[Book Review] The Creed We Need by Jerome Van Kuiken

In The Creed We Need: Nicene Faith for Wesleyan Witness, author Jerome Van Kuiken presents a concise overview of the essential tenets of the Christian faith and how they interact with the distinctives of the Wesleyan/holiness movement. The result is an expanded treatment of the perennial question of, “How does a Wesleyan compare to a Christian?” This book affirms that Wesleyans are, on the most basic principles of faith, absolutely aligned with Christians throughout history and around the globe. At the same time, it clarifies how Wesleyans interpret and apply those basic principles in daily life.

The eight chapters of Van Kuiken’s book include a chapter introducing the Nicene Creed and Wesleyans’ practical approach to them and then follow the basic outline of the creed itself. Each chapter provides an explanation of the basic meaning of the creedal assertion and then expands upon that assertion to provide explanation and application. This format is clearly designed for use by new believers, in a new believers’ study, or perhaps as a sermon series about the basics of the Christian faith.

The text is highly readable, providing explanations that most new believers will be able to understand and including numerous contemporary illustrations to help readers grasp and implement the concepts they encounter on the page. The only concern may be the occasional use of “Christianese” that may require a person with absolutely no church background to consult a dictionary, pastor, or other church leader.

The Creed We Need is available normally for $9.99 in either Kindle or paperback editions here: https://amzn.to/415HgDN. (At the time of this writing, the Kindle version is only $3.99!)