Theology for Everyone

The Apostle's Creed: He descended into Hell

Jeffrey Stivason

Jun 9, 2018

Perhaps the phrase that gets stuck in the throat when reciting the Apostle’s Creed is “He (Christ) descended into hell.” And if it does, it wouldn’t surprise me. It was difficult for John Calvin to utter the phrase despite having used the Apostle’s Creed to formulate his Institutes of the Christian...Continue reading.

The Apostle's Creed: He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate

Jeffrey Waddington

May 17, 2018

When you recite the Apostles’ Creed you join with Christians across time and space in affirming the basics of the Christian gospel. First appearing around AD 390 the creed is an apt summation of the history of creation, providence, and redemption and the trinitarian God who stands behind and...Continue reading.

The Apostle's Creed: Born of the Virgin Mary

Steven McCarthy

May 8, 2018

December 25 is indelibly linked in most minds with celebrations of Jesus’ birth. What about March 25 (exactly nine months earlier)? That day has traditionally been associated with “the Annunciation”, the angel Gabriel’s announcement to a young Jewish woman that she would be the mother of her Lord...Continue reading.

The Apostle's Creed: In Jesus Christ

Tim Bertolet

Apr 21, 2018

This ancient creed, confessed in the early centuries of the church, is still valuable to us today. As we make this confession of Christ we are connected to Christians down through the centuries who have believed the same things, living and dying for this faith. One day, we too, will stand with a...Continue reading.

The Apostle's Creed: God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth

Michael Roberts

Apr 13, 2018

When we speak of God as our Father, it is immediately plain that we are expressing a belief that is unique to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Of course, to the extent that other religious or philosophical systems maintain that the world owes its allegiance to some kind of deity, in a very general...Continue reading.

The Apostle's Creed: I Believe

David Smith

Apr 5, 2018

The Christian school student began his argument with an unassailable assertion: “I feel like I knew the answer.” Funny, though, he marked an incorrect answer. In fact, the question was about a factual statistic recorded in the text we had read; hardly in the gray area of opinion. Yet, according to...Continue reading.

The Apostle's Creed: An Introduction

Jeffrey Stivason

Mar 27, 2018

Many have known the Apostle’s Creed from youth. Likely, it is the most popular creed in Christendom. The Anglican Prayer Book simply calls it, The Creed, like Thomas simply called Aristotle, the Philosopher. It has primacy of place.Continue reading.

Teach Me To Pray!: Ask to be Kept from Doing Evil

Grant Van Leuven

Jan 18, 2018

The essence of the sixth petition, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13), is seen in how our Lord Himself prays in John 17:15 for us to be kept in the world but out of its evil (James 1:27 calls this real religion). Following both our Lord’s Prayers, we too...Continue reading.

Teach Me To Pray!: Forgive Us Our Debts

Tim Bertolet

Jan 13, 2018

In this series, we are examining how the Lord’s prayer shapes our prayer life. In this post, we want to apply the phrase “…Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors…” How does this statement in the Lord’s prayer shape our prayers? Continue reading.

Teach Me to Pray!: Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

Amy Mantravadi

Jan 7, 2018

When I was in high school, I heard my Bible teacher say “To pray ‘Your kingdom come’ is to pray for judgment.” He excitedly told us how the Israelites had found a legitimate red heifer that might allow them to restart the sacrificial system, should the Tribulation come upon us soon. We had just...Continue reading.