Faithful Living: Discipleship, Creed and Ethics

Michael Leyden
SCM Press, 2019, 196pp., pbk, £19.99

This relatively slim, very readable and surprisingly practical book considers the at-once deeply radical and deeply conservative question of what the living of a Christian life would look like if people actually believed the things that Christians believe. That may well irritate some readers - especially those who find the Creeds outdated and restricting - but others, including this reviewer, will be excited the ecumenical possibilities of the approach.

Leyden writes as a trained doctrinal theologian - and again, lest that send some readers to sleep or into a silo-based diatribe, on the very first page he suggests that ‘the ultimate goal of dogmatics is not the separation of disciplines through increasing specialisation and methodological detachment, but their integration’ (1). Indeed, this integration is not merely intellectual, but also practical: ‘I reject the notion of separating theology from everyday life by suggesting an approach to discipleship that integrates belief and practice in their more formal guises as doctrine and ethics’ (11). Leyden’s concern is for a living and active faith - but one rooted in what Christians have believed, lived and spoken throughout the centuries.

The nine chapters of this book consider, thought by thought, the doctrines contained in the creed. As Leyden writes, ‘Doctrines, as identity-conferring commitments, are, therefore, orientational. They remind us that God is Creator and we are creatures, and this kind of claim has significant ethical impact’ (16). Each chapter, after the opening ‘Ethics as Implication’, thus examines a doctrine drawn from the Nicene Creed, marrying it to an ethical implication. For example, ‘In One Lord, Jesus Christ’ considers the question of ‘Political Responsibility’, whilst ‘On the Third Day He Rose Again’ engages with ‘Hope and Moral Vision’. I was particularly pleased to see the linking of ‘Conceived of the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary’ as the genesis of discussion on ‘Disability and Humanity’, with its balanced focus on the humanity and divinity of Christ offering space for ethical reflection.

Occasionally Leyden’s space-creating instincts leave important questions unanswered, or engaged with ambiguously. Each chapter offers a couple of questions for reflection and discussion - sometimes these drop in a topic somewhat out of the blue, which for theological reflection is fair enough (I ended up amending a conference paper in light of one question!) but might make this unwieldy as a study resource for a mixed church group. That said, the space that Leyden creates around complex issues - for example, assisted dying (128) - does model an admirable virtue of humility and listening.

It is often said that preaching through the lectionary means the preacher and congregation must confront the whole Bible, rather than just spending time with favourite passages. So too going through the Creed forces us to consider belief in the round, rather than just certain ‘easier’ doctrines. Particular highlights, then, include the discussion of hope as ‘dynamic’, which Leyden sees as ‘the particular posture of a Christian disciple’ (140); and the confident assertion that ‘the Christian life is pneumatic life’ (148), in the chapter on the Holy Spirit, which neatly ties together the threads of the book as he notes that ‘the third article of the Creed holds identity and action together’ (149). Leyden is ecumenical in his references and quotations - unsurprisingly giving space to Pentecostal scholars in this chapter.

As the book closes, Leyden draws on his years of parish ministry and offers three practical suggestions as steps ‘towards a catechesis for an integrated ethics of discipleship’ (170): 1) think liturgically, 2)think pedagogically, and 3) think responsibly (170-178). This book has in my mind two use cases. Firstly, and the discussion questions lend themselves to this, as a study text for church groups. These groups would need to be fairly literate and theologically open, but it could be a rich opportunity for talking about things that really matter. Secondly, it could go hand in hand with Alex Irving’s recent We Believe (Apollos, 2021) that explains the development of the Creed, with Leyden’s book serving as a companion volume on ‘what these beliefs means in the Christian’s life’. This second use case, as a textbook or similar, could be transformative for the connection of doctrine to life, which is ultimately what this readable and wise book is all about.

Tom Creedy