Well, I held out on writing this page as long as I could.
I understand why people would want to know what I believe before they feel comfortable forwarding my articles to their congregation, youth group, etc.
I get that.
I’m trying to avoid identifying my “tribe” or denomination. Certainly not out of any concern about what I confess, rather trying to avoid anything which would make me “them” to your “us” and hinder my ability to proclaim the simple gospel message to as many people as possible.
What you’ll find on this blog will be, simply, the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
What you will not find: “End time prophecy”, Healing Prayer Cloths for Sale, or Politics.
As a Statement of Faith, I confess that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God. It is the only rule and guide to our faith and is the manner in which God speaks to His people (Sola Scriptura). I confess that salvation is through grace alone (Sola Gratia) by faith alone (Sola Fide) in Christ alone (Solus Christus) to the glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria). Therefore, I reject any revelation apart from scripture, and all manner of works-based salvation. I reject the errors of pietism, rationalism, and spiritualism. I believe and confess the three historical creeds of the church: The Apostles Creed, The Nicene Creed, and The Athanasian Creeds.
Therefore, I reject the errors of: Pelagianism, Universalism, Modalism/Monarchainism/Sabellianism, Arianism, Docetism, Marcionsim, Montanism, and Molinism,. I also reject errors plaguing the church in the present; Namely the false “purpose driven”, “seeker driven”, word of faith, and prosperity gospels.
Marc
Marc5Solas 
Amen – well said!
I found your site after clicking a link to your post on why youth are leaving the church, which was absolutely excellent. Thank you for saying what so badly needed to be said.
I am, though, a bit perplexed by this page. You state that you adhere to the five solas as well as the creeds of the undivided Church. But those creeds were written by bishops who would take issue with a lot (not all) of what is in those solas – especially the first. In fact, it’s curious to me that you say scripture is the only rule and guide to faith, but you also hold the creeds as authoritative. Maybe this is because the creeds and the scriptures have the same source: the Church, which Paul describes as the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15). Indeed, before we are going to say that scripture is the only or most important rule and guide to our faith, we should consider why that is. Where did scripture come from? Who decided what books would be in the Bible and which would not? Indeed, the Holy Spirit, acting through His Church in her Ecumenical Councils. For when Christ ascended to Heaven, he did not leave behind a set of scriptures, but His very body, which is the Church.
Speaking of the creeds, I couldn’t help but notice that the version of the Apostles’ Creed you display above isn’t the Apostles’ Creed as it was originally written and professed by the Apostles and bishops of the early church. Instead of “the Holy Catholic Church” it says “the holy Christian church.” But the apostles didn’t just profess belief in any church that called itself Christian, they professed communion in the catholic, that is whole or universal, church – that which was believed everywhere, always, and by all. And it didn’t include anything about solas.
But now I’ve gone on too much and you no doubt don’t need me to lecture you. I would, though, encourage you, as someone who clearly has a deep interest in and respect for Church history, to look deeper into that history (I like antiochian.org/discover). I think you’ll find there is much more depth than any prejudices about ‘traditions of men’ might have one believe. Holy Tradition, the faith delivered by Christ to the apostles, who in turn delivered it to the bishops and the faithful, is preeminently expressed not just in Scripture, but in the very person of Christ himself, in His body and blood.
God bless and thank you again for your extremely insightful commentary and fervent witness to the Gospel.
The scriptures are the Norma Normans, or that norm from which all true christian doctrine proceeds. The Creeds are the norma normata, that is, the norm which has become normative because (quia) they are shaped by and agree with the scriptures. Subsequently some denominations even hold that their confessions are shaped by scriptures and therefore are authoritive…again because, not in so far as, they agree with scripture. Therefore the principle of sola scriptura is not a contradiction with creeds. The concept that the scriptures, the creeds, the confessions, the fathers, et al are part of the greater “tradition of the Church” opens the door to suggest that the tradition of the church is equal to the “inspiration of scripture.”
Clearly creeds and confessions do not rise to the level of being inspired by God and profitable for reproof training etc. But no scripture ever came from the impulse of men, but men wrote what God said when moved by the Holy Spirit.
The creeds are flags or standards the Holy Christian Church on earth flys proudly because they are believed, taught, and confessed to be in full agreement with the scriptures. The errant teachings mentioned begining with unionism and including the ancient heracies address at Nicea, Constantanople and other venues in the 4th century gave rise to at least one of these creeds so the world could identify the orthodox Christian faith as it was handed down first by the apostles and confessors.
Nice job Marc. by the way.
Epiclesis,
Like Marc, I confess the ancient creeds, not because they are authoritative, but because they succinctly summarize the major doctrines of Scripture. Scripture is authoritative because God said so, not because an ecclesiastical authority said so. (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21)
The Apostle Peter said that Paul’s writings were Scripture (2 Peter 3:16). Paul wrote, “These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:14-15) How do we come to this knowledge? – through the written word. I do not believe he meant to imply ecclesiastical authority equal to Scripture. (If that were the case, then he would not have needed to write “these things,” he could simply have said, “do whatever The Church tells you to do.”) He was inspired to write Scripture so that we may know.
Thomas
I was so profoundly affected by your article regarding the 10 reasons why youth are leaving the church that I am attempting to split it into 4 sections to use in a women’s monthly study group for the fall. I will work on bringing in panelists for each session. Have you already split this article up for discussion groups? Could I be so lucky??? 🙂 Thanks for the thoughtful, brave perspective. You are right on the money on this one. I guess I should thank my deceased daddy for dragging me to church, seating me next to him on that hard pew, then taking me to lunch afterwards where we would discuss the lessons and sermon….didn’t cost him a thing, but, it worked for me. Years later, he told his golfing buddies about the time I was 8 years old and asked him, at Sunday lunch, after singing “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” “Daddy, what’s ineffably sublime?” I STILL remember his answer, and, it remains a pillar of my faith 50 years later…..
That’s great! What. Wonderful legacy of faith from your Dad. I’ve not broken these up, but would live to see your take on it. Where in SA are you teaching these? (I live in SA)
When you say you live in SA, which SA are you talking about? San Antonio, San Angelo, South Africa, South Antarctica (just kidding). I am really intrigued. For the record, I am in the first city listed. Thanks.
San Antonio! 🙂 (Though I hear South Africa is beautiful)
Just out of curiosity (as a parent) — what was your Daddy’s answer to your question? It must have been a powerful, thoughtful reply. 🙂
Thanks Marc! I was led to your blog from another church member via a link to the article regarding the reasons teens leave the church. As a mother of one high school student, a middle school student and an elementary aged student, this article was very intriguing to me. I try to make sure my children understand we don’t attend church to have a good time but to learn of the gospel of Jesus and the our purpose in that. It was refreshing to hear my son tell me this morning that he understood the gospel was not just there to make him feel good but to bring the message of Christ to a lost and dying world.
I have been very fortunate, I feel, that in the church I attend there are classes that delve much deeper into the Word then the pastor can address in 90 minutes on Sunday. My children do have a middle/high school service they attend but it has become more important to me that they begin attending adult services with me as well.
Thank you for the article.
Hi Marc, Enjoyed your article and appreciated your excellent writing. I have observed the same exodus of youth from the institutional “church”. I don’t think this is unfortunate however. Perhaps it just means that they have unmasked the local clubhouse or crackhouse version of church and seek something more genuine and even more Jesus compatible like living authentically in community with the broken and hurting and accepting their own brokeness in the process. You seem very genuine and concerned in the way you write. I admire that compassionate tone but when I read what you say about yourself you make it pretty clear that you already know everything theologically and you base your Christianity firmly on the “right” view, position, dogma, etc. You have defined God as a product that you can pimp. Of course there is still a market for you. Those that need a weekly assurance fix and those that need to weekly be convinced that they alone have the secret. Celebrate that your youth have not swallowed the God of your understanding. Maybe it is because God is leading them to something far more amazing….like the heart of Christ. Blessings
You wrote: “You seem very genuine and concerned in the way you write. I admire that compassionate tone but when I read what you say about yourself you make it pretty clear that you already know everything theologically and you base your Christianity firmly on the “right” view, position, dogma, etc.”
M5S: I’d be the first to admit that I don’t “know everything theologically”! I do believe I base my faith in a proper understanding of scripture. While there are certainly “open hand” issues that I’m not particularly dogmatic about, I’ve not written about them, so I’m not sure where anyone would get the idea that I fell I “know everything”.
Is there a particular view I’ve stated that you disagree with, or is it simply that I’m making a truth claim?
You wrote:
“You have defined God as a product that you can pimp. Of course there is still a market for you. Those that need a weekly assurance fix and those that need to weekly be convinced that they alone have the secret. Celebrate that your youth have not swallowed the God of your understanding. Maybe it is because God is leading them to something far more amazing….like the heart of Christ. Blessings”
M5S: Well, that was certainly a quick left turn! I’ll look past the inflammatory rhetoric here and ask what your alternative proposition is. What is the God of your understanding? By positing that I am “pimping” an incorrect idea by making a truth claim not imply that you not only have an alternate truth claim, but enough knowledge to know that it is correct? Is that (the, unstated,God of YOUR understanding) what youth should be swallowing?
And finally, the heart of Christ language is odd. I may be incorrect, but this sounds like the “give me Jesus not church” dichotomy. The problem is, Jesus brought the church. It’s the model through which we imperfect, flawed humans deliver the perfect, yet simple, means of grace. I’d be happy to work through this, but truthfully i’ve seen this position played out dozens of times. In the end you buck credal beliefs and the visible church for your own set of self-created creeds (which alway, ALWAYS turn out to be law instead of Gospel) and a personalized faith.
I’m willing to work through this if you are.
marc
Hi Marc, can I get a printable version of your “Top Ten Reasons Youth Leave the Church?”
Preferred format? .pdf work?
I too tried to get this in a print format to share with our education staff so we can talk trough it. Could I get it please in pdf? Thanks Marc
Will get this out tomorrow.
Marc
Your efforts are a worthy exercise to identify and “fully teach” religious traditions that are as dangerous today as when Christ addressed them two millinia ago. People get comfortable in tradition and churchianity”institutionalism,” and the forms/liturgy lose the power from which they came — becoming stale and dead words and actions. That is being rejected by an ever-increasing group of people, young and old — “NONE” of the above in surveys taken to show church/affiliation and belief. Youve probably read this recent info out of the Huff. Post, but I’ll imbed the URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-laderman/the-rise-of-religious-non_b_2913000.html Don’t give up the “voice crying in the wilderness” work.
Hey there – I agree with a lot of what you say. I just wanted to let you know that you have a typo in your graphic with the Apostle’s creed on it. You have “The third day he rose form the dead.” It should be “from” I believe. 🙂 Thanks for the thoughts, especially the article about why youth leave the church.
You are correct! (And, of course, I can’t find the original graphic at the moment!) I’m sure someone on the internet will take this as a conspiracy that I don’t REALLY believe the creed now since I snuck in the typo. 😉 I’ll find the original and correct this as soon as I’m able. Thanks again!