My faith in God is expressed perfectly in two ancient Christian creeds, the Apostle’s Creed (dating in part to the first few centuries of the Christian era, and to the sixth century in its present form), and the Nicene Creed (dating to the Council of Nicea in the fourth century)

The Apostles’ Creed

• I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
• And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
• Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
• Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:
• The third day he rose again from the dead:
• He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
• From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
• I believe in the Holy Ghost:
• I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:
• The forgiveness of sins:
• The resurrection of the body:
• And the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Minor Clarification

I am a Christian in the fullest sense of trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my salvation. I don’t feel comfortable with any of the following labels: evangelical, fundamentalist, mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, charismatic, Pentecostal or third wave. Though my beliefs draw much from all of these traditions, I disagree with enough from each that I’m left feeling both connected and separate from them all.

I believe that the true body of Christ transcends denominational distinctives, that God’s presence and work can be found within all denominations, that to some degree all denominations resist or deny some aspects of God’s presence in the body, while affirming and supporting other aspects.

I feel compelled by my love for God to pursue what is from Him regardless of what it looks like or the name it has on it. I am equally compelled to exercise the greatest caution in assessing what is from Him. In this, I look to the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and prayer for help.

I believe that God’s ultimate intention is to draw together all that is from Him, both from within and without existing denominations, along with much from Him that has not yet been revealed, so that He will have His Bride, perfected, cleansed and holy. This is the state of the church that I long for with all my heart.