Rev Dr Rod Benson, General Secretary, NSW Ecumenical CouncilFifth Theology Symposium: Nicaea at 1700: A Council for the Ages?St Andrew’s College, Redfern, Sydney, 23 August 2025 Introduction In 1914, Princeton theologian Archibald B. D. Alexander claimed that ethics was the crown of theology which “ought to be the end of all previous study.” He lamented a …
Should churches enforce conformity to creeds?
I have written elsewhere on the danger of dogma. Here, I want to explore the potential weaknesses of (over)reliance on Christian creeds and confessions in the life of the church. Recently, in an unprecedented move, a group of American theologians and pastors within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) moved to amend their denomination’s confessional statement, “The …
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Church traditions and the creeds (1)
Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury and chief architect of the Anglican formularies. Real or imagined crises are often the catalyst for the formulation, promulgation and revision of creeds and confessions. During the brief period during which the New Testament writings were being composed, a “trinitarian” confessional pattern emerged that shaped later credal formularies. …
What is a creed?
The second in a series of posts about religious creeds and confessions. A creed is a short formal statement expressing religious truth. The English word “creed” derives from the Latin credo, “I believe.” This implies both assent to concepts and trust or reliance upon the implications of such concepts. A creed, therefore, is firstly a personal confession of faith, and a personal …
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