-
Is God More Male than Female? Why Did Messiah Have to Be a Man?
The gold ceiling in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice represents God the Father. Is God more male than female? Of course not. Nor is he more female than male. God is spirit (John 4:24), so God has no sex. Father and Son are metaphors, not sexual identities. The early church never depicted the Father as a male human. But later…well…consider the Sistine Chapel’s “The Creation of Adam.” Michelangelo painted the Father as an old man with white hair and a long beard. But in earlier centuries, it was considered heretical to portray the Father in human form at all. Only Jesus could be depicted in art, because he did indeed…
-
The Apostolic Creed: Why Should We Teach It?
It is a disturbing trend that children in many American churches today are more likely to be called upon to recite the Pledge of Allegiance than the Apostolic Creed (or Apostles’ Creed). I believe such a creed is very apropos to learn today, though children’s ministers and pastors may choose to make slight modifications to the creed or to further explain certain parts of the creed to improve their understanding. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: Children learn here two truths about God the Father—He is Almighty God and the Creator of Everything. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son,…