What are the essentials of Christian belief?
In the first three hundred years of the Church's existence, this question produced the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed - statements of belief which are still held in common by Christians today. Yet the creeds are not just checklists of beliefs - they show us who and what we can trust in this world, and offer us a glimpse of another.
In Tokens of Trust, Rowan Williams looks at the implications of saying 'I believe' to the great claims of the creeds:
- that God is almighty;
- that he is the creator of heaven and earth;
- that Jesus is the Son of God;
- that he rose from the dead;
- that there is one Church;
- that there is life beyond death.
Rowan Williams, David Jones
Rowan Williams (Baron Williams of Oystermouth) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012.
'Dr Williams, careful neither to put off the beginner with a forbidding demandingness nor to blunt the definitiveness of Christianity's description of the plight of the human race and the salvation it is offered, achieves a remarkable degress of success ... What follows, lucid, warm, never intimidating - a sea, as was long ago said of Christianity itself, shallow enough for children to paddle in, deep enough for the wise to swim in - could not have been written without, behind it, decades of theological and philosophical study ... The David Jones paintings reproduced in Tokens of Trust are subtle and beautiful ... a neat and nicely printed hardback, is a bargain.' -- Lucy Beckett * Times Literary Supplement * 'This book is likely to become a classic of devotion for our time.' * The Reader * 'This book is full of quotable quotes about the faith we profess; complex theology is unpacked gently and carefully, back-tracking frequently to address the reader's possible mental interactions with "what about?" It would be a valuable help for beginners in the faith as well as a refresher for those who are older. The illustrations and photographs enhance its presentation and its message'. -- Maureen CSF * Franciscan * 'This book interprets the two main creeds of Christianity, but it is not about who had the numbers at Nicea. If you wonder how anything surprising, deep or original can still be said about the creeds, then this is the book for you.We read Rowan Williams for the surprises. Then for the deth of his teaching and the originality of his views'. * The Melbourne Anglican * 'This is a slim, beautifully produced and utterly readable book. It is the taking questions and objections to Christianity seriously, the honest tussling with difficult issues and the implications of belief for a whole way of life, that make me think the book would be ideal for someone who was either confirmed or seriously questioning about Christianity. But it is equally a book for those who have long experience of the faith.' -- Sister Judith * Fairacres Chronicle * 'This would make an excellent book to recommend to someone curious about Christian belief, or to use as a textbook for a confirmation course, or for all those who want to know the deepest theological convictions of the current Archbishop of Canterbury ... It is attractive, affordable and a delight to read.' -- Robert MacSwain