Abstract:
This article is an exploration of the insights of Stephen Patterson in his
2018 book, The Forgotten Creed: Christianity’s Original Struggle
against Bigotry, Slavery and Sexism. He calls value distinctions on the
grounds of ethnicity, class and gender “the clichés of ancient
bigotries” and makes a case for Galatians 3:28 being “the oldest
Christian creed.” This creed turns the human mentality of division into
the confession that “we are all one.” The article traces the development
of a credo in the process of institutionalisation. The question is
whether the love patriarchalism of early Christianity, which went hand
in hand with institutionalisation, was the reason for the oldest creed
being forgotten. This is an anomaly that continues today. If
Christianity today remembered the oldest creed, the church could
become a “third space” where the freedom of all is celebrated.
