The Faith for Beginners: Understanding the Creeds

The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds are prayers most Catholics take for granted. We pray them by rote when we say the rosary or go to Mass―often without thinking about or fully understanding what we're saying.

Providing you with this understanding is what The Faith for Beginners is all about. It's a fascinating romp through the history of the Creeds, closely examining what we believe and why―with references to Scripture, the Church Fathers, and Church councils.

You'll learn about heresies, persecutions, and theological disagreements that forced the Church to more carefully define our beliefs and add them to the Creeds. Here's some of what you'll discover in the pages of The Faith for Beginners:

• Where the word creed comes from and what it means
• Why the Catholic Church has a creed while many other religions don't and seem to get along just fine without them
• Four crucial functions served by the Creed
• Why the Creed was so vital to the building of the Church
• Seven common objections to the Creed―and how to answer each one

Stephen K. Ray was raised in a devout and loving Baptist family. His father was a deacon and Bible teacher, and Stephen was very involved in the Baptist Church as a teacher of Biblical studies. After an in-depth study of the writings of the Church Fathers, both Steve and his wife Janet converted to the Catholic Church. He is the host of the popular, award-winning film series on salvation history, The Footprints of God. Steve is also the author of the best-selling books Crossing the Tiber, and St. John's Gospel.

R. Dennis Walters attended a Claretian seminary for eight years. He has a B.A. in English from Loyola University, an M.A. and Ph.D. in Literature from Michigan State University, and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. He was ordained to the permanent Diaconate in 2007 and now serves at a small parish in rural Michigan.