We Believe in the . . . Church— The Nicene Creed for Noncreedal Christians Post #15

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

And we believe in 

One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

                The “institutional church” is not as popular as it once was. People have been fleeing churches in recent years. While some megachurches seem to be prospering, overall, fewer people attend church than they did in the heyday of church growth and building after the end of World War II. Nevertheless, central to the existence of Christianity is the church. It may take many forms, but the Christian faith is by definition community-based. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 CE sets out the four marks of the church, declaring that it is one (united), holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic. Each of these four marks has been embraced by Christian traditions across the theological spectrum, including Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and many Protestant communions. In this post, I will only briefly touch on each, but each is worthy of deep consideration.

                Oneness:

When we look out across the vast Christian communion, we quickly discern that it is much more divided than united. Protestantism is almost by definition divided, with numerous traditions ranging from Anglican to Baptist to Pentecostal. My own tradition, the Disciples of Christ (Stone-Campbell Movement), started as a movement of unity, though with a restorationist platform. Founder Thomas Campbell issued his Declaration and Address in 1810, in which he defined the Christian church in these terms: “That the Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the Scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and none else; as none else can be truly and properly called Christians” [Campell, Declaration and Address, in C. A. Young, Historical Documents Advocating Christian Union, pp. 107-108]. While we may pledge our affirmation of the oneness of the church, we as Christians have not yet achieved it. However, we can affirm our oneness in Christ as a gift of God and seek to live into that oneness. As Paul declared: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

Holiness:

To say that the church is holy may be somewhat problematic. As a human institution, it suffers from the same maladies as humankind. In other words, as an institution, it is afflicted by sin. Since this is true, the holiness of the church must be rooted in something other than human institutions. Thus, while speaking of the church’s holiness has a moral dimension, it is more deeply rooted in God, who is the ultimate source of the church’s holiness. The starting point for this is the confession rooted in Scripture that the Church is the Body of Christ, such that the church’s holiness is rooted in Christ’s holiness. In the World Council of Churches’ document, Confessing the One Faith, we read this word regarding the church as the communion of saints:  “It is the communion of saints because all are baptized in Christ, who is the Holy One, though Christians stand in need of repentance and daily forgiveness. It is the Holy Spirit who strengthens and renews God’s holy community through word and sacramental life for service, thanksgiving, and praise.” [Confessing the One Faith, Revised Edition: (Wipf & Stock, Kindle p. 75)].

Catholicity:

The third mark concerns the church’s catholicity (universality). This mark is confusing to many who equate the word catholic with the Roman Catholic Church. The Church of Rome, led by the Pope, does claim to represent the catholicity of Christ’s church, but the reality of the church’s catholicity extends beyond the Church of Rome, encompassing all churches, Roman, Orthodox, Protestant, etc. Turning again to the WCC document Confessing the One Faith, we have this word:  “Its catholicity means that it is the gift of God for all people whatever their particular country, race, social condition, or language; that is to say, for the whole oikumene as understood at the time of the Council of Constantinople” [Confessing the One Faith, (Kindle p. 71)]. This definition aligns well with Thomas Campbell’s reflection on the oneness of Christ’s church, as seen above. Thus, catholicity and unity are interconnected, as is true of the church’s holiness, all of which is rooted in our common confession of faith in Christ. It also reflects the inclusiveness of Christ’s church, such that the church is inclusive of all who confess Christ, no matter where they live, their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

Apostolicity:

The fourth mark is the church’s apostolicity. This is reflected in several places in the New Testament, but this word from Ephesians 2 might suffice:

¹⁷ So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, ¹⁸ for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰ built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone; ²¹ in him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.                [Eph. 2:17-22]

My tradition, the Disciples of Christ, is as noted considered noncreedal (though not anti-creedal). As such, apostolicity has been rooted in Scripture, and more specifically, the New Testament. This is a primary emphasis of Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address, which stipulates that “nothing ought to be inculcated upon Christians as articles of faith; nor required of them as terms of communion, but what is expressly taught and enjoined upon them in the word of God” [Historical Documents, p. 108]. Although Disciples have moved away from a strict restorationism  [for more on the Restoration principle, see my book Freedom in Covenant, pp. 24-31], such that as a noncreedal communion, they recognize the value of later theological developments, including the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, they are not deemed authoritative in the same sense as Scripture. Therefore, following Campbell, affirmation of is not required as terms of communion.  He declared in Proposition 7 something that Disciples generally affirm:

7. That although doctrinal exhibitions of the great system of Divine truths, and defensive testimonies in opposition to prevailing errors, be highly expedient, and the more fully and explicit they be for those purposes, the better; yet, as these must be in a great measure the effect of human reasoning, and of course must contain many inferential truths, they ought not to be made terms of communion; unless we suppose, what is contrary to fact, that none have a right to the communion of the Church, but such as possess a very clear and decisive judgment, or are come to a very high degree of doctrinal information; whereas the Church from the beginning did, and ever will consist of little children and young men, as well as fathers. [Historical Documents, pp. 110-111].

Campbell gives a helpful definition of the role of creeds in the life of the church, though I will need to acknowledge the rather masculine language used here. The church is also composed of young women as well as mothers.

It can be said, therefore, that apostolicity is rooted in the teachings found in the New Testament, supplemented by the Old. Later documents have value as interpretive lenses but should not be made terms of communion within the Church of Jesus Christ. This is the foundation of noncreedal Christianity. But, as many Disciples have recognized, we can’t go back to the New Testament without recognizing the influence of Tradition as it developed over time.  

Each of these four marks requires much further development, but they are useful definitions of the nature of the church. The church is one because it is the body of Christ. It is holy because Christ is holy. It is catholic or universal because it is not limited by boundaries of land, language, ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation. It is apostolic because it is rooted in the teachings of Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets. From here, the creed moves to eschatology or last things.