Baptists and Creeds

What? No one wants to tackle this question?

I have no problem with those creeds. We say the first two on occasion at my Baptist church, although not regularly.

Some people have problems with the "works" part of the Athanasian creed, although properly understood, there's not a problem with it.

 

properly understood

You mean like theotokos? (running for cover)

 

As I recall there's nothing particularly objectionable with the exception of the "descended into hell" part of the Apostles' Creed and Athanasian Creed.

The problem is more that they are "mere Christianity" ... lacking in some key areas. They don't go far enough to distinguish between true and false.

 

Nicea plus Constantinople make up the orthodox position on the person of Christ. There's no way that I know of to deny them and avoid heresy.

 

James talks about the creed Jews claimed as their faith and a genuine saving faith.

 

Exactly.

And the "works" part comes straight from Romans 4.

I think "descended to hell" is similar. I think it's a reference to Act 2:31 and it's meant to affirm that Christ really died. He went to the grave.

 

I think that's because they were formed to deal with specific heresies--the heresies the church was fighting against at that particular time in history. They weren't meant to inclusive of everything that's right to believe, but rather to exclude those who adhered to specific wrong doctrines that the church was wrestling with at that time.