Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-333) and index.

Memorizing mere Christianity -- I -- 1. "I believe ..." -- 2. "God the Father almight, creator of heaven and earth ..." -- II -- 3. "In Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord ..." -- 4. "Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary ..." -- 5. "Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, he descended to the dead ..." -- 6. "On the third day he rose again ..." -- 7. "He ascended into heaven, he is seated on the right hand of God the Father Almighty ..." -- 8. "He will come to judge the living and the dead ..." -- III -- 9. "I believe in the Holy Spirit ..." -- 10. "The holy catholic Church ..." -- 11. "The forgiveness of sins ..." -- 12. "The resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting ..."

"Hart reveals that there is far more to the Creed than ancient statements about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or the Church. Hart employs the Creeds' twelve clauses to reveal the vibrant theology behind, in, and in front of the Creed. His interpretation of the Creed is not just an historical exercise, i.e., to discover what Christians once believed, but to understand "what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all"--And to do so in a way that addresses the intellectual and cultural contexts of the 21st Century. Hart's perceptive analysis reveals why the Creed has been, is, and will continue to be both confessed and believed"--