Sponsored by Christians for the Common Good and Cathedral for the Nations Foundation
"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may be one; even as you father are in me and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me"Jesus Christ, The Gospel of St. John 17: 20-21
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Apostles Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. |
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, we are witnessing an historic moment in our nation with a depth of confident leadership that affirms that God is watching and guiding us during our time of national mourning, recovery and renewal. In the President's words "through this tragedy, we are reclaiming and renewing our great American values."
As Christians in America, we have a unique mission. We know that those "American values" have been greatly influenced by the faith we profess. This moment in American history comes at the beginning of the Third Christian Millennium, a time that we believe is a great new missionary age.
As we see these values renewed, America also finds itself in an identity crisis in this new millennium, a crisis which is especially felt by faithful men and women who were raised with a sense that we are founded as a Christian nation. These assumptions are being shattered by sweeping and inclusive statements indicating that our nation is a place of many gods, all of which can coexist in this country. Such is just not the case. The time is ripe for us to make a clear sound to the nation concerning the Faith that was "for all people at all times everywhere." It is time to affirm and stand up as those who embrace our common faith and heritage.
In the latter part of the twentieth century, many of us found one another and came to understand our greater obligation to serve the common good as a result of our participation in efforts oriented toward influencing the culture such as the pro-life movement. We rediscovered one another in the trenches of our activism and on our knees. We stood side by side defending the unborn, calling for justice for the poor, protecting the elderly and proclaiming the dignity of the human person, the primacy of family, the promise and obligations of human freedom and the call to solidarity. we learned that we were first brothers and sisters in Christ. We re-discovered Christian solidarity
Today, it is not enough to "find a place at the table" in our political activism. As Christians we are called to invite the entire human race to a new table where they will find the Bread of Life.
Our mission is to be "redemptive" and to give of ourselves to all men and women, not only with explicit words that speak of our faith, but through our sacrificial service and our witness of life. We are to promote the common good. Moments like this, in a post September 11 America, cry out for us to pray and to serve together.
We know that as it was in the first centuries, it is our love for one another that will be our greatest witness. Since 1054 AD Christianity has been divided. While there were very real issues that gave rise to the division, this separation began a splintering that has continued throughout the second millennium. We are left today with over 40,000 different expressions of Christianity around the world.
Is it any wonder that we have had limited success in persuading men and women that the One we serve, and for whom we are named, has invited the entire human race into the full communion of His love and redemption? In this era of the divided church, our disunity and lack of charity and respect toward each other has also had a direct relationship to our ineffectiveness in our political and social activism, our service, our cultural engagement and our evangelistic mission.
It is our considered confidence that this third millennium can be the age of restoration for the Church and the fulfillment of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer from the Seventeenth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. John.
Now is the time for the voice of Christians from all traditions to come together in a unified expression of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Whatever our backgrounds, we share a common heritage, especially by the mystery of our baptism, with all the saints . apostles and prophets upon whom the foundation of the Church was built, with Jesus Christ Himself as the Chief Cornerstone. (Eph. 2:20) As Christians throughout the centuries have been baptized, the "Apostles Creed" was recited as their declaration of Christian Faith
CREDO: A DECLARATION OF CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY is a pledge and a campaign to enlist hundreds of thousands of Christians across the United States to make the declaration that we are we have one Lord, one Faith and one baptism through an affirmation of the Apostles Creed.
The Declaration simply states:
The "Declaration of Christian Solidarity" is our response and our new beginning. Each of us, in the full expression of our own Christian community, reaffirm the words of the ancient Christian Creed as the foundation of our common faith, the promise of our future together and as our pledge of solidarity to cooperate for the new missionary age.
We believe that this declaration should be published in every major newspaper in the United States along with the list of those who sign it. Through donations full-page ads will be purchased and the Declaration of Christian Solidarity communicated across America.