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The Spiritual Theology of the Nicene Creed

Debates surround the relationship between doctrine and experience. Some scholars, such as Sandra Schneiders, hold that experience produces doctrine and not vice versa. As a result, these scholars argue that the study of spirituality should prioritize experience over doctrine and be autonomous from the study of theology. Other scholars, such as Alister McGrath and Simon Chan, hold theology and experience to a much closer relationship, viewing doctrine as something which should guide one’s spiritual experiences. The difficulty with Schneiders’ position is that, even if experience did initially produce doctrine—namely, the experiences of the apostles and eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and ministry—once doctrine has been established, it then becomes authoritative over subsequent experiences. When approached from this perspective, the creeds of the early church are not solely doctrinal statements, they are also statements pertaining to Christian spirituality. With this perspective in mind, I argue that the Nicene Creed contains within it the outlines of a spiritual theology that can be used to delimit orthodox spirituality. Spiritual theology is a sub-discipline of systematic theology, and the main questions of spiritual theology deal with the goal of the spiritual life and the nature and means of progressing toward that goal. In this paper, I will draw out the spiritual implications of the Nicene Creed, demonstrating that the Nicene Creed contains answers to the main questions of spiritual theology. In doing so, I will elucidate the boundaries of orthodox spirituality and clarify the way in which the creedal theology of the early church should continue to guide the spiritual lives of Christians today.

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Recent Publications

The Spirit and Renewal (Part 1): Definitive & Progressive Sanctification - Sherif Fahim

'New Creation' in Paul - Sherif Fahim

Justification, Sanctification, and Union with Christ: Fresh Insights from Calvin, Westminster, and Walter Marshall - Sherif Fahim

Death in Second-Century Christian Thought The Meaning of Death in Earliest Christianity - Jeremiah Mutie

The Quest for Early Church Historiography From Ferdinand C. Baur to Bart D. Ehrman and Beyond - Jeremiah Mutie

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Early Witnesses to the Syriac Text of Acts 15 with an Investigation into the Text of Acts 15 in the Didascalia Apostolorum and with and Appendix on the Western/Jacobite Peshitta Manuscript Tradition for Acts - Daniel McConaughy

The Star and the Magi in Jacob of Serugh and the Early Syriac Tradition - Daniel McConaughy

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