CCP165: On the Nicene Creed

Sep 12, 2025

Dr. James Emery White, founding pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church and a prominent theologian, engages in an enlightening discussion with co-host Alexis Drye about the Nicene Creed's significance on its 1700th anniversary. They explore how this ancient document helped unify the early church during rapid growth and the challenge posed by heretical views. Dr. White emphasizes the creed's ongoing relevance for modern congregations, highlighting its role in defining Christian identity and combating misunderstandings in today's cultural landscape.

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INSIGHT

Three Pillars That United Early Church

Early Christians used bishops, shared scriptures, and creeds to maintain unity across vast distances and rapid growth.
Creeds functioned as a concise “dictionary” ensuring consistent interpretation of Christian vocabulary.

INSIGHT

Nicaea's Unmatched Historical Importance

The Council of Nicaea (325) produced the Nicene Creed as a definitive statement to protect orthodoxy.
James Emery White argues it ranks among the most consequential leadership actions in Christian history.

ANECDOTE

Arius' Catchphrase And Nicaea's Response

Arius taught that Jesus was a created being and catchy phraseology like "there was once when he was not" spread his view.
Nicaea decisively rejected Arius and affirmed Jesus as homoousios, one in substance with the Father.

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In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they dive into the Nicene Creed, as this year marks its 1700th anniversary. As the early church absolutely exploded in growth - from about 7,500 followers in A.D. 100 to around 30 million by A.D. 310 - the challenge and question facing them was this: How would they stay united? How would this fast-growing, quickly expanding movement remain unified in vision and values, mission and purpose? The answer became clear, and led to the Nicene Creed being written in A.D. 325 by the Council of Nicaea.

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Modern-day churches are increasingly turning to the words of this ancient creed to ground themselves in the foundations of the Christian faith. In fact, Daniel Silliman recently wrote an article in Christianity Today titled, “How the Nicene Creed Became Cool Again” that you may be interested in reading.

In honor of the Nicene Creed's 1700th anniversary, Dr. White recently kicked off a series at Mecklenburg Community Church titled “Credo,” which is the Latin word for creed. If you're interested in checking out this series, you can find it HERE. It's particularly important in our world today to ground the church in the words of the creed, especially in light of the findings of the most recent “State of Theology” survey showing that culturally, there has been a significant lapse in our understanding of what it means to be a Christian - among Christians. You can find that study HERE.

Finally, if you are interested in doing some additional study about the Nicene Creed, there are a few books that we would recommend on this topic: Mark Noll, Turning Points; Phillip Cary, The Nicene Creed; Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating, The Nicene Creed; and J.N.D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines.

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