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"Credo"
William Sloane Coffin
Purchase at Amazon.com for $9.72
176 pages

"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 and 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, and peace. Coffin looked to the life of Jesus to illuminate his faith, as well as his life in the church and his role in politics and society. Throughout his life, he engaged what he called a "lover's quarrel" with his country and 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 and 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 and was a source of solace for the many ministers and other leaders of the church that were among them.

Editor Stephanie Egnotovich had the challenging, yet unquestioningly rewarding, task of reading through all of Coffin's books, sermons, published and unpublished speeches, and other thoughts he has had during his over 40 years of ministry and activism, identifying the quotable "Coffinisms" within them, with Coffin himself "adding a bit here, deleting a bit there" (as he wrote in the preface), and then organized them into nine rough categories:

  • Faith, Hope and Love
  • Social Justice and Civil Liberties
  • Social Justice and Economic Rights
  • Patriotism
  • War and Peace
  • Nature
  • Life in General
  • The Church
  • The End of Life
Some "Coffinisms" from Credo:
"If faith puts you on the road, hope keeps you there."

"All countries make decisions based on self-interest and
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, and a world awash with weapons.""

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

"We all belong one to another. That's the way God made us.
Christ died to keep us that way.
Our sin is only and always that we put asunder what God joined together."

"Truth is always in danger of being sacrificed on the
alters of good taste and 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, and a massive commitment to sources of clean energy."
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 to 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. While this book may be better for individual study, there is no doubt that groups of people would also find plenty to discuss about the ideas found within these pages.
Reviewed by: Katie Griffin, Eastern Kentucky University
Posted: June 19, 2006
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