Christ & Creed: The Early Church Creeds & their Value for Today

by Nate Pickowicz

From the Latin word credo , meaning ‘I believe’, creeds are statements of personal belief. They have been used throughout the history of the church to helpfully condense the fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith. They are a valuable in that they – Summarize Christian truth – Testify to what the Church has always believed – Help us be precise in how we express truth – Guard us against heresy and error – Unify believers who share the same testimony In Christ & Creed Nate Pickowicz helpfully examines the early major ecumenical creeds, providing historical context and highlighting the distinctives in the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Definition of Chalcedon and the Athanasian Creed. He shows how these statements are still invaluable for the church today. It also includes a glossary of terms and recommended further reading.

111 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2023

About the author

Nate Pickowicz (B.A., Muhlenberg College, M.A., Trinity Theological Seminary) is the pastor/planter of Harvest Bible Church in Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire. He also writes for EntreatingFavor.com and Servantsofgrace.org. He and his wife, Jessica, have two children.

Reviews

[Logan Heinrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, Accessible, Just Great

Great little book. Covers a lot of ground in a very introductory way. This is perhaps the most accessible treatment of the creeds and confessions available today. It skillfully shows how the creeds and confessions of the Christian tradition are not isolated incidents but rather build and support one another. All Christians should study the historic creeds and confessions. This book is a helpful corrective to the anti-confessional tendencies of certain corners of modern evangelicalism. He shows that the biggest problem with the “no creed but the Bible” tendency is that it is not biblical enough! It leaves Christians vulnerable even as it gives them the appearance of safety.

[Patrick Lacson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pickowicz has written a helpful summary of 4 historic Christian creeds (Apostle's creed, Nicene creed, Chalcedonian creed, and Athanasian creed) and why creeds remain helpful for us today. He focuses only on the creeds that address the Christological and Trinitarian heresies.

Creeds do not invent doctrine but clarify biblical truth and expose error. Creeds are helpful in the following ways according to Nate Pickowicz:

1. They summarize Christian truth
2. They testify to what the church has always believed
3. They help us to be precise in how we express truth
4. They help us guard against heresy and error
5. They unify believers who share the same testimony

A perfect compact companion to Van Dixhorn's Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms.

[Jessica Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a succinct explanation of early Christian creeds, along with their history, which is exactly what I needed it to do. I wanted to know what core truths have been affirmed by the church for thousands of years, and this is a great resource that focuses on theology, particularly the development of trinitarian theology. 105 pages, not bad.

[Keller (Author Charles Hack) Hackbusch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book that gives just enough information about the creeds to be helpful. Recommended!