Linda’s Reviews > Creeds in the Making > Status Update

Ha, not everything is all right with modern viewpoints! Glad to see the traditional belief in the Holy Spirit made distinct (“utterly removed”) from modern philosophies seeing Deity as some impersonal Force or function of nature.

Good point made re: divinity of the Holy Spirit recognized early on, that the ‘lex credendi’ is one with the ‘lex orandi’ (Church worship is based on Church belief). For application, it would make sense that an issue with worship is really an issue with belief.

The critics of the Moral Theory (I.e. it places man on Christ’s throne) have a point. If Christ’s suffering love means that man gets to “appropriate to himself” the fruits of salvation, where is Christ’s justice or power over enemies?

On theories of Atonement, the author’s social evolutionary biases are really on display. He’s repeatedly - and a little arrogantly- ascribing ‘crude’ language to Ransom and Penal theories, while praising theorists such as Abelard (more guarded on Origen) re: the Moral Theory. I find this Moral Theory (Christ’s self-sacrifice leading to conviction and acceptance) rather sappy and Lucado-esque.

Seems a decent stab at making the Creeds accessible (kudos for pointing out the resurrection as the historical underpinning without which Christianity is not), I’m just also wondering how far this writer is willing to bend in accommodation. Just get the feeling he’s determined to leave something out in a bid to popularize faith.