The Nicene Creed affirms that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father.” However, the Western Church added the filioque clause, “and from the Son,” which led to significant disagreement with the Eastern Church. Specifically, the Eastern Church maintained belief in a procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father only, emphasizing the monarchy of the … Read more
Tragically, the 2,000-year history of the Church is filled with examples of men and women who once held firmly to the truths of Scripture, but over time they began re-interpreting, explaining away, and eventually denying some of the doctrines of Scripture. This drift has drawn many theologians, Bible scholars, and pastors away from creedal Christianity. … Read more
This paper will explore why some evangelicals shift from creedal Christianity which has stood the tests of time to theological liberalism. What are the possible motivations or reasons for this move from biblical doctrine? Throughout all my decades of teaching, I have wrestled with the question of why some evangelicals turn away from biblical truth … Read more
John’s theology of the Logos is often treated as a framing device or part of a source for the so-called “prologue.” That John has no real interest in this identity is supposedly evident in the fact that Jesus is not identified as the Logos elsewhere in the Gospel, where he is the Christ, the uniquely … Read more
It has generally been accepted that the ecumenical creeds as we have them today, are mainly responses to the issues that were debated when they were written. In as much as creeds have nourished faith and undergirded ecclesial worship for centuries, however, they may not deeply present all the most important things that we should … Read more
In this essay, I will investigate how themes of divine justice are woven through the Nicene Creed. This paper will argue that the Creed’s teaching on the Son aligns with the diverse expressions of divine justice in Scripture and contains important implications for how we consider the justice of our triune God in se and … Read more
The Nicene Creed is more than a doctrinal statement—it is a declaration of allegiance to Christ’s reign. In a world of shifting beliefs, it anchors Christians in the unchanging reality of God’s kingdom, shaping how we follow Christ, live in His church, and engage the world. Kingdom Discipleship: Living Under Christ’s Rule Christianity is not … Read more
The rapid emergence of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT has prompted a wave of interest among Christian leaders, theologians, and ministry workers. Some have focused on AI’s existential and long-term implications; others on immediate applications, tools, and prompting techniques. Between these extremes lies a pressing theological and practical need: a framework for how ministry … Read more
What hath Northampton to do with Nicaea? This paper examines kingdom and monarchical language in the sermon set A History of the Work of Redemption by Jonathan Edwards and compares such language’s resonance with the theological constructs affirmed by the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (381). The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed affirms, “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten … Read more
My concern it with the arguments from Scripture that led to this widespread and long-lasting agreement with the second version of the Nicene Creed. To my knowledge, the subsequent Christian literature has not presented a comprehensive distillation of the biblical basis on which the Church Fathers persuaded their rivals and formulated the Nicene Creed, so … Read more