The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

*The term “catholic” means “universal”, throughout all ages and generations.

To Those Suffering from Church Hurt:

There are many ways that people can be hurt in a church setting. The most damaging types of hurt are often caused by leaders in the church. If you have been a victim of such hurt, I want to extend my deepest condolences, especially if this hurt involved any form of abuse, physical or mental. The Bible says that teachers are judged with greater strictness than other believers (James 3:1), and that the appropriate judgment for Christians who lead others away from the faith is worse than a death sentence (Matthew 18:6-7). Unfortunately, there are many leaders in the church who ignore these warnings, and take up positions they should not like wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).

Many can also suffer church hurt in more subtle ways; one of the most common that I am aware of is an emphasis on shame. Many leave the church, or want nothing to do with Christianity, because they have been taught that to shame is a core part of Christian doctrine. As far as I know, there is nothing in the Bible that supports this. If shame was an essential part of the Christian walk, then Jesus would not have befriended tax collectors and adulterers and sinners of all sorts. If shame was an essential part of the Christian walk, then the prodigal son returning to his father would have been met with crossed arms and a stern glare, not a bear hug and tears of joy.

Men far wiser than me have written much on these topics, and I don’t think I can communicate their arguments nearly as well as them. It almost goes without saying, but of course, the Bible is a great resource; if you aren’t sure where to start, I would recommend the Gospel of John in the New Testament. The ESV (English Standard Version) is my preferred English translation. If you do not own a Bible, blueletterbible.org is a great resource.

Beyond that, one of my favorite introductory books for anyone who wants to learn more about Christianity is The Prodigal God by Pastor Tim Keller. This book dives into the parable of the two brothers, also called the parable of the prodigal son, and is an incredible read no matter where you are in your faith: Whether you are a seasoned Christian, you’re new to the faith, or you’ve never been to church. As I find more resources, I will continue to update this list.