This We Believe: Exploring the Essential Texts of the Christian Faith

The first commandment, to worship God alone, seems on the surface to be easy. Most of us probably don’t have wooden statues of Zeus that we bow down to in the morning. But what does it mean to have other gods? What are the things that occupy center stage in our hearts? This episode discusses the preamble and first commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out...

The 10 Commandments have long been associated with the virtue of Love in Christianity. Now, for some of us this might seem odd: Isn’t the Ten Commandments after all a list of negative statements—thou shall not do this or thou shall not do that? Are the 10 Commandments really about love, or are they divine impositions on human freedom? This episode begins season 2 of This We Believe, where we'...

Why doesn’t the creed say anything about the Bible? Why does it not mention love, or mercy, or justice? What is the relationship between the church, the bible, and the Apostles’ Creed? This episode answers listener questions that were submitted in response to the completion of season 1 and our examination of the Apostles’ Creed. We can summarize these submissions in one question: What has left out...

What do Christians mean when we say that we worship one God in three persons, and how are these three persons related? Is a belief in the Trinity a mere academic curiosity, something too difficult for most to grasp, or is it an essential belief that can impact the way we personally relate to God? This episode concludes our examination of the Apostles’ Creed by discussing the revelation of God as F...

Who gets to heaven and who gets to hell, and who gets to decide? What does an eternity with God look like? How does our eternal life not get old or boring? This episode addresses the final statements of the Apostles’ Creed: the final judgment, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  We'll discuss the relationship between justice and judgment, the qualifications of salvation,...

If belief in Jesus as Lord and God enables us to enter into a relationship with God, why do Christian’s still insist on gathering together as a community? Why must one go to church if they are saved? What is the purpose of the church? The Apostles’ Creed asserts a belief in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints. In order to understand the significance of the church, it’s important t...

One of the most challenging notions for Christians to grasp is an understanding of God the Holy Spirit. It’s easy for us to picture God the Son, Jesus. It is also easy for many of us to think of God as Father. But what comes to mind when we think of the Holy Spirit? Who is the Holy Spirit, and how does the Holy Spirit work in the lives of Christians? This episode addresses these questions by exami...

One of the most perplexing questions that few Christians ever ask themselves is this: Why didn’t Jesus stay on earth, travel the world, and reveal his resurrected body to all peoples? Wouldn’t it have been better if he stuck around, so that we could visit him right now? This episode addresses these questions by examining the Apostles' Creed's statement that Jesus "ascended into heav...

 What do you picture when you picture Easter and Heaven? Is Easter a light-hearted affair, with pastels, rainbows, and bunnies, or is it a startling and terrifying event? Is heaven a place in the clouds where our spirits wander around, meeting historical figures, or is it a physical place saturated with the glory of God? This episode examines both Jesus' descent to the dead and his resurrecti...

Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sin. But a question remains--why did Jesus have to die for our forgiveness? Why couldn't God just wave a magic wand of forgiveness? This episode delves into an understanding of sin and forgiveness in order to understand the significance of the Apostles' Creed's assertion that Jesus was "crucified, died, and...

At the heart of Christianity is a belief in Jesus. Who is Jesus, and why is he important? Was he just a human being who was a good teacher? Was he an angel? What do we believe about Jesus when we say that we believe in Jesus? This episode discusses the second stanza of The Apostles’ Creed, which asserts a belief in “Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, our Lord.” It assesses the significance of the...

Christians believe that God created the world. This raises an important question: why did God decide to do this? Was God lonely, did he need something to do, or is there some other reason that prompted the creation of the world? The Apostles’ Creed begins by describing God as the “The Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth,” so in this episode we are going to unpack this statement, discussin...

What do we mean when we say those two words “I believe?” What is the difference between believing in a scientific fact and believing in the God of the universe? The Apostles’ Creed begins with two words: “I believe,” and so this podcast will begin by talking about what it means when Christians say that they believe in God, or, to put it another way, we are going to address what it means to say tha...

This We Believe explains the essentials of the Christian faith and its impact on our lives. Each season will use key texts as springboards for exploring the core tenets of Christianity, beginning with the Apostles' Creed and continuing with texts such as the 10 Commandments and the Our Father. While each season will progress through these documents, each episode will be centered around a spec...