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Christian Belief for Everyone: Faith and the Creeds
In this book--the first in a series of short, accessible guides--noted author Alister McGrath examines the nature of faith. Offering an extended reflection on the opening words of the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed--"I believe"--McGrath provides a compelling defense of core Christian beliefs. In his usual learned yet accessible style, McGrath demonstrates how these enduring Christian beliefs help explain God's world and our place in it. With future volumes to examine other core Christian principles, McGrath's new series will define "mere Christianity" to a new generation for years to come. Ideal for group study and personal devotion.
128 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2013
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About the author
Alister E. McGrath
451 books500 followersAlister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 15, 2021
Mixed feelings about this book. The first half convincingly repeats the argument I earlier read in McGrath's Inventing the Universe: Why We Can't Stop Talking about Science, Faith and God, about the need to see the bigger picture, beyond a skeptical or scientific-materialistic approach to reality. Again, there are many references to C.S. Lewis, clearly McGrath's favorite writer. But in the second half, McGrath tries to convince us that such a bigger picture can be found in the Christian creeds. And here he sounds much more apologetic (logical of course) and much more preachy. I can understand his metaphorical representation of the creeds as a kind of map to travel through the landscape of reality, but at the same time I have the impression that he himself makes the mistake he warns against, namely that the map is not to be confused with the landscape itself. Not really convincing, I'm afraid.
January 7, 2016
This book is a lot more interesting than it sounds from the title!
I bought the book mainly because of the second chapter "The map, the lens and the light" which addresses the issue of judging the rationality of faith (or any worldview) by examining how well it helps to explain the 'bigger picture', using it as a tool for explaining the world and our experiences. He argues that everyone looks at the world through theoretical spectacles whether we realize it or not, and finding the right one can help us to see things as they really are.
As well as the analogy of a map he compares faith to a lens - a lens (eg a microscope or telescope) helps us to see (or bring into focus) things that are already there but not previously apparent to human vision. In the same way instead of looking at Christianity you can look through it to make sense of the world and see things as they really are.
The third analogy is a light - helping to illuminate the landscape, he quotes CS Lewis: "I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else" in other words judging Christianity by its capacity to make sense of the world - the more it can explain the more likely it is to be true. This is compared (in the previous chapter) to a scientific theory which can be judged by how well it can account for the observations we see. He also quotes from Simome Weil to further make the point: " If I light an electric torch at night out of doors I don't judge its power by looking at the bulb, but by seeing how many objects it lights up" He goes on to explain areas of Christian thinking that he thinks do make sense of the observations of the world and human experience.
The book is very well written and McGrath has the ability to convey complex ideas in a very clear and concise way.
I bought the book mainly because of the second chapter "The map, the lens and the light" which addresses the issue of judging the rationality of faith (or any worldview) by examining how well it helps to explain the 'bigger picture', using it as a tool for explaining the world and our experiences. He argues that everyone looks at the world through theoretical spectacles whether we realize it or not, and finding the right one can help us to see things as they really are.
As well as the analogy of a map he compares faith to a lens - a lens (eg a microscope or telescope) helps us to see (or bring into focus) things that are already there but not previously apparent to human vision. In the same way instead of looking at Christianity you can look through it to make sense of the world and see things as they really are.
The third analogy is a light - helping to illuminate the landscape, he quotes CS Lewis: "I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else" in other words judging Christianity by its capacity to make sense of the world - the more it can explain the more likely it is to be true. This is compared (in the previous chapter) to a scientific theory which can be judged by how well it can account for the observations we see. He also quotes from Simome Weil to further make the point: " If I light an electric torch at night out of doors I don't judge its power by looking at the bulb, but by seeing how many objects it lights up" He goes on to explain areas of Christian thinking that he thinks do make sense of the observations of the world and human experience.
The book is very well written and McGrath has the ability to convey complex ideas in a very clear and concise way.
April 27, 2013
I first really encountered Alister McGrath when I made use of the first edition of his Chritian Theology: An Introduction, which proved to be quite useful, especially when paired with the reader. McGrath is a good writer, theologically orthodox, acquainted with both science and history, and evangelical (of a British sort).
Faith and Creeds is the first of five brief volumes designed for study and devotion. He takes as his conversation partners C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and Dorothy Sayers. He seeks to offer the contemporary reader something of their simple lucidity. Like Lewis' Mere Christianity, he seeks to offer a winsome exploration of the Christian faith.
This volume seeks to define faith and offer the creeds as the lens into that faith. For him, belief is important. It forms the world view that allows for moral life to be experienced. His continuing argument with the new atheists is along this line. He doesn't believe that one can have a Christian morality divorced from a Christian world-view. Trained in the sciences, he's convinced that science can't answer all questions. Faith -- as outlined in the creeds -- provides an anchor for life.
If you pick this up, remember that he's an evangelical (of a British sort). He's not emergent. He's not post-modern even. This isn't Peter Rollins. This is very much a rooted sort of faith. It's a good start on a new series.
Faith and Creeds is the first of five brief volumes designed for study and devotion. He takes as his conversation partners C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and Dorothy Sayers. He seeks to offer the contemporary reader something of their simple lucidity. Like Lewis' Mere Christianity, he seeks to offer a winsome exploration of the Christian faith.
This volume seeks to define faith and offer the creeds as the lens into that faith. For him, belief is important. It forms the world view that allows for moral life to be experienced. His continuing argument with the new atheists is along this line. He doesn't believe that one can have a Christian morality divorced from a Christian world-view. Trained in the sciences, he's convinced that science can't answer all questions. Faith -- as outlined in the creeds -- provides an anchor for life.
If you pick this up, remember that he's an evangelical (of a British sort). He's not emergent. He's not post-modern even. This isn't Peter Rollins. This is very much a rooted sort of faith. It's a good start on a new series.
September 14, 2016
This is a marvellous little book, and whilst it may be aimed more at new Christians, there is much in here for us older ones as well.
The Author does a fine job in address the purpose of the Creeds (in particular the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed) without going into analysing the Creeds themselves. Thus those from non-Liturgical churches should still find much of value here. He also brings across effectively, that as Christians we have a strong tie to those who have gone before us and that tie in fact strengthens our Faith.
I especially liked his concluding chapter where he argues well that the Creeds (and Theology as well) is a map and whilst it is marvellous to discuss and admire the map, we need to use it and journey into the adventure that awaits. What we believe as Christians should lead us to do, lead us to love, lead us to know God better.
Highly recommended!
The Author does a fine job in address the purpose of the Creeds (in particular the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed) without going into analysing the Creeds themselves. Thus those from non-Liturgical churches should still find much of value here. He also brings across effectively, that as Christians we have a strong tie to those who have gone before us and that tie in fact strengthens our Faith.
I especially liked his concluding chapter where he argues well that the Creeds (and Theology as well) is a map and whilst it is marvellous to discuss and admire the map, we need to use it and journey into the adventure that awaits. What we believe as Christians should lead us to do, lead us to love, lead us to know God better.
Highly recommended!
August 26, 2019
A fine, short book about the "big picture" of the Christian faith, I appreciated in particular the final couple of chapters, which make a defense of the role and value of the Christian creeds (and the Apostles' Creed more than the Nicene one). Thinking about the creeds as a historically developed outline or guide to belief makes sense to me, and it'll be in that sense which I weave some element of McGrath's argument into the Honors Seminar I'm teaching this semester on "belief."
October 19, 2013
In Faith and Creeds, McGrath sets out to provide the reader with the "panorama" of the Christian faith, arguing (quite convincingly) that "in order to appreciate individual beliefs, you need to see the big picture of which they are a part." Writing on a more common level, McGrath invites three of the great "lay theologians of the 20th century; C.S. Lewis, Dortothy Sayers, and G.K. Chesterton. He also follows the leading of Lewis in expounding a "Mere Christianity", that is the common faith to which all Christians hold.
But before he goes into the creed of the Christian faith, McGrath begins by examing the creed of atheism and where it falls short. While being a lover of science, he rightly points out that the truths of empiricism might show themselves to be factually correct and verifiable, they also show themselves to be existentially insignificant. And that which is truly existentially significant is more than often not empirically verifiable. Science, at its best, can explain the how of the universe but can offer nothing for the why. "The deepest truths of life lie beyond ultimate confirmation. The simple fact is that none of us, whether religious or secular, can prove any of the great truths we live by. That's just the way life is."
Everyone lives by a "big picture", the overarching narrative of what is true. The rationalists big picture is just not that big, culminating in reason and empircal evidence. McGrath urges the reader to expand our vision and see the true "big picture", the coral reef that lies beneath the surface of water that the empiricist and rationalist is bound to only see.
To see this big picture McGrath says we are in need of a map. The map to the Christian faith he proposes is found in the creeds of Christendom.
"The map we find in the creed is there to help us explore the landscape of faith and to find our way back home. It's a map that distils the core themes of the Bible, disclosing a glorious, loving, and righteous God, who creates a world that goes wrong, and then acts graciously and wondrously in order to renew and redirect it, before finally bringing it to its fulfillment. And we ourselves are an integral part of this story that reveals our true purpose, meaning and value--who we are, what is wrong, wht God proposes to do about this, and what we must do in response. "
For someone like myself who came to faith in a culture of "no creed but Christ" and spent many years unaware of the shortcomings of this attitude (including the fact that Christ is a person, not a creed and the fact that the statement "no creed but Christ” is a ...creed), this idea of the creeds as a map(and later a lens and a light) can be quite off-setting. However, as I explored the rich history of the church, I was overwhelmed with the benefit and blessing of the creeds throughout the centuries. Recognizing the communion of saints throughout history, I have been ministered to greatly by the creeds. Beyond that, I am constantly being shaped in an ecumenical (in a good way) manner. I want to join hand with my brothers and sisters as much as I can, to celebrate the "Mere Christianity" that we communally hold. The creeds not only allow for this, but seem to breed it.
Some will balk at this because they feel this is the role of Scripture. They are right in that, that the Scriptures are the true light and lens and map. What that does not take into account is the fact the the Scriptures are always interpreted by the reader. The attitude of "no creed but Christ" often leads to an individualism that manifests itself as "to me this means..." The creeds, as a faithful presentation of how the church as a whole has interpreted Scripture, are not in a position of authority over the Scriptures. The creeds are, however, in a position of authority over how one interprets Scripture and thus serves as a map, lens, and light of the Christian faith. McGrath is correct when he calls them “verbal vessels containing the treasure of the gospel”, “a window to look through…a lens to bring things into focus”.
McGrath is brilliant at mixing literary thought, history, and theology together to tell a masterful story, this story about the history, validity and benefit of the Christian Creeds in the life of a believer. This book is a prolegomena of sorts to a series of books, a series that Christians will surely benefit from for some time to come.
I received a review copy of this book for an honest review
But before he goes into the creed of the Christian faith, McGrath begins by examing the creed of atheism and where it falls short. While being a lover of science, he rightly points out that the truths of empiricism might show themselves to be factually correct and verifiable, they also show themselves to be existentially insignificant. And that which is truly existentially significant is more than often not empirically verifiable. Science, at its best, can explain the how of the universe but can offer nothing for the why. "The deepest truths of life lie beyond ultimate confirmation. The simple fact is that none of us, whether religious or secular, can prove any of the great truths we live by. That's just the way life is."
Everyone lives by a "big picture", the overarching narrative of what is true. The rationalists big picture is just not that big, culminating in reason and empircal evidence. McGrath urges the reader to expand our vision and see the true "big picture", the coral reef that lies beneath the surface of water that the empiricist and rationalist is bound to only see.
To see this big picture McGrath says we are in need of a map. The map to the Christian faith he proposes is found in the creeds of Christendom.
"The map we find in the creed is there to help us explore the landscape of faith and to find our way back home. It's a map that distils the core themes of the Bible, disclosing a glorious, loving, and righteous God, who creates a world that goes wrong, and then acts graciously and wondrously in order to renew and redirect it, before finally bringing it to its fulfillment. And we ourselves are an integral part of this story that reveals our true purpose, meaning and value--who we are, what is wrong, wht God proposes to do about this, and what we must do in response. "
For someone like myself who came to faith in a culture of "no creed but Christ" and spent many years unaware of the shortcomings of this attitude (including the fact that Christ is a person, not a creed and the fact that the statement "no creed but Christ” is a ...creed), this idea of the creeds as a map(and later a lens and a light) can be quite off-setting. However, as I explored the rich history of the church, I was overwhelmed with the benefit and blessing of the creeds throughout the centuries. Recognizing the communion of saints throughout history, I have been ministered to greatly by the creeds. Beyond that, I am constantly being shaped in an ecumenical (in a good way) manner. I want to join hand with my brothers and sisters as much as I can, to celebrate the "Mere Christianity" that we communally hold. The creeds not only allow for this, but seem to breed it.
Some will balk at this because they feel this is the role of Scripture. They are right in that, that the Scriptures are the true light and lens and map. What that does not take into account is the fact the the Scriptures are always interpreted by the reader. The attitude of "no creed but Christ" often leads to an individualism that manifests itself as "to me this means..." The creeds, as a faithful presentation of how the church as a whole has interpreted Scripture, are not in a position of authority over the Scriptures. The creeds are, however, in a position of authority over how one interprets Scripture and thus serves as a map, lens, and light of the Christian faith. McGrath is correct when he calls them “verbal vessels containing the treasure of the gospel”, “a window to look through…a lens to bring things into focus”.
McGrath is brilliant at mixing literary thought, history, and theology together to tell a masterful story, this story about the history, validity and benefit of the Christian Creeds in the life of a believer. This book is a prolegomena of sorts to a series of books, a series that Christians will surely benefit from for some time to come.
I received a review copy of this book for an honest review
June 14, 2013
Alister E. McGrath, Faith and Creeds (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013). $16.00, 128 pages.
“What do Christians believe? Why do we believe this? And what difference does it make?”
Alister McGrath sets out to answer these three questions in Faith and Creeds, the first of five small books in The Heart of Christian Faith series. This book deals with the nature of faith and how it comes to be expressed in creeds such as the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Succeeding books will deal with God the Father (book 2), Jesus Christ (book 3), the Holy Spirit (book 4), and Christian hope (book 5).
McGrath self-consciously follows in the Christian literary tradition of G. K. Chesterton, C. S Lewis, and Dorothy Sayers as he explains the faith to non-academic readers. He begins with ordinary experience—our desire for joy and for justice—as an entrée of spiritual reality. And then he uses that spiritual reality to shine a warm, bright light on our ordinary experience. Life shows the need for faith, in other words, and faith in turn shows the meaning of life.
With the Christian tradition more broadly, he distinguishes between the “faith by which we believe” and the “faith which we believe.” The former is “the act of trust and assent that says ‘yes’ to God,” while the latter is “a set of beliefs.” He makes a case for why the former always involves the latter, even if the latter cannot fully express the former. He shows how Christian faith gradually came to be expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed. And he notes that how we believe always changes how we behave.
Though I minister in a Christian tradition that does not consistently use either the Apostles’ Creed or Nicene Creed in worship, evangelism, or discipleship, I think all Christian readers can benefit from this little volume. Its focus is “mere Christianity,” not denominational distinctives. Its tone is both warm and reasonable. And its short length makes it ideal for use in Sunday school, small group, or book club.
P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.
“What do Christians believe? Why do we believe this? And what difference does it make?”
Alister McGrath sets out to answer these three questions in Faith and Creeds, the first of five small books in The Heart of Christian Faith series. This book deals with the nature of faith and how it comes to be expressed in creeds such as the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Succeeding books will deal with God the Father (book 2), Jesus Christ (book 3), the Holy Spirit (book 4), and Christian hope (book 5).
McGrath self-consciously follows in the Christian literary tradition of G. K. Chesterton, C. S Lewis, and Dorothy Sayers as he explains the faith to non-academic readers. He begins with ordinary experience—our desire for joy and for justice—as an entrée of spiritual reality. And then he uses that spiritual reality to shine a warm, bright light on our ordinary experience. Life shows the need for faith, in other words, and faith in turn shows the meaning of life.
With the Christian tradition more broadly, he distinguishes between the “faith by which we believe” and the “faith which we believe.” The former is “the act of trust and assent that says ‘yes’ to God,” while the latter is “a set of beliefs.” He makes a case for why the former always involves the latter, even if the latter cannot fully express the former. He shows how Christian faith gradually came to be expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed. And he notes that how we believe always changes how we behave.
Though I minister in a Christian tradition that does not consistently use either the Apostles’ Creed or Nicene Creed in worship, evangelism, or discipleship, I think all Christian readers can benefit from this little volume. Its focus is “mere Christianity,” not denominational distinctives. Its tone is both warm and reasonable. And its short length makes it ideal for use in Sunday school, small group, or book club.
P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.
April 22, 2013
Alister McGrath’s books came up in a lot of reading lists during my time at university whilst I read Theology. However, his books are not just for the university but also for the Christian bookshelf. I’m quite excited that a new collection of books has been written in order to explain the Christian faith in a modern, up to date way, whilst still using examples from some of the best pieces of Christian thought in the last century, notably the work of C.S.Lewis. I mentioned that Alister McGrath’s books were highlighted in many a reading list whilst I was at university, and there is not a doubt as to why. His writing is concise yet detailed, deep yet simple to understand and apologetic in its nature. We are so privileged to be able to gain access to such a wealth of literature on Christianity, especially those of an introductory or apologetic nature. Faith and the Creeds is the first in Alister McGrath’s latest series. And, of course, this first book focusses on the general idea of faith (and more specifically, Christian faith) in Alister’s big picture, looking at the existence of God and what this means for the universe. Reading this section of the book reminded me of his books on Christianity and science, and especially his dialogues with “new atheism”.
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Read the full review here
July 6, 2016
Excellent introduction to the creeds and their role in our faith. McGrath does a great job of explaining why credal statements were developed and how they provide us a useful tool in connecting with the faith of the historical church.
October 2, 2013
McGrath explres the nature of faith using references from C.S.Lewis's Mere Christianity and G.K.Chesterton
April 13, 2017
Review on my blog: http://wp.me/pf2RR-qs
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews