Credo

by William Sloane Coffin Jr., James Carroll

William Sloane Coffin challenged the nation with his passionate calls for social justice. In this best-seller, Coffin gives a powerful record of his remarkable public life, offering his inspiring words on issues ranging from charity and justice to politics and the meaning of faith.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christianity, Memoir

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Bram]

Along with MLK, William Sloane Coffin was my greatest inspiration to get involved in activism and nonviolent civil disobedience. The guy's a legend--he was a freedom rider in the 60s, an adamant Vietnam War opponent, and he was out getting arrested for LGBT activism when he was almost 80 years old. He always saw through the bullshit of politics and religion, and this is even more impressive, to my mind, because of his status as a man of the cloth. This book is a collection of his pithy and flawlessly-rendered quotes, hitting a wide range of subjects including "Social Justice and Civil Liberities", "Social Justice and Economic Rights", "War and Peace", etc. If people like WSC represented modern religion, then it would be unrecognizable. And that would be a very, very good thing.

This quote, toward the end of the book, seemed especially relevant to a Goodreads review:

"Let's not forget how great artists define meaning. Procrastination has not been the same since Hamlet, or jealousy since Othello, or opportunistic ambition since Macbeth. Or consider this: Thoreau read Wordsworth; John Muir read Thoreau; Teddy Roosevelt read John Muir; and the results were national parks."

[Katie Griffin]

"Katie, you should really read this book, 'Credo' by William Sloane Coffin," said a friend of mine. "He has a lot to say about issues such as, poverty, civil rights, and how we as a church should be responding to these efforts." I didn't doubt that I would like it, but I also wasn't aware of how deeply moved I would be by William Sloane Coffin. From the moment I began reading Coffin's words, I knew I was reading the words of a modern-day prophet. Ever since then, this book has been present throughout every hill & valley of my faith journey.
William Sloane Coffin is widely regarded as the most influential white liberal Protestant minister of his generation. Throughout Rev. Coffin's 40 year career as a minister, he has used the pulpit to speak to the masses on civil rights issues such as economic rights, nuclear disarmament, racism, inclusion of all in the church, & peace. Coffin looked to the life of Jesus to illuminate his faith, as well as his life in the church & his role in politics and society. Throughout his life, he engaged what he called a "lover's quarrel" with his country & the whole world. As he states in the preface to this book, "I like to believe that I am an American patriot who loves his country enough to address her flaws. Today these are many, and all preachers worth their salt need fearlessly to insist that 'God 'n' Country' is not one word."

James Carroll introduces the book with an eloquent reflection on a night in 1972 that he & Coffin spent together in neighboring jail cells, there after protesting at the U.S. Capital against the war in Vietnam. It was Coffin's voice singing Handel's Messiah that rose above the silence that night & was a source of solace for the many ministers and other leaders of the church that were among them.

All of Coffin's books, sermons, published & unpublished speeches, & other thoughts he has had during his over 40 years of ministry & activism has been organized into nine rough categories: Faith, Hope & Love, Social Justice & Civil Liberties, Social Justice & Economic Rights, Patriotism, War & Peace, Nature, Life in General, The Church, & The End of Life

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Some "Coffinisms" from Credo:

"All countries make decisions based on self-interest &
then defend them in the name of morality."

"President Bush rightly spoke of an 'axis of evil,' but it is not Iran, Iraq or North Korea. Here is a more likely trio calling for Herculean efforts to defeat: environmental degradation, pandemic poverty, & a world awash with weapons."

"Hope criticizes what is, hopelessness rationalizes it.
Hope resists, hopelessness adapts."

"Truth is always in danger of being sacrificed on the
alters of good taste & social stability."

"Not to take sides if effectively to weigh in on the side of the stronger."

"Jesus knew that 'Love your enemies' didn't mean 'Don't make any.'"

"We're our government for the people, we would have the best education system in the world, universal health insurance, a decent way of financing elections, & a massive commitment to sources of clean energy."

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There is no doubt that William Sloane Coffin is a liberal minister. However, he is also inclusive enough to understand that in order to effectively help solve the ills of the world, we need the voice of all God's people at the table. As former U.S. Senator Paul Simon explains, "Few will agree with William Sloane Coffin on everything he says, but few will not be moved by him." Many of his ideas, such as those found above, speak not to specific issues, but rather to the human condition.

** This review has been adapted from a more complete version which can be found on the website for the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP) at www.stepnetwork.org **

[Laurel]

Being born in the 1980's, I had not heard of William Sloane Coffin before I read this book. After reading it, I was sad to see he had passed on before I even knew he had lived. "Creedo" is an amazing book, full of the wisdom gathered during a compassionate lifetime. While I may not call myself Christian, most of this book spoke to me in a language that transcends religious labels. On topics from social justice to interpretation of scripture, Coffin reminds the reader of Jesus' beautiful and compassionate message. Furthermore, he helps us understand how to apply that message to today's turbulent times. For while much of Coffin's work was done in the 1960's, his message is still just as relevant.

This book will appeal to liberal proponents of social justice and spirituality, especially Christianity and perhaps Buddhism. Those who hold more conservative views might not enjoy it.

No content issues of note other than the obvious liberal bent and discussion of Christian ideals.

A note on my content warnings: I try to think of what might offend ANYONE about this book. This is by no means a list of what offended me. At all. I'm just trying to help everyone find the best books for them.

[Amanda]

Since I had to read this for a college course that I utterly despised, and most of my frustration with this book stemmed from the fact that I couldn't figure out how to approach it from an academic perspective, I'm not going to leave a rating.

Basically, this is a compilation of wisdom sayings and little paragraph snippets attributed to William Sloane Coffin, a Christian clergyman and political activist. His politics are very liberal/Left-leaning. At one point he stated that he considered himself a "recovering chauvinist/racist/sexist/homophobe" simply because he was born a straight white male. This kind of thing is prevalent throughout the book.

He also kept talking about Truth, and how we all needed to follow it, abide by it, etc, but without acknowledging the fact that nobody can agree on what the Truth is or bothering to give his own definition of it. Maybe it's just the naivete of his generation, in those rose-tinted hippy days before postmodernism and the information age destroyed the concept of "Truth", understood then to be an objective thing that couldn't be questioned or debated?

I don't really care about his morals, ethics, religious beliefs, etc, which is most of what was on display here. A lot of his popularity seems to have stemmed from the fact that he was a Christian priest whose politics were outside the norm for stereotypical Christians. If that is the case, I'm not impressed by the novelty of his existence either. I wish that this was less disjointed and that Coffin had formed some kind of coherent argument rather than babbling about Truth and how we all needed to be more tolerant and loving - things that anyone would agree with, but which ring hollow when you have nothing deeper or more concrete to add to the discussion.

[Shawn Aebi]

A well organized collections of Coffin's thoughts on key Christian matters. Coffin was well ahead of his time at pushing Social Justice into the mainstream conversation and these citations serve to show the deep thinking that went into how to frame these discussions to a comfortable, cloistered constituency.

[Mollie]

So inspiring.

[Gerald H]

Phenomenal book. Wise, prophetic

[Esther]

I love this book so much. It was my personal introduction to the connection between Christianity and compassionate social justice.

[Robert]

Excerpts:

"Of God's love we can say two things: it is poured out universally for everyone from the Pope to the loneliest wino on the planet; and secondly, God's love doesn't seek value, it creates value. It is not because we have value that we are loved, but because we are loved that we have value. Our value is a gift, not an achievement."

"Love measures our stature: the more we love, the bigger we are. There is no smaller package in all the world than that of a man all wrapped up in himself."

"Jesus is both a mirror to our humanity and a window to divinity, a window revealing as much of God as is given mortal eyes to see. When Christians see Christ empowering the weak, scorning the powerful, healing the wounded, and judging their tormentors, we are seeing transparently the power of God at work. What is finally important is not that Christ is Godlike, but that God is Christ-like. God is like Christ. That's what we need to know, isn't it? Then we know how to pray - "through Jesus Christ, our Lord," who gives us the right and confidence to pray the way we do."

"It is ironic to think of the number of people in this country who pray for the poor and needy on Sunday and spend the rest of the week complaining that the government is doing something about them."

"Had I but one wish for the churches of America I think it would be that they come to see the differences between charity and justice. Charity is a matter of personal attributes; justice, a matter of public policy. Charity seeks to alleviate the effects of injustice; justice seeks to eliminate the causes of it. Charity in no way affects the status quo, while justice leads inevitably to political confrontation. Especially I would hope that Christians would see that the compassion that moved the Good Samaritan to act charitably - that same compassion prompted biblical prophets to confront injustice, to speak truth to power, as did Jesus, who, though more than a prophet, was certainly nothing less."

"I think we know far more of God's heart than we do of the mind of God.
It's God's heart that Christ on the cross lays bare for the whole world to see. And 'God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them' (1 John 4:16) - that passage suggests that revelation is in the relationship. And a relationship with God provides more psychological certitude than intellectual certainty. Faith is not believing without proof; it is trusting without reservation. I think all belief systems that rest on absolute intellectual certainty - be that certainty the doctrine of papal infallibility or the doctrine of the verbal inerrancy of Scripture - all such belief systems should go out the stained glass windows, for they have no proper place in church. They induce Christians to sharpen their minds by narrowing them. They make Christians doctrinaire, dogmatic, mindlessly militant. To such absolute belief systems can be attributed all manner of unchristian horrors such as inquisitions and holy wars, witch burning, morbid guilt, unthinking conformity, self-righteousness, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and homophobia."

[Michael]

This book is a collection of sayings and passages from Rev. William Sloane Coffin's sermons. Rev. Coffin was the chaplain at Yale University during the Viet Nam era, and the pastor at New York's famous Riverside Church for twenty years. He was the most famous 'progressive' pastor in America for a long time, and after reading this book I can see why. For the most part, I found his observations and commentary to be full of incredible wisdom. There were a few clunkers, but overall, Rev. Coffin was a remarkably insightful man. Here a just a few of the passages I underlined:
-"Compassion demands confrontation."
-"So when in anguish over any human violence done to innocent victims, we ask of God, 'How could you let that happen?' it's well to remember taht God at the very moment is asking the exact same question of us."
-"Hell is truth seen too late."
-"It is ironic to think of the number of people in this country who pray for the poor and needy on Sunday and spend the rest of the week complaining that the government is doing something about them."
-"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable."
-"God is always beckoning us toward horizons we aren't sure that we want to reach."

And on and on. Good stuff.

[Eric]

This book is simply a collection of quotes and short discourses from renowned preacher and prophet William Sloane Coffin. While these quotes come from the mid-to-late decades of the 20th century, his insights and observations about matters of culture, faith and politics continue to challenge and speak boldly to 21st century people of faith. I enjoyed reading the book, was disturbed by reading the book, and was challenged by reading the book - all at the same time. Which, I believe, makes it a good read.

I very much recommend the book for anyone who has the courage and desire to be challenged about how we think about, and live out, our faith in Jesus Christ.

[ONTD Feminism]

LJ user fruhlings says, "Mr. Sloane Coffin was an American preacher who was also very liberal. In fact, I'd consider him a leftist. I'm a spiritual person, and this book of excerpts from his sermons was very uplifting and inspiring for me. He talks a lot about social justice and the place that religion has in it, and it's really interesting to read. I understand that this book might not be for everyone (and I respect that), and it's not necessarily focused on feminism really, but I think it's still relevant to social justice."

[Al Gritten]

William Sloane Coffin and Wendell Berry are two of my favorite contemporary authors. Coffin speaks with spiritual depth as well as the insight that comes from years of parish ministry. He is engaging and his words not only encourage reflection on our faith, but actually invite us to savor moments in which to encounter God.

[Ruth]

A wealth of insightful, inspiring words guides those who want to lead meaningful lives. This slim volume provides Coffin's guidance and insight into important matters many of us are struggling with today. If you are pondering issues like justice, politics, and mortality, this volume will enrich your life and your thinking.

[Leroy Seat]

This is mainly a book of aphorisms rather than a systematic statement of the author's beliefs, but it is filled with insightful ideas and interpretation of the Christian faith. Coffin was born in 1924 and died in 2006, two years after this book was published.

[Kathleen]

When you need a few words of wordly wisdom rooted in faith, this is the book to pick up. You don't have to read more than a page to come away with something to think about and to lift you out of the daily humdrum.

[J. Ewbank]

This book by Coffin is a fascinating, compelling book. It looks at life, at the Christian life, at what we do and should or should not do. A very deep look at living the life of a Christian today. Well done.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

[Sally]

Short excerpts from unpublished sermons and speeches present a generous Christianity concerned with justice, love, peace and seeking to embody the moral precepts of the Gospels and prophets in personal and social life.

[Bob]

Powerful synopsis of the thought of a 20th century prophet.

[Tama]

Thank you thank you thank you

[Shelie]

A preacher and social justice advocate who I always love to read

[Peter]

Always challenging the reader, making you uncomfortable in a good way!

[Milan Homola]

I like some of what he has to say, but he sounds like an angry white man, who would rather walk into a hornets' nest than engage with an evangelical

[Amanda Packer]

It was okay, not something I would normally have read but it was a book that I needed to read for one of my school classes.

[Covenant Presbyterian Springfield Ohio]

Call Number: 230 COF

Checked Out.

[John Callaway]

This book is a fantastic source for quotes and sermon illustrations.

[Tina]

One of the most insightful men of the 20th century.

[Carol Stickels Worley]

Recommended by a friend, a very thoughtful book on faith and finding/keeping faith.

[Glen Gersmehl]

from a great, and unpretentious social change leader/thinker of the Christian tradition

[Lindsey]

Amen, William Sloane Coffin. Amen.