The Nicene Creed is part of the profession of faith required of those undertaking important functions within the Orthodox and Catholic[4][5] Churches. Nicene Christianity regards Jesus as divine and "begotten of the Father".[6] Various conflicting theological views existed before the fourth century and these spurred the ecumenical councils which eventually developed the Nicene Creed, and various non-Nicene beliefs have emerged and re-emerged since the fourth century, all of which are considered heresies[7] by adherents of Nicene Christianity.
^Cone, Steven D.; Rea, Robert F. (2019). A Global Church History: The Great Tradition through Cultures, Continents and Centuries. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. lxxx. ISBN978-0-567-67305-3.
^World Encyclopaedia of Interfaith Studies: World religions. Jnanada Prakashan. 2009. ISBN978-81-7139-280-3. In the most common sense, "mainstream" refers to Nicene Christianity, or rather the traditions which continue to claim adherence to the Nicene Creed.