Letters — Your Right to Reply

Dear Christis,

Creeds are a personal thing when written by individuals and not by a Church or other liturgical group. I am the author of the first creed which Matthew Campbell comments on in Issue 65 (Creeds Compendium Volume 2).

Readers may be interested to note that I would describe the box within which I dare to categorise my faith as "Evangelical Protestant." I am a bit at a loss with where the notion of the controlling force as described has come from since there was no mention nor inference in the Creed itself.

What however drives me to spend time retorting Matthew's comments on my creed is the way in which the "Trinity does not preoccupy the writer" and there are only fleeting mentions of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Although readers can never know the full mind of the author, it was intentional to be short and snappy and to have three main stanzas with a concluding line to be focussed on the relevant points. I imagined at the time of writing that it was clear that each of the first three stanzas represented my Creed in relation to part of the God head. I do not name the Bible, nor Jesus (nor does the writer of the second Creed) by rely on references to "Himself" being sent to making it clear. My aim was to link in with the notion of the Cross of Christ, after John Stott, with having the realisation that the pain of crucifixion in a spiritual sense was and will continue to be during my earthly life to be from my sin. The cross was carried for me, with the knowledge that His destiny had to be fulfilled. It was also the most humiliating death in the World at that time.

The third stanza opens up the fact that we are called through the Holy Spirit by God by name to enter a relationship with Him through our Saviour Jesus, building on the theme of the parable of the Prodigal Son. When we are called, that we are filled with His Spirit to act as our witness and source of gifts as we live In Him.

The last line focusses on the power of freedom in Christ from the slavery of sin which has strangled mankind since the fall and releases resources for the building of His kingdom here on earth.

I wonder whether my Creed will make it to "The Best Creeds in Christis Ever" compilation in the distant future, no doubt released soon before Christmas.

Anon

Dear Christis,

I just wished to let you know what an asset to Christianity at University I find Christis.

It is really encouraging to see, open for all, the doubts, hopes, strengths and fears of the Christians around me. All your contributors are incredibly brave to lay themselves, and such deep parts of themselves at that, open to public view. Reading Christis lets me, and doubtless others, know that we are not alone in our struggles.

All your articles are extremely thought provoking (perhaps especially those with which I do not agree) and the depth of faith and Christian action displayed by some of my fellow students is awe-inspiring and challenging. As someone who is low in self-confidence, I find the honesty displayed by Christis contributions encouraging - maybe, if I too am honest with others, I will not receive ridicule and condemnation, but support, help and friendship.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Donna Sams

Dear Christis,

Whilst I enjoyed your last issue's interview with Tory front bencher Richard Spring, and believe that this is exactly the sort of writing that you should be publishing, I feel I must point out to all readers that Jesus Christ was not a Tory. He was a radical.

Christ stands on no platform if not one of redistributive justice. He taught that God loves all equally, that we should love and care for each other. Christ's ministry was essentially to those on the edges of society: the lepers, the prostitutes, the outcasts. The sort of people that once the welfare state would have taken care of, had it not been slowly eroded by Spring and his ilk. He was not particularly intersted in the established order of society.

I am not calling for theocentric politics, but pointing out that market forces are quite simply incompatible with a society based on fairness, tolerance and respect.

In the Kingdom of heaven, we are told the first will be last and the last will be first. I find this tremendously exciting.

Tim Sims

Dear Christis,

For those who take numbers to heart, there appears to have crept in a small error in my article in Issue 65 regarding Human Rights: 50 years on. The subsidy for the arms trade in this country from my notes should be 340 million pounds (and not US$ billions) and 320 million pounds received for exports. The case against arms remains upheld.

Yours,

Magnus Smyly