Review
Title: The Forgotten Creed: Christianity’s Original Struggle Against Bigotry, Slavery, and Sexism
Author: Stephen J. Patterson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, New York, NY
Genre: Non-fiction
Year Published: 2018
Number of pages: 184
Binding: Hardback
ISBN: 9780190865825
Price: $24.95
Reviewed by Dale E. Luffman for the Association of Mormon Letters
This is a remarkably timely book. With recent contentious hearings in the Senate, followed by the confirmation of a questionable candidate to be seated on the Supreme Court, there appeared once again overt expressions of sexism, classism, and disdain, all too reminiscent of the recent presidential campaign. Born of conservative thought and infused with conservative, fundamentalist and evangelical rhetoric, expressions of support have been given to behaviors and perspectives in recent events that do not appear to be in alignment with responsible Christian readings of Biblical texts.
Enter Stephen J. Patterson’s little book. “The Forgotten Creed: Christianity’s Original Struggle Against Bigotry, Slavery, and Sexism” invites the reader to reconsider some of the earliest, founding texts comprising the Newer Testament, particularly a passage in Paul’s writings. Patterson draws the reader to Galatians 3:26–28, a passage that Paul appears to have written into his argument in the Galatian letter. An ancient baptismal creed known by the community of faith as predating Paul is highlighted as a foundational text giving expression to what the earliest Christian community had to say about race, class, and gender. The Creed clearly and unequivocally proclaims that there is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male or female, for they are all one – – Children of God.
The George H. Atkinson Professor of Religious and Ethical Studies at Willamette University, Paterson has been a specialist in the origins of Christianity and thought. One of the critical actors in the Third Quest for the Historical Jesus, he has enthusiastically engaged the texts of the tradition, canonical and non-canonical, with a profound interest in the Gospel of Thomas. He provokes thoughtful consideration of Christian origins and what those early texts may have to contribute to contemporary understanding.
Patterson makes the audacious claim that “the Creed was originally about the fact that race, class, and gender are typically used to divide the human race into us and them to the advantage of us. It aimed to declare that there is no us, no them. We are all children of God. It was about solidarity, not cultural obliteration” [page 6]. The author introduces the reader to what he labels “the unbelievable creed,” and follows the introduction with six clearly focused chapters and a conclusion. The chapters include:
Christianity’s Forgotten First Creed
The Oldest Cliché’
The Children of God
There Is No Jew or Greek
There Is No Slave or Free
There Is No Male and Female
Conclusion: You Are All One.
Because the distinctions in the ancient world were “used to underwrite the human tendency to denigrate the other, to disempower, disenfranchise, dehumanize, and even enslave another person on the flimsy grounds that he or she is different” [page 158], the ancient pre-Pauline Creed was used by the earliest Christian communities to challenge and deny the ancient caste system. The “baptismal creed” signified solidarity among those who followed Christ Jesus – – “You are all one!’ In fact, Patterson suggests that this first creed of the church gave definition to what baptism meant in the early years of the movement. Baptism was seen as a restoration of the state of original perfection once enjoyed by Adam. Baptism was meant to end, once and for all “otherness and othering, estrangement, and contempt for difference” [page 159].
The book contributes to a potential reconsideration of understanding of elements of the early Christian tradition. Focusing on the ancient baptismal creed embedded in the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians, a radical inclusivism of early Christian movements are disclosed prompting Patterson to invite the reader into a reconsideration of what it may mean to be a Christian in today’s world.
“Race, class, and gender have been and are still the categories of difference that make a difference in the world of power and privilege,” writes Patterson. “It is worth remembering this ancient creed as one of those rare cultural and religious resources that might be turned against the instinct to draw back from difference, to ‘other,’ to denigrate and to dominate those whom we fear. This forgotten creed stands on the side of solidarity, of oneness, of universal kinship. To recall it now is to recall a future once dreamt, defined by this simple claim: ‘You are all children of God’” [page 160].
Just how may humans overcome the divisiveness that plagues the present – – overcoming the divisions among ourselves? The ancient creed, embedded by Paul the Apostle in the text of Galatians 3:26 -28, invites a reconsideration of this unique text in its context in Patterson’s analysis. The question might be asked, with due consideration, can we speak anew and with transformative critique regarding the possibility of human solidarity beyond race, class, and gender? Is “The Forgotten Creed” a pearl of great price to be considered anew?
This little volume will speak in both language and tone about matters quite foreign to most Latter-day Saints.
Although provocative and representative of responsible scholarship in the mainstream Christian tradition, its hermeneutical presuppositions and exegetical treatment of Pauline texts may be difficult for some to navigate. This is understandable. However, it would be a mistake not to engage in the conversation this little book invites the reader to consider. Therefore, I would urge those interested in things scriptural to give it a go. Purchase the text. Read it. Ponder it. And hear the claim of this text: how can we as human beings overcome the ways we have divided ourselves from one another and become peoples in solidarity with one another in Christ?
I recommend the book.