For the Critical Assignment the students will write a creed on the Christian faith. A creed (from the Latin, credo, “I believe”) is simply a statement of belief, or a doctrinal summary. The creed in this case will include two components: it will express the beliefs of evangelical Christianity as presented in the course material (lectures and readings), but it will also express the students own personal beliefs and reflections on the course material. The lectures and the McGrath book will be important resources for this assignment.McGrath, Alister. Theology: The Basics, 4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2017. ISBN: 978-1119158080.

The creed should be divided into 8 sections:

Scripture and Truth
God, the Holy Trinity
Humanity and Sin
The Person of Christ
The Work of Christ
Soteriology
Ecclesiology
Eschatology
For each of these 8 sections, the students will include 2 sub-sections:

1.) 1-2 paragraphs on the beliefs of evangelical Christianity on the doctrine in question. By “Evangelical Christianity,” I simply mean conservative, gospel-believing Protestantism, that is, the viewpoint expressed in the lectures. This section is more objective, and you will be graded on the accuracy and thoroughness of your presentation of the evangelical view.

2.) 1-2 paragraphs on your own personal beliefs and reflections on the doctrine in question. If you are in fundamental agreement with the course material, you may choose to reflect on the significance of the doctrine for your own personal faith and practice. Or you may choose to register some disagreement with the doctrine in question or to interact critically with the course material. This is your chance to reflect upon what you believe and why you believe it. As such, this section is more subjective. Disagreement will not be penalized, but you will be graded on the thoughtfulness of your interaction.

For each section, be sure to include Scripture references in parentheses that support the beliefs in question (3 Scripture references minimum per section). You do not need to cite any sources beyond the McGrath book, but if you do use other sources (in print or online), be sure to cite them. Plagiarism is taken very seriously in higher education; so do not use any material that is not your own without proper citation.

Use the template provided in week 8 (there is no need to make this assignment conform to MLA or APA style). See the rubric attached to the assignment in week 8 for more details on how the creed will be assessed.