In Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity, Carl Trueman offers a thought-provoking analysis of the contemporary crisis facing the church and society. Drawing on his deep understanding of historical theology and cultural trends, Trueman addresses the overwhelming challenges that the modern world presents to the Christian faith, particularly in light of the growing influence of individualism and identity politics.

The book is a compelling critique of how contemporary culture, with its emphasis on self-expression, personal identity, and autonomy, has eroded confidence in the historic Christian faith. Trueman argues that in a world where individual identity is often seen as fluid and self-defined, the objective truths of Christianity have become increasingly difficult to defend. This crisis, according to Trueman, is not only cultural but also theological, as it threatens the church’s ability to proclaim a coherent, unified faith in an era that prizes personal experience above all else.

One of the strengths of Crisis of Confidence is Trueman’s ability to connect complex theological and cultural ideas with real-world implications. He explains how the rise of individualism, fueled by both philosophical movements and technological advances, has led to a distortion of the human identity and undermined traditional Christian teachings on community, truth, and moral authority. Trueman offers an insightful analysis of how this shift in cultural values has created a vacuum in which personal identity becomes the ultimate source of meaning and purpose, often at odds with the biblical vision of human life.

Trueman’s writing is both erudite and accessible, providing a thorough examination of the historical development of ideas about identity and individualism while remaining clear enough for general readers to follow. His ability to weave together theology, philosophy, and cultural critique makes the book a rich resource for both scholars and lay readers. For those familiar with Trueman’s previous works, such as The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, this book will feel like a natural extension of his broader project to understand the cultural forces shaping the modern world and their impact on the church.

A key strength of Crisis of Confidence is its call to action. Trueman not only diagnoses the problems facing modern Christianity but also offers a solution: a return to the historic faith of the church, grounded in Scripture, tradition, and the confessions of the church. He urges the church to reclaim its theological heritage and resist the pressure to conform to the individualistic impulses of the world around it. This appeal to historical orthodoxy is both a pastoral and intellectual response to the crisis, offering hope that the church can recover its confidence in the truth of the gospel amidst a culture of relativism and self-doubt.

While the book is an important and timely critique of modern culture, some readers may find the depth of theological and philosophical analysis a bit challenging, particularly if they are not well-versed in the historical background Trueman draws upon. However, Trueman’s clear writing style and engaging approach ensure that even readers without an extensive academic background will find much to ponder and apply.

In conclusion, Crisis of Confidence is a timely and important work that addresses the challenges posed by a culture consumed with individualism and identity. Trueman’s call for a return to the historic faith, rooted in Scripture and tradition, offers a hopeful path forward for the church in the face of a world increasingly skeptical of objective truth. This book is highly recommended for Christians seeking to understand the cultural forces shaping their faith and for those who want to reclaim a more robust, biblical understanding of human identity and purpose.

A great resource on the importance on confessions and why we should continue practicing them. I currently attend a church that does not practice confessions of faith, but would love for it to do so. Reading Truemans defense on the history and why it’s necessary in this day, was very informative.

I recommend for anyone who would like to understand why churches in America should practice confessions of faith.

Carl Trueman is a voice that this generation needs. He is highly intelligent and his writing is well done and brainy, but his books are must reads. Crisis of Confidence is another book I'm very grateful for having on my shelf.

*I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Yet another excellent book from Carl Trueman. He makes very creative and thorough arguments for creeds and confessions, though at times overly wordy and more complex than necessary. This book would be for someone who has read shorter works and still needs convincing or for leaders, pastors, and seminary students. Thank you to Crossway and NetGalley for an e-arc to read and review voluntarily!

Trueman's latest release is more accurately a re-working of his previous title The Creedal Imperative.

Having not read the previous work, I was drawn to this title because I grew up in a faith tradition that did not emphasize creedal statements. Yet, I was immediately confronted with a very truthful statement by Trueman: "Christians are not divided between those who have creeds and confessions and those who do not; rather, they are divided between those who have public creeds and confessions that are written down and exist as public documents, subject to public scrutiny, evaluation, and critique, and those who have private creeds and confessions that are often improvised, unwritten, and thus not open to public scrutiny, not susceptible to evaluation, and, crucially and ironically, not therefore subject to testing by Scripture to see whether they are true."

Wow.

Not only did I finish this title with a deep appreciation for the historic creedal statements of the church, but I felt the necessity for them presently within our congregations today. Trueman does an excellent job laying out the historicity of creedalism alongside the beauty and usefulness of their profession. Again, having grown up in a tradition that view perhaps erred on viewing creeds as trite, I finished this book deeply convinced of how untrue that sentiment is.

That said, I also found this to be a dense read. It was necessary, but it was a labor to read through even just these 200 pages. As such, I felt some of its impact was received at a crawl and my excitement for creeds weighed down by the heaviness of the read. This would be a tough book for me to hand off to a friend with my background who needed to see the beauty and joys of creedalism. Ordinarily, this would be a 4/5 read for me, but I had to give it a 3/5 for this reason.

I'm grateful to NetGalley and Crossway for the advanced readers copy in return for my honest review.

Why should anyone take creeds seriously? Why do we need creeds when we have the Bible? Why should churches incorporate creedal statements especially when the words are not in the Bible? Are not the creeds some old-fashioned documents that are no longer relevant for our era? What will we lose if we ignore the creeds? What is the crisis of confidence all about? Essentially, this book is a vigorous pushback against the modern notion of "expressive individualism" that threatens to unseat the use of confessions, creeds, and many aspects of tradition. Author Carl Trueman spends some time unpacking what he means by this. He notes how "expressive individualism" has taken root in many aspects of life. Feelings have dethroned the importance of facts. Science assumes that the present and future are better than the past, which unwittingly creeps into the philosophical domain when understanding religious truth. Consumerism militates against historical truths. Other reasons against creeds include the state of antiauthoritarianism, rejection of authority, and the fear of exclusion just because one recites the creeds. He then makes a case for the use of creeds in churches today. He outlines the history of creedal statements, showing us the contexts behind each written creed. This is not something that only the Early Church had done. With the Reformation, even more creeds were published. Groups outside the mainline stream also possess confessions and creeds, even though they were not written in the traditional forms. One of the key things that enable us to worship in spirit and in truth is the use of creeds to remind us that worship is not about self-expression but about corporate confession to God and for God. The big truth is, that creeds do not necessarily take the place of Scripture but affirm biblical Truth in concrete ways.

My Thoughts
==============
Trueman makes a strong case against "expressive individualism" that enthrones feelings over everything else. His take on the fallacy of feelings over facts is worth pondering even for the biggest critic. Suffice it to say, that the modern cultural environment is trending toward the emotional realm more than ever. Without dismissing the importance of feelings, the danger comes when feelings replace the very need for creedal truth. He gives us a compelling overview of how cultural trends affect how modern people view traditions and creedal statements. Without addressing these underlying forces, it will be hard to convince people about their subconscious and uncritical presuppositions. Just because one feels a certain way does not mean one can jettison historical ecclesiological confessions. Not only that, there are many forces that many readers might not be aware of. Trueman helps uncover these forces in a manner that forces us to rethink our positions.

Secondly, Trueman points out that if we fail to get our philosophical-theological fundamentals correct, we will be building our lives upon a false sense of confidence, like building a house on sand. The title of the book is revealing. The crisis of confidence is essentially about how and where we build our beliefs. Expressive individualism is more subjective than anything. Instead, build it on solid ground, on the solid Rock of Christ, expressed via the years of confessional wisdom and creeds. True confidence and assured security must be based on solid truth. Feelings come and go. Truth is not time-limited. In fact, unlike the way of science, Truth is timeless. This does not mean that science and philosophy are at loggerheads with each other. They complement each other. Foundations matter and the use of creeds helps us strengthen these foundations.

Finally, while the use of creeds is increasingly necessary, we need to discern how to update the creeds for modern understanding. Not all creeds are the same, which is why many different denominations and branches of Christianity have created their own confessions that are true to their traditions. Some creeds are more universal than others, namely the Apostles Creed, which remains the most used creed among all Christians. Without creeds, it is easy to be swept away by the latest and greatest fads on the Internet and social media. Many of the creeds have existed for hundreds of years. Our modern technologies are comparatively juvenile. Just like those who insist on a "Bible-only" kind of spirituality, the way they interpret still requires a particular angle of interpretation. Even for those who insist on no written creed, the fact is, whatever routines or rituals they adopt are essentially "creed-like." Perhaps, the way forward is for modern readers and believers to practice consistency. Whether it is about using technology or accepting tradition, acting on feelings or depending on facts, learn to be discerning when using any of them. This book urges us to maintain a good balance.

Carl R. Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College. He is a contributing editor at First Things, an esteemed church historian, and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Trueman has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Strange New World; The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self; and Histories and Fallacies. He is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

“No creed but Christ”
“I don’t need a creed, I just believe the Bible”
“What do those old documents have to say about my life today?”

It is against these common statements that Carl Trueman’s book Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity is written. As the church has become aware of the strange new world it finds itself in, he believes that the “creeds and confessions are even more important now than ever before: they anchor us in history, they offer us reasonably comprehensive frameworks for thinking about the connections between God, anthropology, and ethics; and above all they point us to the transcendent God who rules over all things” (xv). This defense is primarily written to Christians to show that valuing and using the creeds and confessions is “a better way of preserving precisely those aspects of biblical, Christian faith that are most valuable to you and that you passionately wish to communicate to your church” than trying to replace them with the frameworks culture is using (36).

Crisis of Confidence has three main movements: arguments against the use of creeds and confessions, a history of the use of creeds and confessions, and a defense of why they should continue to be used. The first movement lifts the reader out of the immediate waves of culture and shows them the general currents which they find themselves in daily: “expressive individualism, science, technology, consumerism, language, mysticism, and pragmatism, are all variation on the theme of rejection of external authority, that of the past in the case of science and technology, and that of anything but the self in terms of consumerism, language, and the rest” (27). After analyzing the cultural trends we find ourselves in, Trueman begins his defense of the use of creeds by examining if there is anything which unites all of humanity together and he comes to the conclusion that “the essential core of identity that binds me together with human beings in modern China and with people in ancient Rome: we all are made in God’s image, and he addresses us all through his word” (48). From here he traces the use of creeds from the New Testament to the early church to the protestant confessions of the 15-1600s. The final chapters of the book bring the creeds and confessions back into today and show how they “become a means of fulfilling the public declaration that Romans 10 demands of believers: the confession (a document) becomes a confession (an act of pointing toward Christ before the church and the world)” (128). Trueman does not just limit the use of creeds as rote recitation but shows how they are an “exciting map of the territory of biblical truth and something to which to aspire” to in multiple areas of the Christian life (164).

This book grabs the reader both with its wit and insight into culture and the value of the creeds and confessions. I greatly appreciated the sections dedicated to an analysis of culture and an overview of the history behind the creeds. The chapter which looked at different cultural trends felt like someone was drawing my attention to different puzzle pieces and showing me how they all fit together. This is done in a manner which does not overwhelm the reader with nuance, but provides, what seems to be, a simple and obvious understanding of some of the driving themes of culture.

The chapters on the history behind the creeds and confessions bring the documents to life as they explain why each document focuses on the different things they do: why is there so much about Christ’s deity in the Nicene creed? How did Frederick III’s conversion affect the writing of the Heidelberg Catechism? How did the wars in England play into the writing of the Westminster Standards? These brief overviews and explanations of the importance of these documents in the life of the church encourage the reader to revisit the creeds and confessions with fresh eyes.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is wondering why creeds and confessions are useful or who is wanting a brief snapshot of some of the cultural trends we find ourselves in.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Crossway through the Net Galley blogger review program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Crisis of Confidence by Carl Truman brings a refreshed take from his book Creedal Imperative. Carl Truman's writing is very informative, convicting, and challenging. I appreciate the wealth of information and application to the topic of creeds and confessions that Truman has brought to the attention of his readers.  Especially with so much change and focus on the individual in modern society, Truman explains how the creeds and confessions actually protect and promote Christianity.  There is a great need in our day and the days to come for strong voices like Truman. Our society as a whole, but especially our churches, church associations, and every individual church member needs to be challenged and encouraged to stand firm in the truth of the Bible while the world is in chaos around us.  The creeds and confessions described in Crisis of Confidence are so helpful and important,  not because they are popular, traditional, or perfect, but because they summarize Biblical doctrine in a time-tested, practical, and biblical way. These creeds and confessions provide Christians with a structure or framework with which to view life and the world. 

After reading Crisis of Confidence I have a renewed appreciation for the creeds, confessions, and catechisms of the reformed faith. I am familiar with many of them,  but I had not fully realized the full benefit and importance of these biblical models and frames.  This book has pushed me to refresh myself with the various creeds and confessions. I have greatly appreciated Carl Truman's writings, especially the way he clearly educates readers about the firm stance Christians must take on the truth. This book is well worth the read! Don't be discouraged if this is a slow read for you. I gained more from this book by reading it slowly, outlining, and taking notes. I think there is a wealth of information in this book that might take a little while to digest. I highly recommend Crisis of Confidence.

Disclaimer: Crossway graciously provided me with a copy of this book through Net Galley. All opinions are my own and part of an unbiased review.

Trueman is a challenging read for me, but always a challenge worth tackling. Super thought-provoking as I haven't really thought about the place of creeds and confessions...his thesis makes sense for me. His analysis of modern society is always spot on, and though dense, accessible given some serious mental effort. :)

Carl Trueman is incredibly gifted at helping Christians understand how their faith and culture interact, and why it is important to remain faithful to a biblical worldview despite the evolution of culture.

This new release is an update of his 2012 book, “The Creedal Imperative.”

In this book, he delves into how ancient creeds and confessions can help Christians navigate identity and morality in a culture that emphasizes expressive individualism.

He challenges popular sayings like “no creed but the Bible” and encourages readers to consider the importance of having a strong foundation in times of crisis.

By examining statements of faith like the Heidelberg Catechism and the Westminster Confession of Faith, Trueman shows how these historic documents promote humility and root us in the truths of the Bible.

Whether you’re new to the idea of creeds and confessions or are already familiar with confessions, enjoy church history, and want to make sense of why historic confessions are important today as our American culture rapidly changes, this book is a must-read.

Crisis on Confidence re-examines creeds and how they relate to the church. Where there is much debate and discussion about words a d their meanings, creeds help give the church a place to stand. Trueman's book not only gives a defense for creeds in our postmodern society, he also shows how these creeds came to be over time. I especially enjoyed learning about the creeds and what doctrines they were defending. Yes, the Bible is important but we all have ideas on how to interpret it. Creeds give us guidance on the right way to interpret Scripture. This is a great book to learn about creeds and the history of the church; and also how whether we realize it or not are living by creeds.

“The Lord has graciously provided us with a great cloud of witnesses throughout history who can help us understand the Bible and apply it to our present day. To ignore such might not be so much a sign of biblical humility as of overbearing hubris and confidence in our own abilities and the uniqueness of our own age.”

The first half of this book pertains more to the history of the church and its creeds and confessions, while the second half of this book is more of an analysis of culture and use of creeds in the modern day. The first part of this book is very heavy with historical and theological details, and I really wanted to soak up all of the information. With all of the details and some of the language, it took me a bit to get through, but the second half of the book flew by!

This was a brilliant and helpful book. I learned so much from the historical details provided, as well as the analysis of the culture and the given practical suggestions. My husband and I were diligent a couple of years ago to recite and memorize catechisms together after dinner and this book really inspired me to make that a priority in our house once again!

Highly recommend!

Thank you to @netgalley and @crossway for my gifted e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Creeds and confessions, are they important, are they needed, and what are they? This new book Crisis of Confidence – Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity by Carl R. Trueman will answer those questions and more. His motive for writing the book, “is my belief that creeds and confessions are vital to the present and future well-being of the church”.

I have been a part of a few churches that use and recite creeds as part of worship or in Bible study. We have, over the years, used them in our homeschooling morning time as part of our Bible study time. I, for one, will say yes. They are important and needed. A church may say they don’t need a creed, but that in itself is a creed. Once you understand what these documents are, why they were written, and have actually read them yourself, you will see the same. I am thankful that Mr. Trueman to the time to write a book to explain it in more depth than I ever good. All of his writings that I have read of his always give me a deeper understanding of our faith and biblical knowledge that has been helpful.

“Christianity involves a creed, a code, and a cult. The creed sets out the beliefs of the church – beliefs about God, creation, human beings, sin, redemption, and consummation. It describes reality.”

In six well researched and thought-out chapters, Mr. Trueman shares about our current culture and why these historical documents are important still today. He shares the foundations of the writings and differences between the ones that are used more. The last chapter was helpful in understanding the usefulness of these in our church and lives today.

If you are new to understanding, using creeds and confessions, or want a deeper understanding of these documents, then definitely pick up this book.

These days it seems you hear it everywhere, "you do you" or references to "your truth." For Christians, this isn't exactly a thing because there is a truth we hold to, a set of beliefs, a holy Word.


So, if you'd be asked to summarize what you believe, what would you say?


How did you come up with your answer?


In Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Fatih in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity author Carl Trueman takes us through the value and relevance of creeds and confessions for our church life today. Culture forms how we think, and that will include how and what we believe as core doctrines of our faith.


So let's review the content of the book and a few thoughts.


book cover Crisis of Confidence by Carl Trueman
Crisis of Confidence | Book Review
Content

Purpose of the Book

Table of Contents

Summary

My Take

My Recommendation

Quick Stats

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quote from crisis of confidence by carl trueman

Content
Purpose of the Book
The author writes this to detail the value of historic creeds and confessions for all believers and that they are necessary for the wellbeing of the church.


Table of Contents
Introduction



Chapter 1: The Cultural Case against Creeds and Confessions

Chapter 2: The Foundations of Creedalism

Chapter 3: The Early Church

Chapter 4: Classical Protestant Confessions

Chapter 5: Confession as Praise

Chapter 6: On the Usefulness of Creeds and Confessions



Conclusion


Summary
In the first two chapters, the author addresses problems he commonly hears from evangelicals against creeds and confessions—a main one being the idea that there’s no creed but the bible. He shows how our cultural values of expressive individualism heavily influence these reasons.

Next he teaches how early church creeds focus on the building blocks of the faith, which keep us from being swept away in cultural currents. He goes through the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed and Athanasian Creed as well as the first ecumenical councils to give us an understanding of the historical setting and early church debates. As well as a handful of protestant confessions.


Lastly, he shows us how the creeds invite and shape our worship, and how they are useful to the church today.


quote from crisis of confidence by carl trueman

My Take
The first time I learned the Apostle’s Creed, it was in Swahili. Well, I guess we truly had to understand it in English first. I grew up in a non-confessional church, the other churches locally I’d been to also hadn’t involved these in their worship services either. So when we joined a training team overseas, our education was not only in culture and language, but we also had theological work to do as well.


This creed became increasingly relevant, particularly because we began sharing the gospel in a new cultural context. The creed gave us language to use as we taught about the Christian faith. I began to read more about the creeds and church history to understand what was going on during these times as the church took shape after the apostles.


As we had children and began homeschooling, the resources I ran into often involved a catechism, and I found this worked well as I learned alongside them.


One way I’ve found the creeds and confessions helpful in my own life is in developing a theology of suffering. In my younger years I had not yet known the sharpness of pain and struggle as I do now. Yet, learning and growing deeper in my knowledge of God, in understanding the doctrines of who he is, of salvation and redemption, of the person and work of Christ, gave me the compass to direct my path in the storms of life. I could say along with the apostle Paul, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me” (2 Tim 1:9). In the acute distress of suffering I knew my God, I knew his Word and the gospel and by his grace he held me there and led me through.


This is how theology became important to me, because it makes a difference in our daily lives: The words we speak, the things we do, and the choices we make. Even more now as we disciple our kids in the faith, to equip them with truth in a culture where Christian beliefs are maligned.


*In a spur of the moment idea, I was wondering if I could remember the Swahili version, so here it is as best I remember, so the grammar might be sketchy, but in comparing to the English it should all be there:


Namwamini Mungu Baba Mwenyezi, Muumba wa mbingu na nchi

Na Yesu Kriso Mwana wake wa pekee, Bwana wetu,

Aliyechukuliwa mimba kwa Roho Mtakatifu, akazaliwa na bikira Miriamu,

Akateswa zamani za Pontio Pilato, akasulibiwa, akafa, akazikwa,

akashuka mahali pa wafu, siku ya tatu akafufuka, akapandwa mbinguni

anakaa kwa mukono wa kuume wa Mungu,Baba Mwenyezi,

atakuja tena kuwahukumu watu wa hai na wafu.

Ninamwamini Roho Mutakatifu, Kanisa takatifu lililomoja,

ushirika wa watakatifu, ondoleo la dhambi, ufufuko wa mwili,

na uzima wa milele. Amina


quote from crisis of confidence by carl trueman

My Recommendation
I really enjoyed reading one of the author’s previous books, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. He’s a professor of church history and pastor of a presbyterian church. His writing leans on the academic side.


This title will be for you if you come from a non confessional background (which is majority in the area where I live) or if you have an interest in the historical creeds and confessions and want to gain a better understanding of why they are important and relevant for us today, particularly as the cultural trends steers us away from the value of history and tradition.


(I read this as part of the 2024 VT Reading Challenge - a book published in 2024)


quote from crisis of confidence by carl trueman

Quick Stats
# of Pages: 216

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

My Rating: 5 stars

*Thanks to Netgaley and the publishers for the ARC and for the opportunity to post an honest review

Carl Trueman updates his work, The Creedal Imperative, with cultural insights on modern individualism. Orthodox creeds are biblical and practical and essential to navigate the murky cultural waters today. I’m inspired, even as a laywoman of the church, to disciple the next generation using my denomination’s detailed statement of faith and the catechism we learn together as a church body.

Carl R. Trueman has produced a matured version of his 2012 book The Creedal Imperative. Much has transpired in the decade that followed. Trueman was sensitive to this, and he states, "The creedal imperative is greater today than it was ten years ago because the God to which the creeds and confessions point remains the same even in these times of change and flux, and we need perhaps more than ever to be remined of that fact and its implications. " At the heart of the book Trueman sees expressive individualism (the idea that we are defined by
our inner feelings, that our relationships with others place no natural or necessary obligations upon us, and that we can pick and choose them as they serve our emotional needs) as what Christians need to realize as the zeitgeist of Western Culture. Particularly in chapter 5 entitled Confession as Praise, we find a good summation and what Trueman's antidote is: A common confession in a creed is good: it makes the point that my faith is the faith of the other people in the church—both today and throughout the ages. Creeds teach me who I am—one of a vast multitude redeemed by Jesus Christ; and reciting them corporately enacts that reality Sunday by Sunday. This book is recommended as it is more difficult to engage our Christianity in a holy huddle and we need unity to navigate as one Church Body.