Our Church Speaks Bonus Episode - Myths about the Council of Nicaea (thanks to the Church History for Chumps podcast)
Feb 16, 2026
Ben Lansing, an artist and church-history communicator who creates portraits and teaching resources, joins to correct myths about the Council of Nicaea. He explains what Nicaea actually debated, why Constantine’s role is often overstated, and how early Christians treated scripture long before the council. Short, clear takes on popular misinformation and how to read primary sources for yourself.
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Episode notes
Our Church Speaks Calendar Helps Track Feasts
- Ben describes creating the Our Church Speaks calendar featuring six saint portraits per month to track liturgical feasts and fasts.
- He designed it to help people unfamiliar with the liturgical year locate Pentecost, Ascension, and feast days.
Doctrine Shapes Emotional Relationship With God
- How we speak about God has emotional and relational impact; doctrinal error harms intimacy with God, not just intellectual correctness.
- John Simon highlights that correcting heresy restores the beauty and relational healing of right doctrine.
Nicaea Focused On Christology Not The Canon
- The Council of Nicaea did not decide the biblical canon; it addressed how Scripture described Christ’s nature amid Arian controversy.
- Ben Lansing points out popular claims (TikTok, Dawkins) wrongly claim Nicaea chose Bible books, but primary sources show otherwise.
