G.K. Chesterton once said that “the educationist must find a creed and teach it.” It only makes sense that Christians should be committed to teaching the Christian creed. The creed is a declaration, but more than that, it is an argument that what we believe is true and anything to the contrary is wrong.

For Christians to believe a creed is to be convinced of an argument. And since an argument involves multiple parties, believing a creed is a contest that says one creed is better than another. Everyone must decide between the faith of Paul or the faith of Darwin; the faith of Augustine or the faith of Marx.

The goal of the preaching and teaching ministry at Trinity Reformed Church is to find the Christian creed and teach it. This is a decidedly polemical activity. The goal is not that church members can go to work, dressed all business casual, and win an argument in the board room. The goal is that they see the Christian creed as truer and more beautiful than the secular creed.

Among the masses there is a movement—call it a creed—that wants to dispense with definite religious convictions. Emotions are creed enough, they say. Feeling a certain way is creed enough, they say. The absence of conviction gives the mind freedom, they say. It is the church’s affable agreement with this creed that is accountable for its decline in public influence.

There is much talk of civility today. For most, that means retreating from the Christian creed into the abyss of, “But, I feel . . .” With a stiffened spine the church must remember that the only way to respect another’s creed is to have one of their own.

Jason Cherry is a teacher and lecturer of literature, American history, and economics at Providence Classical School in Huntsville, Alabama. He graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary with an MA in Religion and is the author of the book The Culture of Conversionism and the History of the Altar Call, now available on Amazon.