The 1700th anniversary of the council and its creed is an opportune moment for current and future church and ministry leaders to re-visit the council again, both to teach through a creed that is (or ought to be) confessed weekly in their churches, and to familiarize oneself anew with the philosophical and theological concepts upon which the debate was decided (and, if it fits your budget and schedule, participating in an organized trip to the places where the Council took place).
In the second century, Irenaeus argued against the Gnostics that Christian maturity is not a matter of moving from belief in a public, popular teaching to belief in a secret, elite teaching that was in conflict with the popular teaching. Training in Christianity is not being baptized into esotericism. Christian maturity comes instead from inquiring more deeply into the meanings of what is taught at the most elementary levels to Christians everywhere. In this sense, the Nicene Creed is both a brief summation of Christian belief, suitable for children in Sunday Schools, and the touchstone of lifelong study.
Read Full Article »