Intellect, belief, faith and spiritual life

Thus, while we cannot consider the Creed as a statement of logical and empirical truth, it does have great value as a tool of faith.

What is faith?

What is “faith”? The word has led to even greater misunderstanding than “belief”. With thanks to Marcus Borg, I point to four important strands in the notion of faith: assensus; fidelitas; fiducia; and visio. Unlike the first, the last three are all relational - matters of the heart rather than the head.

Faith as assensus is essentially accepting a proposition as truth. To approach the Creed with this sort of faith means giving assent to it as a statement based on logic and empirical data. This is unacceptable.

Faith as fidelitas is more like “loyalty” or “faithfulness” - being faithful to God. This approach to the Creed means committing one’s self, one’s “heart”, to God. It is to follow the injunction of the New Testament: “You shall love the Lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Jesus’ second commandment also calls for fidelitas: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

Faith as fiducia is radical trust - putting faith in God. The story in the Book of Matthew which has Peter walking on the water with Jesus is a powerful metaphor for this sort of faith. If you allow yourself to be afraid, to not trust, then you sink. If we have faith that reality is “marked by a cosmic generosity” (Borg) a huge burden is lifted: the intellect can be an instrument rather than a fortress, and anxiety levels drop dramatically. Saying the Creed, not as a statement about objective material reality but as an affirmation of our trusting relationship with the Divine, can feed the spirit.

Faith as visio is a way of seeing reality through metaphor. The Bible, liturgies and traditions of the church, as well as many works of art not necessarily religious, offer a host of narratives and symbols through which we can live in a spiritually life-giving relationship with reality. These components of the Christian life thus blend to become a huge transforming metaphor as a basis upon which we can build a liberating world-view. Saying the Creed can reinforce that vision.

The future of the Church

So how can I be a practising member of a church which espouses the Creed when I deny the existence of God? Well, though God does not exist as a supernatural entity, God is real. And saying the Creed in church, not as a propositional statement but as an act of faith, helps to deepen my relationship with the reality of God. There is no damage to my integrity, and I know I am in the company of many other church-members.

Although many others in my church do not agree with my position, I suggest it is the way Christianity is evolving across the world. The Church will become a more fitting vessel for the Spirit when it gives far less emphasis to beliefs, far more emphasis to faith, and cultivates an understanding of the difference.

Further reading:

1. David Tacey: Re-Enchantment - the New Australian Spirituality (HarperCollins 2000);
   2 Marcus J. Borg: The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith (Harper San Francisco 2003).