AS WE BELIEVE, SO WE BEHAVE

When it comes to our faith, what exactly do we believe? ManyChristians might be hard-pressed to give a coherent answer to that question... atleast on their own. Yet we do clearlyarticulate our faith week in and week out during worship as we repeat thefamiliar affirmations in the Apostles' Creed. And we not only give voice tothese statements, we also live them - since belief and behavior areinextricably linked, even if we are not always aware of it. For example, if webelieve that we will be burned when we touch a hot iron, then we will avoidtouching it. What we believe determineshow we behave. If we truly believe the creed, how does that affect ourbehavior? If we truly believe in "one God, the Father almighty" or in "JesusChrist, his only Son, our Lord," how do our lives reflect that belief? As WeBelieve, So We Behave examines each tenet of the Apostles' Creed andilluminates how it affects what we say and do on a daily basis. Leiningerdemonstrates that the faith statements embedded in the creed are not drycollections of ancient words mumbled quietly every Sunday. Rather, they arevibrant and vital elements in our walk with God, impacting every aspect of ourlives. David E. Leiningeris the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Warren, Pennsylvania. He has alsoserved congregations in North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Priorto entering the ministry, Leininger had a successful career for almost twodecades in radio and television. He is the author of God of Justice, A Color-BlindChurch, and two volumes of LectionaryTales for the Pulpit (for Cycles A and B), and his sermons have appeared inthe Best Sermons 4 anthology(HarperCollins). Leininger has also been a contributing writer for the onlineservices StoryShare and The Immediate Word (www.sermonsuite.com).