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Dear Reader,
Was the Council of Nicaea a power grab by the dominant political party? Is the Nicene Creed a collection of extrabiblical philosophical ideas?
Those are some of the questions that many Christians are asking, especially as 19th-century modernist arguments about the origins of orthodoxy continue to circulate on the internet. As we help other believers resist the constant drip of doubt from their social media algorithms, we need to keep telling faithful Christians the true story of Nicaea.
Many Christians acknowledged the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed last year. That anniversary brought with it a whole host of conferences, podcasts, articles, and even books pointing people toward the importance of that monumental theological statement.
I read many books on the Nicene Creed as I prepared to teach a class on it in my local church. Six of those recently published books stood out as especially helpful, both for my teaching and for the participants in my class.
Those volumes helped me explain that Nicaea wasn’t a power grab; it was only by God’s providence that a faithful articulation of the doctrine of the Trinity won the day. And though the Nicene Creed uses some philosophical concepts, the majority of the text is drawn directly from Scripture.
As we enter 2026, there may be less content produced about the Council of Nicaea and the creed that resulted. However, it’s never been more important for faithful Christians “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). These books can help.
Happy Reading!
Andrew Spencer
Associate Editor
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New from TGC
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Book Review
Andrew Spencer
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“Though Scripture alone is the supreme authority for our faith and practice, the Nicene Creed provides a faithful summary of the biblical contents on the doctrines it addresses. False religions often borrow Christian terminology but provide their own dictionary. The Nicene Creed anchors Christian terms to the specific definitions that distinguish the doctrines of the Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses from the historical Christian faith.” Read the review.
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Book Review
Andrew Spencer
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“Scripture is like a tapestry. Each passage has striking details that interconnect with other passages and highlight God's glory and goodness. When you follow themes through Scripture's narrative, it becomes clear that, though there are many human authors, one God inspires the entire pattern. The whole Bible, viewed from a distance, combines all those threads in a jaw-dropping splendor that can't be completely understood in one human lifetime. Biblical theology is intended to help us see and appreciate the tapestry of Scripture.” Read the review.
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Book Review
Kevin DeYoung
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Book Review
Patrick Reeder
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Links for the Reading Life
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Tim Challies, “The Collected Best Books of 2025” (Challies.com)
“I probably don’t need to tell you how much I love books in general, and Christian books in particular. One of my favorite times to be a reader is in mid-December when people begin to share their picks for the top books of the year. I collect all of the lists written by sites or organizations I already follow, then scour them to see if there is any consensus. I have done that over the past few weeks and am ready to share the results.”
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Deanna Rogers, “How a Christian Worldview Animates Jane Austen’s Fiction” (The Gospel Coalition)
“A quarter millennium after Austen’s birth, as her popularity continues to increase, demands for her novels and the enormous cottage industry of spin-offs eclipse almost any other British author. Yet for Christians, there’s more to celebrate than literary excellence and cultural nostalgia; we also have the opportunity to celebrate a life of faith well lived.”
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Stephen Stallard, “What I Learned from a Year with Lesslie Newbigin” (The Gospel Coalition)
“Newbigin’s writings can still motivate and inspire us because the throughline of all his works was the gospel. He was a humble and confident witness who consistently pointed to Jesus over the course of a ministry that spanned six decades. I’m glad I spent the last year reading most of his works.”
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Joel Miller, “Top 10 and More: The Best Books I Read in 2025” (Miller’s Book Review)
“Ranking my top ten is both easy and not. I know Nos. 1–3 for certain. The rest pose challenges, and rank probably doesn’t much matter. They could slosh around in positions 4–10 without much to anchor them to any one spot on the list; they’re all phenomenal in their way.”
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Sophia Nguyen, “How a Nearly 70-Year-Old Debut Novelist Published 2025’s Breakout Hit” (The Washington Post)
“Last spring, word started to percolate in the publishing industry about ‘the white book’ — a self-published novel with a stark, bright cover that was fast becoming one of the biggest sellers of the year. No one knew exactly how. Theo of Golden had limited distribution, and virtually no publicity or marketing campaign. Its author, Allen Levi, lived alone on 1,600 acres of family land — mostly pine trees — in Georgia, where he kept honeybees and a blog, and posted homespun music videos. That was about the extent of his social media footprint. ‘I’m writing a book, and it’s making me crazy,’ Levi, 69, sang in one clip. ‘I’m writing a book, and I’m losing my mind.’”
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“$2.99 Ebooks and Audiobooks from TGC” (Crossway.org)
Book lovers who like ebooks and audiobooks will benefit from this ongoing sale for Crossway+ members. All of TGC’s titles are on sale until January 8th.
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The Gospel Coalition
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