Can Baptists say the Apostles' Creed?

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You might have noticed in worship, especially before a baptism, the congregation has been invited to say the words of the Apostles' Creed. For those that grew up Methodist, Presbyterian, or Lutheran, this probably felt familiar. If you grew up Baptist, you might have scratched your head. Baptists have been known for being anti-creedal, sometimes saying "no creed but the Bible!" 

Is it un-Baptist to say the Apostles' Creed? At the founding of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), a global body to which CBF belongs, in 1905 the great Alexander Maclaren invited the group to stand and confess the Apostles' Creed, "not as a piece of coercion or discipline, but as a simple acknowledgement of where we stand and what we believe." 


In both cases, the danger of creedalism was noted: the confession of the Apostles' Creed was not meant to be coercive or to bind the conscience of the individual. Avoiding enforced conformity is the main Baptist concern. 

In truth, Baptists can and have said creed over the years. The General Baptist "Orthodox Creed" of 1679 explicitly mentions affirming the Apostles Creed. The British Baptist prayer book contains several ways to use the Apostles' Creed in worship. 

Baptists can say the creed without becoming creedal. As Steven Harmon says, "The Apostles’ Creed and “Nicene” Creed are properly used as expressions of worship. They are not lists of doctrinal propositions to which assent is compelled; they are summaries of the biblical story of the Triune God, drawn from the language of the Bible itself." 

Can Baptists say the Apostles' Creed? From my perspective, the answer is yes! In the next post, I will make a case for why it is a good idea to confess the creed together. 


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