2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical Christian council, held from May-July 325 CE. This meeting of bishops discussed issues such as the nature of Jesus’ divinity and humanity, the dating of Easter, and the construction of the first part of the Nicene Creed. It also saw the beginning of early canon law. The council has been seen as a high-water mark of orthodoxy but also as an exercise in silencing and oppressing dissident voices.

The tussle between orthodoxy and inclusion continues today with differences over the role and ordination of women, the inclusion of LGBTQI+ people within the church, ongoing colonisation and racism, sacramental observance, and declining church attendance and membership, at least in the West. The Catholic Church through its Synod on Synodality (which includes Protestant guests) is discovering new forms of conciliarism that draw upon the ancient Ecumenical Councils but also seek to reflect the greater inclusiveness of the contemporary world in fresh ways.

This joint conference will consider the debates that have shaped and continue to shape the church and whether the Council of Nicaea provides a model of ecumenical consensus or of imperial repression. Papers are invited that engage with this theme from a range of perspectives and disciplines, including biblical, historical, systematic and practical theology, biblical studies, or sociology. Papers on current research not related to the conference theme may also be considered

This is a joint conference with the Australasian Centre for Wesleyan Research, the Christian Research Association and ANZATS.