Children, hymns and creeds

Hello!  There is often one word that takes my attention when I turn my attention to the month’s book.  To-day it is on page 17 of the Church Manual – CREEDS.

We have talked about the Tenets of The Mother Church, but we didn’t point out, that in Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures they form most of the answer to the question “Have Christian Scientists any religious creed?” in the chapter Recapitulation. The beginning of the answer is: “They have not, if by that term is meant doctrinal beliefs.”

Wow!  The questions keep coming: What are creeds?  What are doctrinal beliefs?

Where to start?  Well, as a twelve year old, I was “confirmed” into the Church of England.  This was the same year I first sat for the Scholarship examination, coming up to Brisbane from Bribie Island to do the sitting.  One boy and I did both exercises.  It is interesting that the Reverend Miles, the Church of England minister who came to Bribie for services once a month (I think), talked us into being thus confirmed, because we also attended the Methodist church Sunday School.  We were probably more at home in the Methodist church, where we could enjoy the Moody and Sankey hymns.

Anyway, the ceremony including agreeing to the Apostles’ Creed.  We had learned it off by heart.  Here it is from Wikipedia –

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from
the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of
God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
The Holy Catholick Church;
The communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The Resurrection of the body,
And the Life everlasting.
Amen

My goodness!  I would have had no idea what that was all about.

Well, that is enough for one day, except that I looked up Moody and Sankey to see if I had the spelling right.  I found this:

Moody and Sankey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moody_and_Sankey

Moody and Sankey was the evangelical duo of Ira David Sankey and Dwight Lyman Moody. Starting after their meeting in June 1871, the team wrote Christian songs and traveled throughout the United States and the United Kingdom calling people to God through their use of song, with Moody preaching and Sankey singing. Together they published books of Christian hymns.

Moody had started in Christian ministry as a Sunday School teacher in Chicago. His application to teach Sunday School in his church was rebuffed, but undeterred he rounded up children from the city streets and soon had a Sunday School several hundred strong. Later, Moody was to be challenged by the event of the Great Chicago Fire. The Sunday before he had preached a moving sermon on human sinfulness. He concluded his sermon by announcing that the following Sunday he would explain how sins could be forgiven. Many of his congregation never returned, having perished in the fire.

From that moment Moody vowed never to close a meeting without giving the congregation an opportunity to respond to his gospel message. The format of the meetings with Sankey acting as song leader and singing while accompanying himself on an American Organ became a template for many evangelists in the 20th Century including Dr. Billy Graham. Sankey's rousing hymns and solos softened hearts before Moody preached.

Joyce Voysey