The More You Gnow* with Rev. Cynthia O’Connell: A New Creed

A New Creed

*A play on the greek word gnosis, which means knowledge. Each month Rev. Cynthia will share a theological, or churchy word/phrase and its meaning.

This past Saturday Glebe held an information lunch for new members. As part of that lunch we looked at some of the foundational statements of the United Church of Canada like A New Creed^⭐. This got me thinking about creeds: what are they and what role do they play in the church?

A creed is in simplest forms a statement of faith or shared beliefs of a religious community that summarise its basic beliefs. The word “creed” comes from the Latin word “credo” which means “I believe”. In many churches, including United churches, creeds are recited as part of worship as an affirmation of what the community believes. You may be familiar with the Apostle’s creed which is shared throughout Western Christianity (Protestant and Roman Catholic churches). You can find it in the Voices United Hymn book on page 918 along with other creeds. What you may not know is that Apostles creed is based on a shorter older version known as the Old Roman Creed which goes like this:

I believe in God the Father almighty;
and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
Who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended to heaven,
sits at the right hand of the Father,
whence He will come to judge the living and the dead;
and in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh
(the life everlasting).

This creed is believed to be in use as early as the 2nd century CE and thus is considered one of the oldest creeds within the Christian faith.

The more you gnow!

Rev. Cynthia O’Connell
Minister