You may have noticed that Jenny and I added the Apostles’ Creed to the service when we came to First UMC. You may also have noticed some changes in the creed between our first and second Sundays here. We put the creed into the worship service as an affirmation of faith, a quick doctrinal summary of what we believe as a church. Perhaps there are times in our lives when it’s hard for us to say it, perhaps we have clauses that we aren’t completely sure about, but it is something that we say together as a church, and we pick up the slack for one another. I like saying the Apostles’ Creed not only because it is a short and succinct summary of the Christian faith, but also because in saying it on Sunday morning we once again affirm the same faith we were baptized into, the same faith we professed when we joined the church (see “Baptismal Covenant I,” pages 33-39 in The United Methodist Hymnal).
As The United Methodist Book of Worship puts it: “The Apostles’ Creed in threefold question-and-answer form appeared at least as early as the third century as a statement of faith used in baptisms and has been widely used in baptisms ever since.” I love that the creed is ancient, but the meaning of words shifts over time. Not only did the creed have to be translated into English, but the meanings of some of the English words used in the translation have shifted over time. This leads to two problems, one of which is readily noticeable while the other is almost completely hidden.
The easily recognizable difficulty for Protestants is the creed’s use of the word catholic. The word catholic with a small “c” indicates the church universal. The church universal consists of all Christians in all times and all places bound together by our common connection and commitment to Christ Jesus. But since the reformation, “Catholic” has come to be short for “Roman Catholic.” Despite the use of the small “c” and the asterisk denoting catholic as universal, the word’s presence in the creed still troubles some people. So instead of “the holy catholic church” we’re using “the holy church, universal.” We aren’t doing this lightly but rather in response to years of feedback that indicated the clause was being misunderstood. The change in wording is in an attempt to preserve the original meaning.
The second change in the meaning of a word used to translate the creed has gone almost unnoticed, but it actually has a far greater impact. And that is the word believe. Now days, “believe” tends to mean that we accept the veracity or truth of something. But back when the creed was first translated into English, saying “I believe” entailed a personal commitment. The English word “believe” once had a deeper, broader meaning than it typically does today, and it is used to translate ancient Greek and Latin words whose meanings go far beyond intellectual consent. In the Christian mind, the statement “I believe” should connote an act of faith, a commitment to God, a loyalty given, a vow, a “pledge of faithfulness and loving service” to God. To believe is to to “belove, prize, or treasure.”* Belief is a disposition of trusting God. Belief is relational and lived out.
For this reason we’ve substituted “I commit,” “I set my heart upon,” and “I place my trust in” for “I believe.” Again, we’re changing the words in an attempt to prevent misunderstandings and preserve the original meaning.
Let me know what you think.
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*The phrases “pledge of faithfulness and loving service” and “belove, prize, or treasure” come from a book by Diana Butler Bass. She wasn’t the first one to make this point, but reading her discussion of this subject brought it back to the front of my mind.