Nicaea as a cornerstone of Christian Ecumenism

2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed! This presentation is planned to mark this milestone. In it I aim to tell the story of Nicaea and defend its status as an ecumenical core of our Christian faith. This status needs defending because, over the past two centuries, two criticisms of the Nicene Creed have come to prominence to such an extent that many see it as tarnished. These criticisms are like ghosts, haunting Nicaea's legacy and preventing it from properly uniting us across denominational boundaries.

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These ghosts are:

Ghost #1: The Emperor's Shadow: Some say the Creed is too tied to the Roman Emperor Constantine, and that this influence and the "sell out" commensurate with it taints the creed.

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Ghost #2: The Greek Philosophy Phantom: Others argue that the Creed is too tangled up in complex Greek philosophy, making it incompatible with the simple, core truths of Christianity.

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These criticisms have chipped away at the Nicene Creed's authority. 

My mission in this presentation to to tell the story of Nicaea while banishing these ghosts. I want to clear away the cobwebs and show you why the Nicene Creed is not just some dusty relic, but a vibrant, powerful statement of faith that deserves to be at the heart of who we are as Christians.