What Christians Believe and Why It
Matters
What
are the essential beliefs of the Christian faith? What have nearly
all Christians proclaimed for 2,000 years to be true about God,
Jesus, and the Good News? From the beginning, Christians have used
brief statements of faith to summarize their beliefs. The Apostles’
Creed is one of the oldest and most widely used of these creeds. But
do we just recite the words without really understanding what they
mean? In this lecture-oriented class, we’ll explore the Apostles’
Creed, seeking a better understanding of this proclamation and a
better appreciation of why these basic beliefs matter.
You'll find here downloadable files of the
syllabus
and the overhead
slides.
Note: You may download these resources at no cost, for
personal use or for use in a Christian ministry, as long as you are not
publishing it for sale. All we ask is that you give credit where credit is
due. For all other uses, please contact me at "sengle" at "scottengle.org" Thank
you.
Syllabus
Week 1 -- Introduction & "I believe in . . ."
Week 2 --
"God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth"
Week 3 --
"Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary"
Week 4
-- "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and was
buried" (includes "descended into hell" also)
Week 5
-- "the third day he rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and
sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he
shall come to judge the quick and the dead"
Week 6
-- "the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church"
Week 7
-- "the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins"
Week 8
-- "the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting"
The Apostles' Creed
The Nicene Creed -- both the traditional and the ecumenical versions
The UMC Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith
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