On October 3 and 4, 2025, Redeemer University will be hosting Defending Christ: Celebrating 1700 Years of Nicaea, an academic conference on the history and legacy of the Council of Nicaea. The conference is being organized by Redeemer University’s Albert M. Wolters Centre for Christian Scholarship in partnership with the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, the Reformed House of Studies at Wycliffe College, the Evangelical Theological Society Ontario and Quebec regional meeting and the Centre for Patristics and Early Christianity at McMaster Divinity College.
In 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea produced what would in time be known as the Nicene Creed. The creed is a significant document in church history and re-affirmed the important truth that Christ is “one in being” with God the Father. This conference will bring together scholars, students, pastors and community members for a rich time of learning and a celebration of this central confession of the Christian faith.
Director of the Wolters Centre and associate professor of religion and theology Dr. Jessica Joustra is excited by how this conference builds on the centre’s work of creating space for exploring Redeemer’s rich theological roots.
“The Wolters Centre exists to think about the Reformed tradition—to apply it, to excavate it and to partner together to build it. This celebration of the Council of Nicaea invites us to consider a central confession of the Christian faith: Christ is one in being with the Father! We are thrilled to host students, academics, pastors and community members as we, together, dive into this foundational text of the Christian tradition and do the good work of excavating, applying and building.”
We are thrilled to host students, academics, pastors and community members as we, together, dive into this foundational text of the Christian tradition and do the good work of excavating, applying and building.
The two-day conference includes five plenary sessions, two paper sessions and a panel discussion sponsored by The Reid Trust, “Does Nicaea Matter Here and Now?” The three main plenary speakers are: Dr. Stanley E. Porter, president and dean, professor of New Testament and holder of the Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview at McMaster Divinity College; Dr. Stefana Dan Laing, associate professor of divinity and theological librarian at Beeson Divinity School; and Dr. Megan DeVore, professor of church history and Early Christian studies at Colorado Christian University. On Saturday, DeVore’s evening lecture, Proclaiming Christ: Second to Fourth Century Christian Art, will be free and open to the public. This lecture is also part of Redeemer’s Wolters Centre Lecture series, hosted by Wolters Centre faculty fellows.
Joustra sees this conference as a way to both consider the Reformed tradition’s “small c” catholicity and build ecumenical bridges.
“This is one of the perils of modern Christianity—we can see ourselves adrift from the ancient mooring of the Christian tradition. And this especially happens within Protestantism. Sometimes, when we trace our roots, we might trace them back to the Reformers, and then go to the Bible, but … Calvin quotes ecumenical creeds and confessions. He quotes church fathers, and he sees himself as deeply rooted.”
Dr. Ben Faber, associate professor of English, will be one of the paper presenters at the conference, speaking on “Andrew Marvell, Nicaea, and Religious Toleration in England, 1670-1680,” exploring an example of 17th-century English satire on the Council of Nicaea. Faber hopes the conference will help renew interest in ecumenical creeds and, amidst church disagreements, serve as an important reminder of what brings Christians together. He also desires that “Redeemer students will be inspired to think and write boldly as they see these biblical scholars, theologians and historians in action.”
Dr. Michael Haykin, distinguished sessional professor of history and executive director of conference partner Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, hopes the conference will be a time of both renewed faith and genuine fellowship. He is most looking forward to “the privilege of reflecting upon the heart of the Christian faith, namely, that the God who has revealed himself in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is a triune God: Father, Son and Spirit.” Haykin will be moderating Saturday’s panel discussion.
In this particular time, in this particular place, with the challenges that life in Canada in the 21st century brings, we’re doing the good work of generational calling from one to the next about how good our God is and who Christ is.
For Joustra, this conference is a way of living out Psalm 145:4: “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”
“In this particular time, in this particular place, with the challenges that life in Canada in the 21st century brings, we’re doing the good work of generational calling from one to the next about how good our God is and who Christ is,” says Joustra.
As well, this conference is an acknowledgement that Christians stand united with one another throughout history.
“We are saying the same words that people have said for hundreds, for thousands of years. For 1,700 years, we have professed these very words … There’s something we can take for granted.”
The cost of the full conference is $90 for general attendees and $50 for students, though a limited number of registration and travel scholarships are available thanks to the generosity of The Reid Trust. Saturday-only tickets are $60 for general attendees and $35 for students. Registration is now available and closes September 17, 2025.