Our Creedal Affirmation

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

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I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial* with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

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I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

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I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

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* The term "consubstantial" need not necessarily imply an essentialist or substantialist ontology derived from western Greek thought, but can be viewed from the point of view of a non-essentialist Asian episteme. I call this episteme^ "contextual nominalism," which is rooted in the critically profound Middle Way Consequentialist philosophy of Nagarjuna (c.150 – c.250 CE), Buddhapalita  (5th – 6th century CE), and Chandrakirti (600 – 645 CE) in dialogue and debate with the commensurably astute Middle Way Autonomy philosophy of Bhavaviveka (c.500 – c.570 CE). While innovative and counter-instinctive, such a view resolves the logical problem of tritheism (at least to a degree) and offers a contextually sensitive and global Christian reading of Trinitarian theology beyond Eurocentric and colonialist formulations.^^

 

^ For a deeper exploration of this topic, see Kang, C. (2018). Emptiness and presence in a non-substantialist formulation of Trinitarian doctrine: A trialogue of Madhyamika, Abe, and Torrance. Journal of Reformed Theology 12.2: 127-142. Originally published in Brill Online Books and Journals: http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/15697312-01202010

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^^ The episteme of contextual nominalism can be applied to every aspect of Christian theology, faith, and practice to good effect. When properly understood, this ouvre allows for inclusive and valid cognition of conventional reality and ultimate reality in a mutually harmonising way without recourse to philosophical extremes of eternalism and nihilism replete with their attendant problems. Moreover, contextual nominalism opens the way for a cosmotheandric paradigm  of God that is inclusively transpersonal — that is, seamlessly integrating both the personal and non-personal God without admixture, confusion, or conflation. In practical terms, the first-rate contemplative artistry and technology of the Buddha Dhamma and Indic Tantra can be incorporated into the process of Christic spiritual formation and sanctification in and by the Spirit in a theologically informed and philosophically reflexive way.

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