Centuries of Creeds

I've heard many pastors say that theology courses in seminary challenged their faith, shattered their faith, and/or exposed them to ideas that changed their faith for better or worse.  So far, I haven't had that experience, but I do come to seminary having read a wide expanse of theology.

But Church History I class has been an interesting window into the theological ideas that have split Christian communities/nations asunder, often in very bloody ways.  And from the distance of thousands of years, some of those ideas seem like splitting hairs--the positions aren't really that different from each other.

At Quilt Camp, I walked up the hill from my house towards the Faith Center.  I was thinking about Isaiah, because a passage from Isaiah will be the text for my final sermon in my Foundations of Preaching class.  I had been doing reading for Church History I class, and I was also thinking about the slow decline of the Roman empire, about the controversies that divided people, about their view of God.  

I thought of how often civilizations have embraced the idea of God as the ultimate judge, the one who will come to smite most of us.  I thought of the view of many women that I've met on retreat, that God sends us experiences, some of them quite difficult, to teach us something and by this process, to make us better humans.  I thought of my own view of God, as a Divine creator who loves us deeply.  I thought of how our views might change if we DON'T see God as omnipotent or omniscient.  Can we believe in such a God?  Which God deserves our loyalty?

I had spent some time reviewing the Arian controversy, which led to the Nicene Creed, where we declare that Jesus is equal to the Creator/Father, not a part that came later.  We could have been professing the Arian Creed for centuries, had disputes turned out differently (and yes, I am grossly simplifying to get to my point).

It's sobering to me, to realize how many different views of God we could have, and how we could justify many of those views with sacred texts, the work of theologians, and/or experience (ours or others).  How can we be sure we're right?

We can't.

So, should I drop out of seminary now?  No, of course not.  But I do think it's important to realize how hard it is to be sure of knowing anything.  It's especially important for me, as I can get very impatient with people who have a view of God that I see as negative.  They may be right.  I may be right.  

The Divine truth can probably encompass all of our negatives and our positives.