"Crisis of Confidence" by Carl Trueman. A Review
Back in 2012 – gasp! So long ago! Carl Trueman wrote “The
Creedal Imperative” which has now been updated and repackaged in this 216-page
hardback, “Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture
Consumed with Individualism and Identity.” In classic Trueman-Esque fashion, it
can be a bit wordy, but these are not words to fill up pages and columns for
higher sales value. It takes ink and space to bring out clear and clarifying thoughts
and rationale. For a book thoughtfully arguing that “creeds and confessions are
consistent with biblical teaching,” that their existence and use are “strongly
implied” in Scripture, and that the church’s long history “demonstrates that
they have frequently been of great help in the maintenance and propagation of
the Christian faith” (pg. 143), it takes some time, space and verbiage. Trueman
hits the target repeatedly, making this a respectable manuscript for those who
care about creeds, confessions, the Church, their congregations, Jesus and the
Christian Faith moving forward into coming generations.
As Trueman notes, Christianity involves creed (‘I
believe…’), code (‘here’s how we live out our faith…’) and cult (what,
why, and way of worship). The author’s claim is that creeds and confessions of
faith set the trajectory for code and cult. To do this he takes on and spars
with his favorite contender, expressive individualism, with verve, and
sets up a healthier alternative. That’s the book in a nutshell.
To move readers along, Trueman places sola scriptura
(Scripture alone as our final rule of faith and life) in a proper context, but
shows how ecclesiastical creeds and confessions of faith – especially old,
dusty ones like the Apostles’ Creed, the commonly named Nicene Creed,
Augsburg Confession, Three Forms of Unity, and the Westminster
Confession of Faith and attendant catechisms – submit to, and explicate the
high authority of God’s Word. With this in place, he builds his case for how “creeds
are central to Christian doxology…inform the worship of Christians in a way
that binds us together,” which means creeds and confessions promote worship
that is “not about self-expression; it is about giving corporate expression to
God and reality” (pg. 7).
Trueman also pushes back on the primacy of technology, which
“feeds the sense of autonomy that lies at the heart of expressive individualism”
(pg. 13), as well as the ‘consumer-as-king’ mentality that “renders all
established and time-tested practices unstable and utterly negotiable” (pg.19).
In fact, creeds strike hard at cherished concepts prevalent in 21st
Century America, such as (1) human autonomy, (2) egotistical exceptionalism
that says I’m so special that normal rules don’t apply to me, and (3) the
historical narcissism that says my historical moment is the most important
moment in all of human history. Rather, the creeds and confessions of faith
relativize my exceptionalism, my historical moment, and my
prejudices/preferences. Creeds and confessions of faith that have withstood the
ages are “clearly immune to the passing fads and tastes of the present…” and
are “profoundly countercultural in a biblical way” because they signal to the
world “that the past is in many ways as important, if not more so, than the
present” and that “the church is bigger than my day and generation; its
foundation lies in the past; and I am charged with stewarding that truth in the
current context, but that truth neither begins nor ends with me” (pg.165-166).
It is good and healthy to know that the truth does not begin or end with me!
One of the most important treatments in the book, important
to me as a pastor in a conservative, confessional Presbyterian denomination of
Christ’s Church, was the role of creeds and confessions for focusing the mind
of the church on the main things. As Trueman asserts, “creeds and confessions…relativize
the present;…focus on matters such as the doctrines of God, of creation, of
Christ, of redemption, of salvation, and of consummation. A church with a creed
or confession has a built-in gospel reality check. Such a church is unlikely to
become sidetracked by the peripheral issues of the passing moment…” (pg. 151).
As a pastor, I am often pressured to speak about this flaming, ‘it’s-burning-the-house-down’
issue; or that “if you don’t talk about it right this second, you’re
compromising the faith” topic. Many of my fellow ministers are regularly
compared to those who “speak boldly” or broadcast loudly on their podcasts, about
some momentarily inflammatory theme, and to not speak about it right this
instant means we’re on the wrong side of history, or isle, or agenda. But the
Confession of Faith and catechisms that I submit to (even publicly doing so in
my ordination vows to God), tell me what’s really important and where I should
plant my flag, so to speak. Yep, this was such a good, helpful book.
It's Christmas time and the New Year is just around the corner. Why not launch into 2026 reading “Crisis of Confidence”? In fact, what a gift to give to your minister, elders, favorite seminarian, friends, and family. It would be ideal for a book-reading group, maybe even an adult Sunday School class. I urge you to snag a copy quick, read it, pass it around, pick up a few extras and pass them along.
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