Some Core Beliefs

I've chosen the Nicene Creed to represent the core beliefs you'll encounter here. The Nicene Creed of 325 AD is a concise summary of universally held orthodox Chrisitan beliefs. Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Protestants should all find common ground in this creed. If you subscribe to the authentic and ancient Christian faith you'll find you agree with with this statement of faith. From this starting point the dialog and sharing can begin! What if you're a seeker, a doubter, or just plain confused? Hang in there, in the coming weeks and months many ideas and issues will be presented to help you seek and find, overcome doubts, and bring into focus your own beliefs.

Recently, The Da Vinci Code has brought the Nicene Creed to the forefront of popular culture. It's been taken off the seminary bookshelves dusted off and brought out into the light once again. That's a good thing. On the other hand, Dan Brown in his book and subsequent movie, makes the unfounded claim that for the first three centuries of the church Jesus was understood to be a mortal, merely a good man and a prophet. In a letter written by Pliny the Younger or Caius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (62-c.115), a Roman senator,to the Emperor Trajan, he complains about the Christians and asks advice on what to do about them.
He states: "they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god. So as you can see we have eye witness testimony from a Roman senator who lived in the latter half of the 1st century that right from the beginning Christians believed Jesus to be God. For more on this topic the article Was Jesus Declared Divine Nearly 300 Years After He Died? will be helpful.

The next intelligent question would seem to be "Did Jesus declare himself to be divine? " Here are Jesus' own words "I and the Father are one" John 10:30, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." John 14:9. Read more...