ST. LOUIS (August 20, 2025)—This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed, a summary of Christian faith, has been a fixture in the church for centuries and is still being recited in worship to this day. In his new eight-session Bible study, Worshiped and Glorified: A Study of the Nicene Creed, Rev. Timothy J. Winterstein shares why Christians have needed (and still need) the Nicene Creed and examines each phrase’s historical background, purpose, and scriptural foundation. This Bible study is available on the Concordia Publishing House website now.
“The Nicene Creed does not take the place of the Scriptures, but it acts as sort of a framework that we can lay out as we read the Scriptures . . . ,” Winterstein writes. “In this way, the creeds act similarly to how the Small Catechism and the Book of Concord act: They bind us to the Scriptures and drive us back to them again and again, because the God whose story the creeds summarize is the God whose Scriptures testify to the Word made flesh, Jesus, whom we continue to worship and adore.”
Each session in the study closes with insightful questions that will get readers and their study group thinking deeply about what God reveals about Himself in Jesus—and what it means to confess faith in Him together. This study also includes a leader guide for each session with key takeaways, an opening prayer or hymn, answers to discussion questions, suggested academic readings for further topical exploration, additional information, and bonus questions.
“The Creed, says Winterstein, ‘is a map to the Word of God,’” says Patrick James Bayens, professor of theology at Concordia University Chicago and author of The Nicene Creed: Illustrated for Families. “Pastor Winterstein has given us a simple—but by no means simplistic—viewing of that map. Here is an excellent tool for studying and confessing the Nicene Creed afresh.”
Visit cph.org for more information about the book. Contact Erica Sontag to schedule an interview with the author.
Praise for Worshiped and Glorified
The Creed, says Winterstein, “is a map to the Word of God.” Why do we need a map? Because the Scriptures require interpretation. It’s not you and your Bible, you and your private understanding. The creeds “drive us back” to the apostolic preaching of the faith. They help us “walk the tightrope” when we don’t know how to articulate what we believe or how to talk about God with others—so that we can confess even that which we do not understand. Pastor Winterstein has given us a simple—but by no means simplistic—viewing of that map. Here is an excellent tool for studying and confessing the Nicene Creed afresh.
—Patrick James Bayens, professor of theology at Concordia University Chicago and author of The Nicene Creed: Illustrated for Families
Worshiped and Glorified puts the oft recited Nicene Creed into its historical context, illuminating the ancient controversies and questions that led to the formation of this Creed and making it relevant to common misconceptions or misunderstandings today. Most importantly, Pastor Winterstein ties each phrase of the Nicene Creed to the Scriptures, pointing the leader and students back to the essential truths of the Gospel for us.
—Emily Belvery, mobilization and church partnerships at Mission of Christ Network and author of Together We Believe: A Study of the Apostles’ Creed
About the Author
Timothy Winterstein is the pastor of University Lutheran Church on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He is married to Tennille and they have four children: Lucia, Jonas, Salem, and Cyrus. He is pursuing a PhD in theology and culture at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. With his brother Jay, he hosts a film and theology podcast at saintsandcinema.com.
