The School of Charity: Meditations On The Christian Creed

by HTTP //Evelynunderhill Org/ Evelyn Underhill

2015 Reprint of 1934 Printing. Full facsimile of the original edition. Not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. In this little book, which is based upon the principal articles of the Nicene Creed, Underhill to suggested to the modern Christian how close the connection is between the great doctrines of his religion and that "inner life" which is too often regarded as a more spiritual alternative to orthodoxy: how rich and splendid is the Christian account of reality, and how much food it has to offer to the contemplative soul. These meditations were originally presented at a retreat she conducted at her beloved Pleshy, a small village in England that was the site of her conversion to the Christian faith. The renewed interest in mysticism and spirituality today among Christians of all communions draws heavily from her work. Contents: PART ONE: I Believe; One God, Creator; One Lord PART TWO: Incarnate; Crucified; Glorified PART THREE: Spirit; Church; The World to Come

126 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1934

Reviews

[Timothy Lawrence]

Not infrequently strikingly beautiful and truthful, but more frequently merely abstruse and inaccessible. Entirely open to the possibility that the problem is on my end.

[Noah Richards]

We read and discussed this book with a group from church, so a great deal of my understanding of Underhill's thought is thanks to some very smart people in our reading group.
Right now I wont really write out all of my thoughts on this book because I need to let it sit and stew for a while. But what I will say this, this book is incredibly profound and theologically rich, it is deeply practical, relating everything Christians believe to what it means in prayer, and it is beautifully written, although it is best enjoyed in small bites.

[Susan]

12/2018 A short book of meditations on the Nicene Creed. Overly wordy and at times hard to follow. Underhill wrote from a a Catholic/Mystic point of view. I felt the theology was heavy on works and demands of what Christians need to do. She seemed to miss God's initiative, guidance, and forgiving grace. It was interesting to ponder another's understandings of the creed from a different time in history and a different theological bent.

[Connie Clark]

Underhill's writing speaks to me powerfully and has helped form my spirituality. Her theological thinking is sophisticated, but it is raised to a higher level by her attitude of praise and humility. I found it intellectually stimulating and spiritually uplifting. I will return to it many times.

[Trey Kennedy]

This is an incredible look at each section of the creed. Masterfully done by the woman who helped influence C.S. Lewis in making Aslan a lion.

[Caleb]

Not so much a historical look, as a devotional look at the Apostles Creed, very insightful and beautiful

[D. Geordan]

A very good book, I should probably read it again!

[Bill Russell]

The Nicene Creed is recited whenever Anglicans celebrate the Eucharist. It is an extraordinary piece of writing, dating from the 4th century as the early fathers of the church struggled to define who Jesus was within the context of monotheism. Leading up to its formulation, there was political intrigue as factions who asserted Jesus was a created being battled with those who insisted he was divine, was God, and so co-eternal with God.

Once formulated, and then amended in the 5th century, it became the definitive expression of the orthodox Christian faith. It remains so today.

Underhill's book is a reflection on the Creed. It is a short book, but it takes the reader into a deeper spiritual reflection of the three primary areas of the Creed: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet, she sets the ante for the reader near the beginning, on the 4th page: "When Christians say the Creed, they say in effect, 'This is what we believe to be the truth about existence; about God and the things of God, and so by implication about our own mysterious lives.'" She then takes the reader not only through the major elements of an assertion, but also through the lens of a worldview. For that is what the Creed really is--it is how Christians see, or should see, the world around us.

Sadly, many Protestant denominations have distanced themselves from familiarity with the Creed. I recently talked with a Baptist couple who, when I asked them how they were relating to the Anglican (Episcopal) liturgy, replied they were getting through the "creeds" as if it was the acne of Anglican adolescence. "...God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made:" this description is the obituary for Arianism, the ancient heresy that almost kidnapped the faith.

If you pass by the Creed each Sunday, read this little book. If you don't know much about how the Creed was developed, Google it or "Athanasius;" both will give you the history behind its formulation. But if you want to immerse yourself in its mysteries, read the book again, and perhaps even a third time. Let Ms. Underhill, one of the Anglican church's great mystical writers, take you deeper into its substance, and deeper into your life in Christ.

[Thomas]

One my Lenten devotionals for 2016, The School of Charity is Underhill's meditations on the creed. Short, powerful, and poetic.