us of our relationship to God, not as some mystical force beyond our ken but as a person who loves us and nurtures us and protects us, and who is with us in times of trouble in a form we can grasp from our own lives, however broken they may be from sin. It is a gift from God, and like all of God’s gifts, can be twisted and made harmful by sin and evil, and care should be taken to avoid such misuse. But the gift itself should not be discarded, nor should the form in which it has been given be discarded.
God has created the entire cosmos, from the things we see every day to the things beyond our understanding. This creation, and everything in it, was created good. Due to human pride and self-justification, that creation was broken by sin and death and evil. (Note that both Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and both tried to shift the blame. This is not about sex or gender, this is about all our relationships with God and one another and the world around us.) The brokenness of sin extends far beyond humanity; it affects the entirety of creation to such a degree that we are often blind to it. All evil and suffering is derived from this great Fall; God does not will it or cause it, though he can certainly make use of it to break through our blindness and self-focus so that we may grow as people and as children of God. God is always with us, whether we are aware of God or not, and this includes times of great misery and suffering. God is ultimate source of all consolation, through Godself and through the people and creation around us.
God is Almighty. Although God could fix the brokenness of the world immediately if he so desired, God prefers to work with and through us, rebuilding our relationships with God and the entirety of creation. This act of grace allows us freedom of will, even though without God’s help, we are so broken that we can only choose sin, and that freedom of choice allows us to turn from God’s redeeming love and freedom. The process through which God redeems the world and allows us to choose our own destinies is outlined in the second article of the Creed.
But the class isn't just about reading other peoples' theologies, it's about helping us develop our own system. So we're supposed to take apart the Nicene Creed and write three one-page papers of how we interpret it, one for each article (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Obviously, one could write much more than a single page, but that would take too long to go over in class and the idea is to get us thinking, not to get us the answers, so one page it is. For those of you curious about my beliefs: here we go.
- We believe in one God,
- the Father, the Almighty
- maker of heaven and earth,
- of all that is, seen and unseen.
- We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
- the only Son of God,
- eternally begotten of the Father,
- God from God, Light from Light,
- true God from true God,
- begotten, not made,
- of one Being with the Father.
- Through him all things were made.
- For us men and for our salvation
- he came down from heaven:
- by the power of the Holy Spirit
- he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
- For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
- he suffered death and was buried.
- On the third day he rose again
- in accordance with the Scriptures;
- he ascended into heaven
- and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
- He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
- and his kingdom will have no end
- We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life,
- who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
- With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
- He has spoken through the Prophets.
- We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
- We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
- We look for the resurrection of the dead,
- and the life of the world to come. Amen.
This creed was developed by the Council of Nicaea of 325 CE, was revised by the Council of Constantinople of 381 CE, and has been in continuous use ever since by the vast majority of Christians ever since. It is used as a statement of doctrine, a liturgical affirmation of communal belief during worship, as a subject of personal devotions, and more.
The first important statement of the Nicene Creed, for me, are the opening two words. “We believe.” Unlike the Apostle’s Creed, which uses the singular, the Nicene Creed chooses to frame everything in plural. These are not merely the beliefs of any one Christian; this is the witness to our faith that has been handed down for over 1500 years. It implies commonality. No matter how many hairs we split over doctrine and praxis, no matter how we divide the body of Christ which is the Church, this core of unity remains.
God is our Father. I understand that this patriarchal formulation of our beliefs has been used to exclude women for almost the entire history of Christianity, and continues to be used that way in certain places today. That is an unfortunate manifestation of the brokenness of all creation and humankind in particular, not a purposeful domination on God’s part. If the traditional formulation of the trinity was “mother, daughter, holy spirit,” I have no doubt the same issues would have arisen in the opposite direction. What the formulation of a “father/mother” vision of God does (at its best) is remind us of our relationship to God, not as some mystical force beyond our ken but as a person who loves us and nurtures us and protects us, and who is with us in times of trouble in a form we can grasp from our own lives, however broken they may be from sin. It is a gift from God, and like all of God’s gifts, can be twisted and made harmful by sin and evil, and care should be taken to avoid such misuse. But the gift itself should not be discarded, nor should the form in which it has been given be discarded.
God has created the entire cosmos, from the things we see every day to the things beyond our understanding. This creation, and everything in it, was created good. Due to human pride and self-justification, that creation was broken by sin and death and evil. (Note that both Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and both tried to shift the blame. This is not about sex or gender, this is about all our relationships with God and one another and the world around us.) The brokenness of sin extends far beyond humanity; it affects the entirety of creation to such a degree that we are often blind to it. All evil and suffering is derived from this great Fall; God does not will it or cause it, though he can certainly make use of it to break through our blindness and self-focus so that we may grow as people and as children of God. God is always with us, whether we are aware of God or not, and this includes times of great misery and suffering. God is ultimate source of all consolation, through Godself and through the people and creation around us.
God is Almighty. Although God could fix the brokenness of the world immediately if he so desired, God prefers to work with and through us, rebuilding our relationships with God and the entirety of creation. This act of grace allows us freedom of will, even though without God’s help, we are so broken that we can only choose sin, and that freedom of choice allows us to turn from God’s redeeming love and freedom. The process through which God redeems the world and allows us to choose our own destinies is outlined in the second article of the Creed.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 12:18 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 01:47 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 02:43 pm (UTC)From:Also, may I point out that not all denominations use the congregate "We" in the Nicene Creed. The LCMS is one among many that use the personal "I" instead as the profession of one's own faith rather than the faith of others. The Nicene Creed entry in Wikipedia touches on the origins of this difference in the Greek texts.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-26 05:08 pm (UTC)From:When churches such as the LCMS use the "I," it's a liturgical choice for worship use, and perfectly legitimate. But the text itself in the Book of Concord and back centuries all the way to Nicaea says "we." And that's because when it was written, the liturgical use as we use it today was secondary to getting a clear statement of faith that the whole church could sign off on.
Third Essay
Date: 2021-01-06 12:02 pm (UTC)From:Re: Third Essay
Date: 2021-01-06 05:53 pm (UTC)From:I might have a copy of it somewhere that I could dig up, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Re: Third Essay
Date: 2021-01-09 02:56 am (UTC)From: