Among my crowd of acquaintances and friends are some Pagans. Present-day Pagans believe in a number of gods and goddesses, but I do not think they hold the cyclical worldview that lay under ancient Pagan beliefs, a world that depends on always going back to a sacred beginning, never forward to something new.. Between ancient Pagans and the modern world came the Jews, who could not long abide the thought of a world going nowhere. The take on reality that they... Read more

The fourth word in the Nicene Creed is “one.” It distinguishes Jewish and Christian belief from Paganism, with its many gods. There’s more to it than just one versus many, though. It’s not as if Jews disbelieved in all the gods except one and atheists disbelieve in one more. Monotheism in its Jewish form arose in the midst of an ancient culture with many gods AND a definite view of reality. The Jews changed both. In the next few posts... Read more

Inclusive language is an important, but puzzling, theme in the Church’s life. I was at a dinner party with friends, and after we’d drunk a decent amount of wine, the conversation turned to religion. I made a statement referring to God as “he,” and one of the participants immediately corrected. “You mean ‘she,’ don’t you?” I thought, If I’m going to talk about God when I’m this far under the influence, I shouldn’t have to worry about inclusive language or my personal pronouns.   This... Read more

There’s no question: The images the Bible uses for God are overwhelmingly male. God is judge, shepherd, warrior—all male roles in Biblical times, though not necessarily so today. Mostly God is king in the Hebrew Bible and Father in Christian scriptures. Is God ever Mother? This is the fifth in a series on the Creed of Christians. An introduction consists of my retelling of the Creed’s story. That and links to other posts in the series are here. God as mother in the Bible  Female... Read more

The first thing we say about God in the Creed is that God is Father. Actually, in the current English translation we name God “Father almighty.” I prefer to separate these two ideas with a comma. As I explained in my last post, I can think of God as Father and as almighty, but not both at once. If you’re thinking of yourself as especially mighty, I suggest becoming a father to cure your delusion.   This is the fourth in a series on the Creed of... Read more

St. Paul wrote: “The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1:25) Formerly, I translated this in my mind as a clever way of saying, “God’s strength is really strong.” I take God’s weakness more literally now.  This is the third in a series on the Creed of Christians. An introduction consists of my retelling of the Creed’s story. That and links to other posts in the series are here. God’s kingdom  When I look at Jesus, I don’t see a lot... Read more

I’ve been reciting two Christian Creeds (one of them by heart) since I was little. Their recitation puts me right where I belong, in the midst of a community united by common beliefs. But how do I understand those beliefs. In this post I’m puzzling about the fifth word in the original Greek version of the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed, pantokrator. English translates this word “almighty” — God is infinitely powerful.    This is the second in a series on the Creed of Christians.... Read more