{"id":5244,"date":"2026-02-20T08:44:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T13:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/?p=5244"},"modified":"2026-02-20T08:44:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T13:44:50","slug":"discipleship-for-dummies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/20\/discipleship-for-dummies\/","title":{"rendered":"Discipleship for Dummies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here<\/a>
\u00a0
Throughout the season of Lent, we’re taking a close look at the Apostles’ Creed – one of the earliest and most concise summaries of what followers of Jesus believe.<\/em>
\u00a0
It all began with the 1983 publication of Plumbing for Dummies<\/em>.
\u00a0
No one disagrees with the premise that people who know next to nothing about where the water comes from in a typical house, and where it ought to go, need to take a step back and give the professionals plenty of space to work.
\u00a0
Most of us feel like dolts when it comes to plumbing.
\u00a0
Eight years later, the editors at IDG Books realized there were virtually no beginner-friendly reference books when it came to personal computers. What if they tried to reach the millions of people who were stumbling their way through their first encounters with flat screens?
\u00a0
The result was DOS for Dummies<\/em> \u2013 an idiot-proof tutorial in how to use the MS-DOS operating system.
\u00a0
With that, a media franchise was born.
\u00a0
As of this writing, there are at least 337 \u201cFor Dummies\u201d titles \u2013 non-intimidating guides to subjects across the entire spectrum of human experience. Today you can explore Acne for Dummies<\/em>, Gluten-Free for Dummies, Raising Happy Children for Dummies<\/em>, and Artificial Intelligence for Dummies<\/em>. That last title might come in handy in the near future.
\u00a0
Most of the books in the series feature a yellow and black cover along with the triangular-headed cartoon figure who has come to be known as the \u201cDummies Man.\u201d
\u00a0
The writing is simple and direct. It avoids technical jargon. The authors of these volumes assume that readers are starting from zero and will need plenty of reminders and encouragements along the way.
\u00a0
Typically, no one wants to be identified as a dummy. In most relationships and contexts, the word is a flat-out insult. \u00a0
\u00a0
But the publishing company (now known as Hungry Minds) recognizes that learning always begins with humility: \u201cI honestly have no idea how to approach this subject and am not even sure where to begin.\u201d With a smile and a wink, we join other self-described \u201cdummies\u201d in a mutual effort to slay the dragon of ignorance.
\u00a0
That happens to be the best way to enroll in the School of Spiritual Life.
\u00a0
When it comes to the things of God, none of us are experts. Grade school comes before graduate courses.
\u00a0
And unlike stamp collecting or woodworking or selling real estate, what we learn (or fail to learn) has significant ramifications in this world and the next.
\u00a0
The Apostles\u2019 Creed is essentially Discipleship for Dummies<\/em> \u2013 a compact, non-technical introduction to the world\u2019s most important subject.
\u00a0
This is what you need to know about God.
And about Jesus.
And about the Holy Spirit.
And about relating to other Christians.
And what happens when you die.<\/em>
\u00a0
Master these basics and you\u2019ll have a working foundation for being a lifelong learner of the Son of God.
\u00a0
How old is the Apostles\u2019 Creed?
\u00a0
According to ancient tradition, Jesus\u2019 original apostles (with Matthias taking Judas\u2019 vacated spot) composed its lines just 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven (about A.D. 30). It was furthermore rumored that each of the 12 had written one line of the Creed \u2013 hence the name that it still bears.
\u00a0
That\u2019s a quaint idea. But scholars assure us that the Creed in its current form can\u2019t be traced to any time earlier than about A.D. 215, when it was used in association with the baptism of new converts in Rome.
\u00a0
How widely is it used today?
\u00a0
While Catholics and Protestants alike treasure the Apostles\u2019 Creed, it is not central to the life of Orthodox Christians, who represent about 15% of the world\u2019s believers. Orthodox churches have no quarrels with anything the Creed affirms but prefer to spotlight the Nicene Creed because it includes a far richer affirmation of the divinity of Christ.
\u00a0
In the end, the Apostles\u2019 Creed is worth our attention during this season of Lent because it is ancient, simple, and considered enduringly true by Jesus\u2019 followers of every generation.
\u00a0
Let\u2019s follow in their footsteps, beginning next Monday with the first two words: I believe<\/strong><\/em>.
\u00a0
After all, we don\u2019t want to end up being triangle-headed dummies.


<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here\u00a0Throughout the season of Lent, we’re taking a close look at the Apostles’ Creed – one of the earliest and most concise summaries of what followers of Jesus believe.\u00a0It all began with the 1983 publication of Plumbing for Dummies.\u00a0No one disagrees with the premise that people who know next to nothing about… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1080],"class_list":["post-5244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-apostles-creed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5244"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5246,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5244\/revisions\/5246"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}