Creedless Religion?

There is no such thing as a creedless religion. A creedless religion is one which makes no statement about its particular set or system of beliefs, except the particularly assertive statement that “we assert no particular statement of beliefs.” If, after I challenge your affirmation that your religion has no creed, you assume a fighting stance, you’ve just illustrated my point. While your religion is a shambles, you and your colleagues at least can get together under the guise that you all share the common belief that you affirm no other particular beliefs; after that, you just have to shut up and stare at each other.

To get around this, the denominational Church of God (the one which has declared that “we are non-denominational”) adds an important qualifier – “we have no written creed but the Holy Bible.” But this has it problems, too, especially if what is meant is that neither an organization nor an individual should paraphrase what it believes but should only quote the Scriptures. If this is the case, then preaching from the pulpit should be nothing more than reading, reciting, or possibly rearranging the Holy Scriptures. For as soon as you open your mouth to expound a particular passage, you are differing little from those who declare a creed.

Another important qualifier for the Church of God Reformation Movement is, I suppose, the word written; because it can, for a moment, appear that we do have an unwritten creed. And what’s more, you have to line up with it if you’re going to be ordained within the Church of God. Ironic, however, is the fact that if you do pursue such ordination, you are required to write out your personal creed and you must do so without quoting Scripture. This more easily enables the Board of Pastoral and Church Relations (BPCR) to compare your creed with the Movement’s “unwritten” creed and thereby determine your level of qualification for ordination.

When presenting my personal statement of beliefs, perhaps I should have provided the following: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. … On the third day, He rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

“I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy [universal] church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

Of course, these words are not original with me; it is known as The Apostles’ Creed, with a couple minor revisions. It’s been around for quite some time, as I understand, – centuries – even longer than the Church of God Reformation Movement. Does the Church of God or its BPCR have any problems with the Creed’s content? If so, then I have a problem with the Church of God, its BPCR, or both.