An oft quoted dictum in theology states, “In the essentials unity, in the non-essentials liberty, in everything charity.” As with most oft quoted dictums, it is simple to say, but difficult to apply. For most believers, getting a sense of exactly what is essential and what is not essential is about as easy as fitting the proverbial camel through the eye of a needle. Christian leaders have an unfortunate tendency to blur the distinction between the essentials and the non-essentials.
It took me years of growing in Christ before I was able to understand that someone’s view on the end times was not the central and defining feature of their Christianity. In my childhood church, a pretribulational premillenial eschatology was an absolute essential. It also took me years to accept that Arminians are Christians too. In that same church, Calvinist predestination was taught as the only legitimate form of Christianity. I had similar experiences with baptism, Bible translation, women in ministry, alcohol consumption, and other issues. These non-essentials were treated like essentials.
So what is the answer? How do we discern those things upon which we must have unity from those things in which we have liberty?
In my opinion the answer here is two-fold: 1) We look to our great tradition to see what has been held everywhere and always by those who call themselves Christian. 2) We dialogue about our differences on the non-essentials so that we can understand the legitimate variety that exists within the body of Christ. At first glance it may seem strange that we would not simply look to the Bible for the essentials. The difficulty with this is that the Bible assumes certain things about God which the creeds have effectively synthesized. So although it does not explicitly state the doctrine of the Trinity, the dual natures of Christ, etc… these doctrines are present in the Bible and are essential for identifying Him against counterfeits. Recall, the Bible has been used by genuine believers and heretics alike to prove disparate positions. The Bible must be interpreted.
First, I believe we look to the great tradition for the things we must hold in common. In particular, we should look to the creeds and decisions of the 7 ecumenical councils. In our work, we use the Nicene Creed in particular.
Second, I believe we need to listen to each other. We need to hear sincere Christ-loving believers say, “I do not agree with you about this or that.” I believe that this process is the best way to open our eyes to places where we have turned non-essentials into essentials. My blog, Christian Matters of Taste, is designed to facilitate this kind of discussion.
Discussion Questions: 1) What do you see as the absolute essentials of the Christian faith? 2) What non-essentials have you seen turned into essentials?
Ryan is a friend of Bern’s from seminary. He is the husband of Amber, and the father of Ben. Ryan trains leaders for inner-city churches. He is also helping plant a church, Christ the Victor, in the inner-city of Wichita, KS. You can read more from Ryan at his blog: Christian Matters of Taste.
