By Glenn Dromgoole

Not every Sunday, but some Sundays, we stand together in church and recite the Apostles Creed. Every now and then, maybe, the Nicene Creed. And there are numerous other statements of faith, in various churches and affiliated groups. I found a good one online from the C.S. Lewis Foundation, for example

And while those do speak to our common beliefs regarding the Christian faith, they don’t always resonate with me. They don’t say much, if anything, about how we should practice our faith.

The one that does is Jesus’s theological summary: Love God. Love your neighbor. 

So, a while back, as I thought about how I would summarize my own statement of faith, I put it down in a four-line verse that I’ve included in a couple of books and on my website, MoreCivilityPlease.com.

It’s my statement of faith, not necessarily anyone else’s. And I certainly don’t always live up to it. Anyway, here it is:

In The Spirit
A spiritual life, it’s been shown throughout time,
doesn’t require a detailed theological plan.
It’s simply trying in all things to be kind —
and doing for others whatever we can.

Glenn Dromgoole is an Abilene author and Presbyterian layman.