The Historical Problem with Creeds

About the Book

This short book deals with the debate among Christians about the timing of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. There are several viewpoints on this topic, each with its defenders. Is Christ coming again in the future, and in what sequence of events will that happen? Or did the Second Coming of Christ happen in the past as some scriptures seem to say when it describes the time as “quickly”? The creeds have not really dealt with this issue in any definitive statement other than to say he is coming again. All Christians believe that there will be a final coming in judgment to sum up human history. The authority for Christians on this issue is the Bible, the Word of God. The two viewpoints dealt with in this book are preterist (in the past) and futurist (in the future). While not an extended support of either position, although the author is a preterist by conviction, this book speaks out against the futurist writers identifying a preterist as a heretic. Often relying on the creeds, there is a lack of historical scholarship on just how the creeds were constructed. In the view of the author, a preterist (even if mistaken), does not hold to a belief or reading of the scripture that rises to the level of heresy. The attacks against preterists are unwarranted, unkind, and unworthy of Christian scholarship.

About the Author

Dr. Kenneth G. Arndt, MA, MAR, ThM, D-Min, was an adjunct professor at several colleges in New Hampshire, USA where he taught courses on the subjects of philosophy, religion, and history. He has lectured in mainland China at several universities including Beijing Normal University on the topics of philosophy, science, and Christianity. Dr Arndt is also the author of The Chinese Christian Citizen in Contemporary China. He has created a four-day seminar for local pastors without formal seminary training on the topic of Servant Leadership and has presented this seminar in South America and Africa.