As an habitual attender at Church of England services of Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer I am able to recite most of the service sight unseen. The General Confession, Magnificat, Nicene Creed and responses are said without hesitation. The problem I have is that after 'I believe' there is little else in the Creed I subscribe to in the sense of regarding it as a literal statement of fact. I consider the various creeds useful as metaphor and symbolism. Above all the creeds fail to set out how Christians should behave, instead they concentrate on what to believe.
My shift in emphasis towards liberal, progressive and radical theology led me to deconstruct my ideas of a distinct metaphysical god 'out there' and the Jesus of the creeds. My thinking is that we simply cannot define or describe god outside of us: indeed whatever it is is within us and all we see around us.
I am drawn to the concepts set out in the teaching and actions ascribed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels, culminating in the call to love our neighbour. This is now the basis of my belief, based on action, not on belief in supernatural events.
The Revd. Dr. Caleb J Lines states it well:
"The goal is not to bring people to Christianity, the goal is to bring people to LOVE. If it's through another religions or no religion at all, fine. What the world needs is love, not more people professing right belief."
Jürgen Moltmann believed that theology must always relate to concrete human situations and that the teaching of Jesus about the Kingdom of God requires of his followers commitment to the overthrowing of everything in the social order that is contrary to its demands. Karl Popper emphasised that belief in the need for social change should prompt immediate action to overcome current concrete issues rather than waiting and hoping for a utopia at an indeterminate time in the future. A long line of Christian theologians and clerics have campaigned actively for change to overcome systemic injustice: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jurgen Moltmann, Martin Luther King Jnr., Desmond Tutu, Oscar Romeo, Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff et al.
So, what would my creed consist of? An outline, tentative at this stage, a work in progress. Suggestions welcome.
I believe in loving our neighbour, in helping those in need, in campaigning for systemic change to overcome poverty, deprivation, marginalisation, discrimination or exclusion.
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