The Liberative Potential of Creedal Traditions

Abstract

The creedal traditions of the church have often been portrayed in diametrical opposition to its liberation traditions. Considering the history of the creeds, this is not surprising. The first formal ecumenical creeds emerged when the Roman Empire developed its Christian identity. At the same time, however, empires were never able to subdue and subsume Christianity altogether. In this article, the theological surplus of the Nicene Creed will be examined as an example, investigating its imperial pedigree while also demonstrating its anti-imperial potential and the Nicene position’s implications for liberative theological thinking then and now.