Last year marked the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical Council of Nicaea, a pivotal moment in the history of the Christian Church. The ecumenical council, which gathered Christian leaders from across the regions, cultures, and languages, was a defining event in the development of the Christian faith. At the council, these leaders worked to articulate the church’s core beliefs, codifying them into a creedal form for public affirmation of the Christian faith in worship and education. In this study, we will learn and discuss the relations between Jesus the Son and God the Father and the expression of the Trinity. We will discuss some lingering issues, such as inclusion of marginalized voices, the filioque (“who proceeds from the Father and the Son”) clause which was added by the Latin church in opposition by the Orthodox church that resulted in the split between West and East – a breech that has yet to be healed), and the role of faith in the context of empire, the role of the secular state in church affairs, the use of gendered language to name God, among other concerns. The Council of Nicaea represents a visible sign of Christian unity, but true unity does not necessitate conformity. Rather, it encourages exploring new perspectives on the complex matters, asking questions, listening to one another, and discerning new meanings together in our world plagued by division and hatred.
Beginning October 11 through December 27 on Sunday’s at 9:00 AM in the Wilkinson Center.
