What does it mean to affirm a creedal statement?
The intent of affirming an ancient yet living creedal statement is not to condemn or exclude someone who does not immediately understand or support every line of the statement. It is an effort to help others understand the flow of belief and faith which frames our own faith today. To affirm the creedal statement is not to bind it upon each person who fellowships with us as a test for “rightness” or one’s value as an individual believer or as a member of our community. Every person’s faith journey is at once extremely personal and also inextricably bound up with those with whom we live, work, play and worship. To affirm a creedal statement is to respect that connection. To not hold that statement as a litmus test for fellowship or individual worth is to respect our diversity. Think of the Nicene Creed as one of the many anchor points that we have as a community at Church in Bethesda within the greater community of Christians through the ages. Historically and theologically it helps peop
