By Martin Hoegger*
During the Sixteenth Conference of the Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network, Thessaloniki, 17-20 September 2025, in which I participated, several Protestant theologians explored the question of the relevance of the Council of Nicaea and the future of creeds and councils.
The Council of Nicaea: a source of inspiration for unity
The English Reformed theologian Susan Durber, President for Europe of the World Council of Churches, recalled the fundamental goal of the WCC: ‘that churches call each other to visible unity’. From this perspective, can we rediscover the importance of the Council of Nicaea and in particular its creed as a tangible sign of unity?
Today, unity often inspires fear. Many fear that it is synonymous with uniformity, and therefore oppression. Yet Christian unity is at the heart of our faith: it is a real communion, rooted in the Trinity, which does not reduce differences but embraces them in love.
Durber emphasised that, from the beginning, Christianity has been marked by a plurality of voices on Jesus – the four Gospels bear witness to this. But this diversity is part of a deeper unity: the unity of God, the unity of the Trinity, and the unity of Christ, true God and true man, full of compassion.
Thus, the Council of Nicaea bears witness to a search for the heart of God. It reminds us that the division of the Churches is a scandal and that Christian unity cannot remain theoretical: it must be visible and incarnate. The creed itself is not a legal text, but a doxological and poetic confession that expresses the faith of the Church.
A creed necessary for unity
Pastor Sotiris Boukis (Evangelical Reformed Church of Greece, member of the Faith and Order Commission) emphasised the indispensable role of the creed for ecclesial communion. In the modest context of his Church – only a few communities in Thessaloniki – he recalled that Nicaea encourages us to seek unity without delay: “the world needs examples of communities living in peace and unity”.
Diversity is not an obstacle when it is embraced in love. As in a family, what holds us together is not agreement on everything, but what unites us at a deeper level. The creed, with its 144 words, provides a simple and communicable common basis. ‘The perfect format for social media.’ Without a creed, unity becomes impossible.
S. Boukis also recalled that the Nicene Creed exists in two forms, the ‘we believe’ and the ‘I believe’. Faith is both personal and communal, just as love, when lived in private, becomes tenderness, and in public, justice.
Finally, he shared the story of his family, refugees from Asia Minor: ‘We see Christ in refugees and want to be Christ to them.’ This testimony illustrates how great the challenge of compassion is, that only a united Church can respond to it, beyond the categories of “liberal” or ‘conservative.’
The continuing value of the creed
In his presentation entitled ‘The continuing relative value of the classical Christology of the Creed: a test for Christian unity in the theological formulations of Christianity,’ Finnish theologian Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (Fuller Theological Seminary, USA) showed that the creed is not a closed definition, but a horizon and a perspective.
It sets boundaries – the regula fidei – which opens up an ever deeper understanding of the mystery of Christ. Christological dogma does not exhaust the mystery, but remains a metaphor for it.
Kärkkäinen, however, pointed out the shortcomings of the Nicene Creed. It says almost nothing about the concrete humanity of Jesus: his ministry of healing, his closeness to the poor, his struggle against evil. Jürgen Moltmann pointed out that only a comma separates ‘he became man’ from ‘he suffered under Pontius Pilate,’ leaving out Christ’s entire public life.
Yet Jesus, the ‘true man,’ teaches us essential dimensions of existence: taking rest, accepting our limitations, living in relationship with others. The dogma therefore has very practical implications. Nicaea did not say everything, but it said the essential, providing a sufficient basis for the Church’s confession of faith.
An ecumenical council in post-Christianity?
Finally, Charles Shaw (Advent Lutheran Church, USA) asked a deliberately provocative question: ‘Convene an ecumenical council in post-Christianity?’
Such a council would immediately raise the question of authority: who would convene it? Which churches would have a say? What criteria would be used to decide what constitutes authority?
The question of ecclesial convergence with the Roman Catholic Church would have to be addressed: do the churches that emerged from the Reformation possess sufficient elements of the Church to be recognised as full partners?
Shaw proposed revisiting the Nicene model of ‘synodality,’ that ‘walking together’ which allowed differences to be discussed within a common framework.
He also highlighted the burning issues that a future council could not avoid: the ordination of women, priestly marriage, and sexual identity.
In conclusion, he recalled the words of Pope Leo XIV in his first homily:
‘I would like our first great desire to be that of a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.’ “
Conclusion
These contributions from Protestant theologians show that the Council of Nicaea does not belong solely to the past. Its legacy remains alive, both for the unity of faith and for communion between Churches. The creed remains an indispensable point of reference, not as a dogmatic enclosure, but as an open horizon that calls for both fidelity and creativity.
In a fragmented world, riven by social, cultural and religious divisions, it reminds us that Christian unity cannot be reduced to a simple ecumenical movement: it is rooted in the heart of God himself, in the love of the Trinity.
The future of creeds and councils is therefore being played out on two levels:
- confessing together the faith received from the Scriptures and the Fathers, making it intelligible for today,
- daring to create new synodal spaces where the Churches can discern, together, how to bear witness to Christ in a world that is deeply divided but seeking reconciliation.
The Council of Nicaea remains a compass. It reminds us that the visible unity of the Church is not a secondary option, but an essential sign of the Gospel, capable of opening paths of hope for the Church and for the world.
*Martin Hoegger is a Swiss protestant Theologian
Photo : First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325), fresco
