When the Council of Nicea convened 1700 years ago, leaders within the early church were wrestling with some truly intricate, complex, and dense theological concepts in front of them.
On Wednesday, October 29, when LeTourneau University hosts a conference celebrating the Council of Nicea and all that came from it, the focus will be on parsing through those complex and intricate concepts and presenting them in a way that is approachable and can be understood.
“We're trying to present a conference that is really accessible,” Dr. Kelly Liebengood, the Dean of the School of Theology and Vocation, explained. "You don't need a theology degree to understand what we're going to be talking about."
As part of the celebration hosted here at LeTourneau University, things won’t look like most academic gatherings commemorating one of the most pivotal events in the history of the church.
“I would say that most institutions, especially universities that are doing this, are doing this more to kind of more at an academic level where they're trying to get into really kind of technical debates about Trinitarian theology,” Dr. Liebengood said. “So in other words, it's scholars sort of talking to other scholars.”
There won’t be theological debates or presentations aimed exclusively at scholars. Instead, the focus here at LeTourneau is on connecting with the surrounding community, churches within the community, and staff and faculty across campus.
Theological education in an approachable, outreach-centric way in Longview, Texas
“Our conference really is more of an outreach to our campus, especially to our faculty and staff that don't get to sit in our classes, and also to our community and to churches in our community,” Dr. Liebengood continued. “Because it's such an incredibly significant event in the history of the church that most people don't know anything about and yet they live with the impacts every day.”
As for what was discussed at the Council of Nicea? Well, the intricacies of Trinitarian theology.
“So the Bible affirms that there's one God,” Dr. Liebengood emphasized. “The Bible also affirms that Jesus is God and worshiped as God. The early church worshiped Jesus and yet also affirmed that there's only one God. How does that math work out? So we're trying to help explain, you know, how this works.”
Beyond historical understanding, the Trinity makes a very practical impact on the way we think about fundamental questions: why we're here, what creation is for, and what problem Jesus is solving. This theological foundation shapes how we view our place in God's larger story.
“Our heart is to say, understanding God as Father, son and Holy Spirit makes a huge impact on the way we think about everything in life,” Dr. Liebengood continued. “It makes a very practical impact on the way we think about why we're here, what creation is for, what's the problem that Jesus is solving? How does Jesus solve the problem, and how do we live this life that God's called us to? All goes back to God's identity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
An Invitation for Everyone, Especially Newcomers
When asked whether someone new to church should attend, Liebengood becomes even more enthusiastic.
"What the conference is trying to do is link you and your experience to a bigger story than just your story and show you how you fit into this really big story that's been going on for hundreds and hundreds of years."
The presentations will be designed as fast-paced stories. Think TED Talks rather than lecture halls.
"Every talk is going to connect together," Liebengood explains. "There's like a hand-off from one person to the next, and they're handing off the story. We're just telling the story about what happened and why it matters today."
The aim of the conference is connection, outreach, and education. And it all connects back to worship. That is why the conference will be capped off with a time of worship led by LeTourneau University’s Passage Institute band. One key goal of this is to be so captured and delighted by who God is that the only response is to worship him.
This conference isn't designed for theological debate. It is designed to link you and your experience to a bigger story. It will show you how you fit into the story of the gospel, offering an opportunity to refresh and make connections for the impact theology has on our life. Through exploring the Trinity together, we'll discover how this ancient truth transforms the way each of us lives our daily lives.
