Carl R. Trueman
This is a reworking of a previously published work, The Creedal Imperative (Wheaton, ILL.: Crossway, 2012). Trueman’s work also springs from another previously published work, Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, published in 2020. In both these books he argues against the almost overwhelming tide of what he defines as ‘expressive individualism.’ When humans “identify themselves by their desires – sexual or otherwise – they are expressive individuals” (p. xv).
This individualism has eroded confidence in institutions such as the Church. One key practice that may help recover some of God’s intention for us as human beings is to return to the creeds and confessions of the historical church. The bulk of the book is a veery brief introduction to various creeds and confessions. He begins with the Apostle’s Creed which dates to the fourth century. This statement of faith built on earlier Christian authors and their expressions often identified as a Rule (or Canon) of Faith (p. 69).
The Apostle’s Creed, a more concise and easy to remember summary of the essential doctrines of Christian faith underwent revision after revision. The Creed led to the Seven Ecumenical Councils which over the unfolding centuries provided such statements as The Chalcedonian Formula and The Athanasian Creed.
Jumping to the Reformation Era, Trueman focuses on English Protestantism which leads him to the Westminster Standards, produced in England between 1643 and 1653. He does note that the 1689 Baptist Confession is a “slight modification of the Westminster Confession” (p. 115). The primary reason for this aside is to remind Baptists that we do have a confessional heritage.
He notes that many modern evangelicals, claiming to have ‘No Creed bu the Bible’ are wrong. Indeed, he writes that “…all churches and all Christians have a creed or a confession” (p.143). His conclusion is a result of a couple of crucial points. First, there is a deep mistrust of authority in our expressive individualistic culture. He pointedly observes the incredulity of rejecting authority with two clear examples. He mentions the
“mindless emulation of the fashions of pop stars by their fans; or the incredibly naïve confidence that is often places in the opinions of vacuous and ill-informed celebrities on, say, third world debt or global warming as opposed to those of traditional experts” (p. 27).
The second impulse that often leads to a fear of confessions is that of excluding anyone. He notes, “A confession is a positive statement of belief; but in making a positive statement of belief, it inevitable excludes those who disagree with its content” (p. 31).Interestingly he identifies ‘evangelicalism, “typically understood as a conservative, orthodox form of Protestantism marked by an emphasis on conversion and evangelism” (33). His point is that these (mostly para-church groups marked as ‘evangelical’ often send the message that “issues such as baptism are of minor importance, and that matters that divide denominations are trivial and even sinful…” (p. 33).
The book is worth reading for two reasons. First, it is by Carl R. Trueman. He is truly a giant among 20th and 21st century theologians and writers. Second, as a life-long Baptist who has often claimed, ‘No Creed but the Bible’ I am learning that though we may not have an official Statement of Faith, we do have a confession of faith that links us together and excludes others. Exclusion is not always negative! If I have a cancer, I hope my doctor and I do everything possible to exclude it from my body. Without some guardrails of a confession of faith, even loosely held, we cannot thrive.