Celebrating the Nicene Creed

At AP, the Presbyterian journal, Campbell Markham at Scots’ Church Fremantle begins a four-part series on the Nicene Creed.

“Christians confess their faith in God as He Is.

This year (2025) marks seventeen centuries since the writing of the Nicene Creed which is, with the Apostles’ Creed, one of the two most important extra-biblical documents that the Christian church possesses.

Creed derives from the Latin credo, ‘I believe.’ It is the first word of the Nicene Creed and identifies it as a statement of Christian belief.

In this article I look at the history of the Nicene Creed and why it is critical that Christians confess right belief in Christ. In the following three articles I plan to look in turn at the three main sections of the Nicene Creed, focussing especially on its Christology: its definition of the person and work of Jesus Christ. …”

– So he begins part 1.

And part 2:

“God the Father and the Person of God the Son

I was fifteen when I first saw those creepy life-size models of famous people, hands and faces of painted wax. Too often people handle Jesus Christ as a wax mannequin, to be reshaped and adjusted to suit their own ideas and desires.

Anti-theologian Barbara Thiering taught that Jesus was the natural child of Joseph and Mary and that he did not die on the cross but rather swooned and was revived to consciousness in the tomb.

Sixteen centuries prior the heresiarch Arius taught that Jesus was not the self-existent and eternal Creator of all, but was himself created in time.

There has been no end to this wretched remodelling.

About 300 bishops at the Council of Nicaea in 325 refused to do this. They recognised Jesus as a true and historical person described in the Bible with all the depth and complexity that God wanted us to know and own. …”

The Nicene Creed: The nature of Christian unity and the meaning of gospel words — reviewed by Robert Doyle

“The Nicene Creed: The nature of Christian unity and the meaning of gospel words is a carefully written, informed, and thoughtful examination of basic Roman Catholic beliefs following the implicit and explicit trajectory laid out in the Nicene Creed: the doctrines of the authority of Scripture, Trinity, person and work of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the virgin Mary, salvation, church, and the world to come.

It arises out of the teaching and pastoral ministries of the authors, who all – whether in Italy, France, Belgium, Ireland, Australia or the United States – are involved in proclaiming and explaining to today’s Roman Catholics the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is presented in the Scriptures.

The book is marked by careful attention to sources and fair critical evaluation of them. It is missiological. The intended audience is Bible study groups in Evangelical churches. More widely, its analysis and presentation make it an excellent introduction to contemporary, foundational Roman Catholic beliefs and how the scriptural gospel speaks to them. …”

– Dr Robert Doyle reviews this important book at The Australian Church Record.

Annual Moore College Lectures 2025 — A Biblical Theology of Faith — now available to watch

Earlier this month, Dr. Peter Orr gave the 2025 Annual Moore College Lectures on the theme A Biblical Theology of Faith.

The College has now made video recordings of the lectures and Lectures Outlines available for your instruction and edification.

Lecture 1.
Faith in God’s promises from Genesis to 2 Kings.

Lecture 2.
Faith in God alone in the Prophets and the Psalms.

Lecture 3.
Faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ through Paul’s Letters.

Lecture 4.
Faith in Jesus Christ in the Gospels and Acts.

Lecture 5.
Faith that bears fruit in Hebrews, James, and Revelation.

Firstborn Failure

From Phillip Jensen:

“We return this week to Genesis and chapter 4. It’s a passage that Peter and I should be able to empathetically deal with: Cain and Abel, brothers at war!

Thank you to those who have sent messages of encouragement to us and questions to push our thinking. Please continue to encourage others to subscribe to Two Ways News.”

– Listen at Two Ways News.

Judgement in New Testament — Where justice and mercy meet

From Phillip Jensen:

“One of the great themes of the early chapters of Genesis is the judgement of God.

In our discussions of the New Testament use of the themes of Genesis, we come today to talk of judgement in the New Testament. While it sounds, and is in fact, an unpleasant topic, we will see that it brings us into the heart of the wonderful topic of God’s mercy and love. So I hope you enjoy our discussion on judgement in the New Testament.”

– Hear Phillip and Peter Jensen at Two Ways News.

Sin in the New Testament On being sons (and daughters) of Adam

From Phillip Jensen:

“We come back today to the subject of men and women, though this time not from Genesis, but looking at how the New Testament looks at this topic.”

– Why does a baby cry on hearing the voice of Peter Jensen? This, and other (more important) topics are explored in this week’s Two Ways News podcast.

Marriage in the New Testament

From Phillip Jensen –

“Once again, we are looking at the New Testament’s treatment of Genesis 1-3; this time, on the subject of marriage.

We had several episodes on this topic, but it is so central to the New Testament understanding that we thought it worth spending an episode thinking on it.”

– Hear (or read the transcript of) Peter and Phillip’s conversation at Two Ways News.

When ‘Evangelical’ Means Everything but the Gospel

“For the past 30 years, I’ve pushed back against the critics who’ve said Christians need to abandon the label ‘evangelical.’ I’ve argued that we shouldn’t let political associations or cultural baggage rob us of a word with such rich theological heritage. The term has deep biblical and historical roots that predate and transcend contemporary controversies.

But even I have to admit the label I love has become nearly meaningless in our current American context. …”

– This article by Joe Carter at The Gospel Coalition (USA) is a reminder that what is meant by ‘evangelical’ by many in the USA has very little in common with what J.I. Packer (for example) – and many Sydney Anglicans – would mean.

Among his conclusions,

“Church leaders can either continue to lament theological compromise or take steps to return to the historic Christian faith that actually deserves the name ‘evangelical.’ The choice will determine whether future generations inherit a robust, biblical faith or an empty shell of cultural Christianity that can tell you whom you should vote for but not how many persons are in the Trinity.”

The Global Anglican September 2025

From Church Society:

“In the September edition of The Global Anglican, we commemorate and celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Peter Jensen in his editorial looks at some of the lessons we can learn from the Council.

Mark Smith, in his article, Nicaea Then and Now, The Creed and Council after 1700 years, reflects on the legacy of Nicaea. It looks at the doctrinal debates that prompted the council, the proceedings of the council, and the subsequent reception of the creed at following councils and in Anglican liturgy.

Graeme Goldsworthy in his article, Is the Old Testament Trinitarian? considers the implications of the Trinity for authentic Christianity and, in doing so, addresses the role of the Old Testament in the formation and preservation of Christian truth.

Chase Kuhn then proposes a retrieval of the goodness of God being as the foundation of moral reality. Engagement of historical voices is focused on developments around Nicaea and later theologians.

Also included is our usual array of current book reviews.”

– See this link to subscribe or to purchase single issues.

Men and Women in the New Testament

From Phillip Jensen:

“We come back today to the subject of men and women, though this time not from Genesis, but looking at how the New Testament looks at this topic.”

– Another helpful discussion between Peter and Phillip Jensen – at Two Ways News.

Nicea — Church Society podcast

At the Church Society website:

“1700 years on from the Council of Nicea (325AD), Mark Smith talks to Lee Gatiss about its history, myths, theology and legacy.”

– Listen here.

Are You Really in God’s Image? — The glory to be found in body-building

From Phillip Jensen –

“One of the great statements of the Bible that is most often quoted or alluded to in public Christian debate is the ‘image of God’. But what does it refer to, and to whom does it refer?

In this episode we continue to look at the New Testament understanding of the early chapters of Genesis. And here we find there are more references to the image of God than in the Old Testament. For there is a great surprise in store for those who read Genesis 1.”

– Listen at Two Ways News podcast.

Eyes Wide Open: Using Secular Wisdom to Achieve Ministry Goals

“Recently, I had the joy of spending time with some ministers in an area of Sydney where Anglican churches are growing and thriving. Several of the ministers had participated in church consultations that used an outcomes-oriented framework based on solid gospel convictions and utilising organisational systems theory. The consultations had helped the ministry teams accurately measure their present situation and make concrete plans to achieve goals for reaching the lost. This had already led to substantial gospel growth and had given these ministers renewed optimism and Christ-centred confidence in ministry.

I praise God for this. I believe there should be more of it.

The positive power and potential of frameworks like this leads me to keep sounding a note of warning. I’m not trying to dampen enthusiasm for such frameworks. I’m trying to help make their implementation theologically robust for decades to come. …”

– Lionel Windsor at Moore College provides a stand-alone text and video version of his article in the current Synod edition of The Australian Church Record. You might find it easier to read, or watch or listen.

Do check it out.

The New Testament Creator

From Phillip Jensen:

“Peter and I have had a great time pondering the early chapters of Genesis. But the best commentary and authentic understanding of Genesis is found in the New Testament. So for the next few weeks, we are turning there to see what the New Testament makes of the early chapters of Genesis.”

– Listen here.

Dying Day-to-Day

From Phillip Jensen –

“As we come to the end of Genesis 3, we see the judgement of death brought upon the serpent, the woman, and the man. It is surprising in many ways, for it outlines the character of death while we are, apparently, alive.

We have so limited death to that point of the end of life that we are not understanding our present life under the sentence of death.”

– Hear the latest podcast with Phillip and Peter Jensen at Two Ways News.

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