The Church of England has prepared We Believe, consisting of multiple study resources for celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. Members of the church’s Liturgical Commission and church staff spent nearly an hour May 1 presenting those resources during a webinar.
“We stand for the Creed, just as we do for the Gospel,” said the Rev. Canon Christopher Irvine, who is also chairman of the Alcuin Club, which promotes the study of liturgy. “When it’s sung, it seems to have a poetic quality.”
The resources include a 44-page booklet available for purchase from Church House Publishing; Creed-focused reflections for the church’s Everyday Faith app; and a resource pack for congregations that includes background, relevant Bible verses, suggestions for discussion and prayer; activities for children and young people; and posters and graphics to promote discussions about the Creed.
The resources mostly use the historic language of the Nicene Creed, but they sometimes drift into modalist language. “Set up prayer stations focusing on each person of the Trinity,” one suggestion says. “Provide prompts for prayer related to their specific roles (Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer).”
Another paragraph mentions Jesus-only baptism (common today in Oneness Pentecostalism) and baptism in the name of the Trinity: “There is a consensus that the earliest Christian baptism was ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’ or ‘in the name of the Lord’ (Acts 2.38)[,] though very quickly, baptism was ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ What significance does baptism into Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection have for you—and what implications for your community? How might that differ [from] baptism ‘in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit’?”
Other sections of the resources commend more traditional language, such as the Jesus Prayer and an explanation of why the early Church rejected the heresy of Arianism.
The church offers a webpage that describes the resources and provides links for downloading them.
Douglas LeBlanc is an Associate Editor and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Henrico, Virginia.
