What Do Christians Still Agree On?

There’s a reason some farmers used to tie ropes from their barns to their waists during snowstorms. When visibility dropped and the blizzard set in, that rope wasn’t optional—it was life-saving. Without it, even familiar ground could become deadly.

Today, many Christians find themselves in a storm. Not a literal blizzard, but a cultural and spiritual one. Amid confusion, chaos, and corruption, people are questioning what binds us together—if anything.

So, what is our rope? The Nicene Creed is our rope to the barn.

To understand our current moment, we have to look back— to our roots.

Every Christian tradition has a story:

• Anglicans and Episcopalians trace roots to the English Reformation.
• Lutherans to Germany and the fire of reform.
• Catholics to Rome, with deep roots in Irish and French migrations to the U.S.
• Orthodox Christians from the East—Greece, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine.
• Methodists broke off from Anglicans in the 1700s, often over how to respond to issues like slavery and worship practices.
• Nondenominational churches emerged after World War II, when people returned home and no longer felt aligned with existing traditions.

Every split carried conviction. Every branch thought it was being faithful. But today, in a swirl of theological and cultural division, many of us feel unmoored. We’re not always sure what’s essential anymore.

These days, it sometimes feels like there are more things dividing Christians than holding us together. It’s disorienting. It’s lonely.

We start asking questions like: Am I still part of this? Are they still part of this? Who decides what Christianity is anymore?

So we’re offering something ancient. Not to reduce faith to a formula, but to re-center us in the essentials. We’re turning to the Nicene Creed.

Pastor and theologian Glen Packiam calls the Creed “a rope to the barn.” In a storm, when you’re disoriented and can’t see clearly, you need something trustworthy to grab onto. If you're out in the storm trying to rescue something precious, you need a way to find your way back.

The Nicene Creed offers that rope.

It’s not about enforcing uniformity or limiting diversity. It’s about clarity. About having something reliable that anchors us when everything else is shifting.

The Creed says:

• We believe in one God, the Father Almighty.
• In one Lord, Jesus Christ.
• In the Holy Spirit, the giver of life.
• In one holy, catholic (meaning universal), and apostolic Church.
• In the forgiveness of sins, resurrection of the dead, and the life to come.

It reminds us of the essentials that have held the Church together for centuries.

At Westwinds, the people come from all over: different traditions, opinions, upbringings, and convictions. We’re not a church trying to be ecumenical—we just are. That’s our DNA. And that diversity makes holding on to shared truth even more critical.

Without that, it’s easy to slide into two dangerous traps:

1. Historical abandonment – Saying, “Let’s just start fresh” and ignoring the Church’s past.
2. Personality-driven faith – Saying, “Just trust me,” and replacing shared doctrine with individual opinion or a charismatic leader.

The Nicene Creed helps protect us from both. It’s a guardrail and a compass.

Let’s be clear: Let’s be clear: The Creed doesn’t replace Scripture. It arises from it. It’s the early Church’s faithful attempt to summarize what Scripture most centrally teaches.

In fact, the New Testament includes many early creeds:

• Philippians 2:6–11 shows Jesus’ humility and divine exaltation.
• 1 Corinthians 15:3–5 confirms His death, burial, and resurrection.
• Romans 10:9–10 calls for confession and belief.
• 1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 1:15–20, and Ephesians 4:4–6 all preserve beliefs the early Church considered essential.

These weren't side notes—they were the main points. They formed the guardrails of early Christian teaching, ensuring unity in the essentials even when styles and strategies varied.

Maybe you’re wondering: If we all tied ourselves to this creed, wouldn't that erase what makes us unique?

Not at all.

In 325AD, when the Nicene Creed was written, over 300 churches from all over the globe spent months discussing the essentials of what it means to be Christian. Amid differences of doctrine, expression, understanding on a lot of issues, the creed declares what Christians agree on.

Think of a field filled with farmers. One plants tomatoes. Another grows corn. One uses irrigation. Another trusts the rain. But if each is tied to the same barn—anchored in the same truth—they’re all still part of the same community.

In the same way, Christians can have different worship styles, cultural expressions, or opinions on issues. What matters is that we stay tethered to the same core story.

This isn’t about exclusion. It’s about direction.

If you’re new to faith, or returning after a long time away, the Creed can be your introduction to what Christians have always believed.

If you’re skeptical or spiritually curious, the Creed isn’t a wall—it’s a window. A way to see what the Christian faith claims at its most essential level.

And if you’re a lifelong believer weary from debates and deconstruction, the Creed is a reminder: you’re still connected. You still belong.

In a world of quick takes and crumbling institutions, the Creed offers something steady, and sacred. It connects us to the Jesus-centered story we’re a part of. It reminds us of our place in something bigger: the global Church, the communion of saints, the resurrection-shaped hope that life, not death, gets the final word. It connects us to each other, and to generations of believers who came before us—and to those who will come after.

At Westwinds, embracing the Creed is a decision to remain ecumenical in both hospitality and history. It’s about welcoming everyone and remembering where we came from.

It's not always easy. In fact, it might be the hardest thing we do as a church: holding space for difference while staying tethered to Jesus.

But it’s worth it.

Because the storms will keep coming. And when they do, we need to find the rope. And hold on—together.