Ask the Pastor: Creeds and Confessions; Christian Dating
by the Rev. Walter Snyder
Religion Columnist

Q: How do Lutherans respond to others who say that they don't need confessions of
faith such as the three historic creeds and the confessional Lutheran writings without sounding
like we think that Scripture cannot be understood without these extra-Biblical writings?

A: God's Word is met by confessions of faith throughout Scripture. Israel confessed, "Hear, O
Israel, Yahweh (the Lord) is our God, Yahweh is One (or, 'Yahweh alone')," from Deuteronomy 6:4.
In chapter 24, Joshua asked the people to choose either the true God or the false gods of Egypt or
Canaan. He concluded, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." True prophets and
righteous leaders continued the example of asking for or making such professions.

Similarly, we have various creedal statements in the New Testament. The earliest confession
of faith in Jesus is that of Simon, "You are the Christ," as he answered Jesus' question who they
thought he was. This is still the center of the Church's confession of faith. Yet there is so much God
has revealed about himself, our salvation, and his work in the world. This knowledge is scattered
throughout Scripture, and is not always easily brought to mind. The creeds serve to "highlight" God
by drawing material from Genesis through Revelation and presenting it in an orderly fashion. Also,
unless one knows how to read and understand Scripture, interpretation might be an exercise in
futility and full of seeming contradictions. The Creeds and Confessions work us through this.

While the ancient Creeds (Nicene, Athanasian, and Apostles') show much of God's person
and work, the Lutheran Confessions are more detailed. They also deal with Bible interpretation,
church practice, Christian life, and more. They tell others what we believe and why. They show how
we understand Scripture in terms of Law (God's command) and Gospel (God's forgiveness for
Christ's sake through faith). They lead us through the "contradictions" of the demands of the Law
and the promise of the Gospel. They put a Christian's central focus on Jesus and to lead us to
interpret all Scripture with him at the center. They are also helpful in giving quick evaluations of
various false teachings and point back to the Scriptures from which they were drawn. Thus, we have
special "tools" to speak the truth in love to those who misunderstand or misapply the Bible. In our
confession of faith, God might work to bring them to a full relationship with himself, "who desires all
men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim. 2:4)"

Q: Is "dating" right or wrong? When I say dating, I mean the event when a man and a
woman are in love and they go out with each other to spend time together having dinner or
watching a movie and getting to know each other better. I am also talking about a healthy
relationship that would be pleasing to God. Some people and churches say that "dating" is
wrong. If it is, why? Could you please advise me from a "Biblical" point of view?

A: You won't find dating in Scripture. The closest we come are passages about "courtship."
This involved not so much the man and the woman, but more him and her family. Often, there were
financial and other considerations to work out, as when Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, got
"stuck" with Leah, and had to work seven more years.

Dating is actually a fairly recent invention. It came with increased leisure time and ownership
of cars and trucks. Dating may be good and serve a good end, as you note. I encourage a couple to
learn as much as possible about each other before engagement, let alone marriage. However, as
you've alluded, many Christians have soured on dating and are actively working against it. They
worry, often rightly, about getting a bunch of male and female hormones together in places where
the couple is alone and uninterrupted. Still, some of the "cures" are akin to killing gnats with a
machine gun. Yet there is some value in considering how parents and others were once actively
involved in the choosing of their children's mates. Divorce rates were lower and often the couples
they paired-off ended up being more truly compatible, since the parents---not suffering the affliction
of being "in love"---could point the kids toward the path of true love and lasting relationships.

To Ask the Pastor, please write Ask the Pastor, PO Box 12, Emma, MO, 65327 or send
email to askthepastor@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of
the book "What Do Lutherans Believe."