THE CREED
(Monday) I'm in the process of reading Luke Timothy Johnson's book The Creed. A sample:

Every Sunday millions of Christians recite the creed. Some sleepwalk through it thinking of other things, some puzzle over the strange language, some find offense in what it seems to say. Perhaps few of them fully appreciate what a remarkable thing they are doing. Would they keep on doing it if they grasped how different it made them in today’s world? Would they keep on saying these words if they really knew what they implied?

In a world that celebrates individuality, they are actually doing something together. In an age that avoids commitments, they pledge themselves to a set of convictions and thereby to each other. In a culture that rewards novelty and creativity, they use words written by others long ago. In a society where accepted wisdom changes by the minute, the claim that some truths are so critical that they must be repeated over and over again. In a throwaway consumerist world, they accept, preserve, and continue tradition. Reciting the creed at worship is thus a counter-cultural act. (pp. 40-41)