BIBLES * Bulldogs * & Beards

Disagree, agree, or have a question: Contact us through the contact page on our website; http://www.biblebulldog.com Creeds Liturgy and Formalism Do you think some churches simply go through the motions of praise without ever actually engaging their hearts and their minds? “spontaneous” Why do you think some feel the need to be “spontaneous”? “The only real point of difference between churches on this issue is the level of self-consciousness and explicit formality with which they are held.” Explain? Does the lack of a stated form mean that the same basic routine is not followed, week in, week out? Where would one go in the NT to find “being spontaneous” as being a hallmark of genuine Christian worship?” “It often appears that people use the term spontaneous to refer to nontraditional liturgical structures.” … “where nobody but the worship leader is entirely sure how many times the chorus is repeated” All are pre-planned using set forms of some kind, the content is fixed in advance of the service. Does our society put great stock in the idea that what makes us who we are is our individual self-creation and self-determination? “consumerism.” Should our faith be the faith of the other people in the church, both today and throughout the ages? “If reciting the creeds become formalism, it is not the fault of the creeds themselves.” Are creeds merely a tool for achieving a desired end? The Threefold Aspect of Creedal Doxology Creeds Offer a Corporate Summary of the Bible’s Teaching Is one of your complaints the theological and biblical illiteracy of congregants compared to previous generations? “Two short Bible readings and one thirty minute sermon each Sunday will not solve the problem.” How should churches address such a lack? “As the congregation recites the creeds each week they are reminded of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith.” Does a person who knows the creed have a potentially profound grasp of theology? Can and should Catechisms be used in preaching or as part of the worship service? Creeds Are Countercultural Is the recitation of a creed in a worship service one of the most counter-cultural things that Christians can do? Is worship is meant to be counter-cultural? “seeker-sensitive services” “offering both traditional and contemporary services” “cultural conformity” 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 - If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. Is there any evidence here of any attempt to make the unbeliever comfortable? “It is the difference that the unbeliever finds so striking.” How do these challenge the world: The public reading of God’s Word? Singing praises to God? Corporate reading of a creed? “As soon as the congregation says, We believe in one God …” Aren’t creeds a devastating blow against cultural conformity? The church looks to Christ, not the world. Creeds Ascribe to God What Belongs to Him and Him Alone. “The nature of us as fallen human beings is to forget who God is, and to remake Him in our own image.” How true is that? Why does God tell us to “not forsake assembling together”? Is worship: giving to God what is His? Why would a church that uses songs that are written beforehand and sung in unison object to reciting a creed? Simply a judgement based on taste. Pleasing ourselves rather attempting to please God. Conclusion. “I would argue that if one takes Scripture seriously and sees it as regulating both the form, content, and purpose of Christian praise, then it is hard to see why creedal material should not be included in a worship service.” Next chapter: On The Usefulness of Creeds and Confessions.