Introducing We Believe
In a world full of noise, a clear articulation of the Christian story matters more than ever.
We Believe Trailer
Each episode of our video series examines a core Christian belief and considers what it means for how Christians see God, read the Bible and relate to people in their daily lives.
Thoughtfully presented by faculty from ACU’s College of Biblical Studies.
What Is We Believe?
Creation. Sin. Baptism. Resurrection. Church. Salvation. The Lord’s Supper.
These words may be familiar, but we don’t want to take them for granted – they carry foundational meaning, helping us understand who God is, who we are and how we live in the world.
Times change. Cultures change. Perspectives change. And yet the foundation of our faith endures. For centuries, Christians have had the profound gift of exploring what faith looks like in their own time and place.
This video series is one small part of that work. It examines key elements of Christian faith in a clear, accessible and conversational way.
To know these elements is to better understand the ancient story we have been given and why it still matters today.
Use them in classrooms, churches, conferences, camps, workshops and retreats, so that together, we may ask this important question:
What does it mean to faithfully live out the Gospel in our time?
About We Believe
A Letter From Our Hosts
Dear Friends,
Critical to the College of Biblical Studies’ mission is the formative work of students in the legacy of faith and practice that Christians have claimed throughout history and around the world. Just as the church’s life and mission is shaped by these doctrines and practices, these commitments also shape CBS’s teaching and work.
Beyond the formative work of the students God entrusts to our care, the CBS faculty and staff, through the many networks of ministers and church leaders throughout the world, are often asked, “How can we do a better job grounding people in the basics of the faith?” Although the foundations of the Christian faith remained essentially the same for centuries, each generation strives to understand, appropriate and embody Christian faith faithfully as the church pursues its mission announcing the Kingdom of God.
In order to face new challenges and opportunities faithfully, the people of God constantly takes up fresh work to express its guiding principles and rediscover its ancient calling. We seek to discern how to travel the ancient faith in a new day – passing on the faith to the next generation.
CBS has many means by which it seeks to support this ongoing task. In addition to formative work with undergraduate and graduate students from all over the world, our faculty and staff are constantly in churches, conferences, camps, workshops, retreats and other public venues. Likewise, the many centers and institutes within CBS are engaged in a plethora of work that is fueled by the challenges and opportunities that communities of faith face. That faithful work is informed by the ancient faith.
This new video series contributes to our work in two ways:
1) By clarifying some of the most important commitments that concretely guide CBS in its work of teaching students and serving the church.
2) By providing colleagues, church leaders and teachers with sound and engaging resources useful for classes, studies, and conversations about the foundations of the Christian faith.
We hope it is a blessing to you.
– Dr. Carson Reed and Dr. Jeff Childers
Episodes
We Believe in God
A conversation about God and the Trinity with Tera Harmon.
“The Bible isn't trying to prove that God exists – the Bible assumes that God exists, and it tells a story about God as the main character and invites us to participate in that story.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
Creator of Heaven and Earth
A conversation about Creation and the Creator with Mark Hamilton.
“Who Jesus is, who the Holy Spirit is, what divine judgment means, what the Christian life means – all those things rest on, are derived from and mutually reinforce the confession that God is Creator and Parent. All of these things fit together in this beautiful, organic, view of reality that shapes our behavior, and makes us the church.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
What Is Sin?
A conversation about sin and the Fall with Randy Harris.
“Sin is the failure to trust God. And all the sins we talk about somehow grow out of this fundamental failure of trust. We want to become the source of our own security rather than trusting God, and sin enters the world.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
Jesus Christ, Son of God
A conversation about the Incarnation with Amanda Pittman.
“In the incarnation, Jesus is two things at once: both fully human and fully God. Jesus is fully human in the sense that he was born in a particular time and place. He had a body. He knew what it was to be hungry and to be tired. He knew what it was to be vulnerable to suffering and death, just like we are. And at the same time, Jesus is fully God and remains fully God. He was present in the act of creation. He's part of the Trinity, in communion with the Father and the Spirit. And he reigns right now from heaven, from which he will someday return.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
Jesus Crucified
A conversation about atonement and salvation with Myles Werntz.
“Atonement is not that which we do for ourselves, but that which God has done for us – and it's not just a one-time event, but it is an invitation into a new way of life.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
He Rose Again
A conversation about the resurrection and ascension with Curt Niccum.
“The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ radically transforms how I face every aspect of my daily life today. I live as one who's already died – I live as one who is living forever. Eternity is something that I'm not looking forward to. It's something I'm already in.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
Holy Spirit
A conversation about the Holy Spirit with Heather Gorman.
“Christians throughout history have affirmed that the Holy Spirit is God. So alongside the other members of the Trinity – God the Father and God the Son – the Holy Spirit is also God. Three persons, one God.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
The Sacred Page
A conversation about Scripture with Brad East.
“The Bible is a vehicle or a conduit. And when we put our trust in the Bible as God's Word, we're ultimately putting our trust in God, the one who speaks to us through that medium – we're not merely leaving our trust in the medium itself.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
The Church of Christ
A conversation about church with Mason Lee & Omar Palafox.
“We believe that the most important thing about us, that we are beloved children of God, is not a truth that we learn in isolation.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
Come to the River
A conversation about baptism with David Kneip.
“The inner, the outer, the spiritual, the ethical – there's nothing that baptism does not touch. And that speaks to not only the wisdom of God in giving this to us but also to the meaning that humans have found in baptism.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
We Lift Our Voices
A conversation about worship with Cliff Barbarick.
“Worship is that complete devotion of our entire selves – maybe in praise or in thanksgiving, confession, even lament. We devote our whole selves to God and our attention to God, the only one worthy of worship.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
Setting the Table
A conversation about The Lord’s Supper with Jamey Gorman.
“We enter this deep and rich relationship not only with the One whose body was broken for us but also with the community that we celebrate with.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.
Hope and Expectation
A conversation about the Second Coming and eschatology with Dr. Vic McCracken.
“We believe that history is moving in a certain direction that is reflective of a future that God has promised where all things will be done on earth as they are done in heaven.”
To go deeper, follow along with a study guide containing key verses and discussion questions.