If you have attended a Presbyterian church, Methodist church, Lutheran church, Episcopal church, or Anglican church, you may have heard something similar to the words which are referred to as the Apostles’ Creed. Now, Baptists (which I consider myself to be), as a rule, do not subscribe to any creed. Coming out of the Protestant Reformation, Baptists decided that, unlike other Protestant denominations, they would be non-creedal. Baptists state that “the final authority for faith and practice is the Bible, not words about the Bible.” I am an ordained Baptist minister and I believe what Baptists believe, however, what I’ve always told people is that there are certain things I like about some of my more formal brothers and the Apostles’ Creed is one of those things. Along with reading the Bible, my family and I have read/recited The Apostles’ Creed in our devotions many times over the past 30-plus years. 

While we should not hold any creed to the level of inspired Scripture, there are elements from church tradition that we can learn from and at least should be aware of. 

The Apostles’ Creed is one of those things. 

What is a creed? According to Merriam-Webster, a creed is a “statement of basic beliefs; an idea or set of beliefs that guides the actions of a person or group.” Thus, the Apostles’ Creed is a statement of what the apostles of Jesus Christ believed. 

Why this book? Why does the Apostles’ Creed need “important revisions and updates for the modern era”? 

First, I believe it is important to increase knowledge about the basic beliefs of Christianity especially in this day and time when secularism, agnosticism, atheism, and non-religion appear to be making a larger footprint in the world. Parents can teach the Creed to their children, pastors can teach it to their congregations, Christian schools (and even public and non-Christian private schools) can teach it to their students as it is a succinct, easy-to-remember summary of the basic beliefs of Christianity. 

The second reason this book is necessary is because although the Apostles’ Creed is not inspired Scripture—it was put together by various men throughout history—it is a near-perfect statement. Even with the revisions and updates presented in this little book, it isn’t perfect. However, unlike God’s infallible Word, when necessary, we should be open to revising man-made statements that were developed under the cloud of human perspectives with all of the faultiness that entails. 

So, let’s take a look at how we’ve updated the Apostles’ Creed for the modern era. 

— Daniel Whyte III 
President, Gospel Light Society International 
Fort Worth, TX