Program / Course 24: Apologetic Practicum / Lesson 6.3
What you will learn
- Separate what your tradition formally teaches from what you personally hold.
- Use the categories of defined doctrine, common teaching, theological opinion and private conviction.
- Speak in a way that does not present your own view as the church’s teaching.
- Recognize where traditions place these lines differently.
The big idea
This lesson belongs to an optional subunit, and every exercise can stay in your notebook. When Christians speak about the faith, a common mistake is to present a personal conviction as if it were the settled teaching of the church. Another is to treat settled teaching as merely opinion. Every tradition distinguishes levels of authority. A person who explains the faith honestly can say which level a statement belongs to: defined teaching, widely held teaching, a respected opinion or a personal conviction. Doing so protects listeners from being misled and protects the speaker from claiming authority that he or she does not have.
Key terms
- Dogma
- In Catholic and Orthodox use, a truth formally defined or received as binding by the church. In ordinary speech, the word is often used loosely for any rigid belief.
- Doctrine
- A teaching of a church. Some doctrines are central and others less so.
- Theological opinion
- A view held by some theologians that the church has not defined, and on which Christians may differ.
- Theologoumenon
- An Orthodox term for a theological opinion that is not binding on the whole church. The plural is theologoumena.
- Adiaphora
- A Greek word for things indifferent, meaning matters on which Christians may differ without breaking fellowship.
- Confession
- A formal statement of the beliefs of a church, such as the Westminster Confession or the Augsburg Confession.
- Private conviction
- A belief a person holds on their own judgment, which may or may not agree with their tradition.
Background
Optional note: this subunit is optional and the program does not ask for any public speech. The distinction taught here is useful to a student who never says a word in public, since it clarifies your own beliefs and how they relate to your tradition.
Christian traditions hold that not all teachings carry the same weight. Early writers distinguished the faith received from the apostles from questions on which Christians might differ. The motto often attributed to Augustine, ‘In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity’, is in fact a later saying whose origin is uncertain, and should be cited with that caution. The idea behind it is old and widespread.
The traditions draw the lines differently. In Catholic teaching, there are infallibly defined dogmas, doctrines taught by the ordinary magisterium that require religious assent and theological opinions that do not bind. Orthodox Christians distinguish what the whole church has received, such as the decisions of the seven ecumenical councils, from private opinions or theologoumena. Protestants distinguish the essentials of the gospel, usually stated in the creeds and confessions, from secondary matters, and different confessions differ about the size of each category. This lesson helps a student ask where a belief stands in their own tradition.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1: Identify the source of a belief
For each belief you hold, ask where it comes from. Is it stated in the Nicene Creed or another creed? In a catechism or confession? In a council of the church? In Scripture on its plain sense? In a respected teacher’s opinion? Or in your own reading and experience? Write down the source.
If you cannot find a source, the belief may be a personal conviction, and that is permissible, but it should be labeled as such.
Step 2: Learn your tradition’s levels
Find out how your own tradition classifies teachings. A Catholic may consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church and ask whether a teaching is defined, taught by the ordinary magisterium or a theological opinion. An Orthodox Christian may ask whether the matter is received by the whole church or is a private opinion. A Protestant may check the confession of their church and ask whether the point is stated as essential.
If you are not part of a tradition, you can still describe the different levels in the traditions you study and avoid collapsing them.
Step 3: Use accurate language
Match your words to the level. For a creedal doctrine: ‘Christians have always confessed that...’ (if true of all traditions) or ‘The Catholic Church teaches...’. For a matter of opinion: ‘Some theologians have held that...’. For your own view: ‘My own view is that...’ or ‘I am inclined to think...’. These small phrases make a large difference.
Avoid ‘the Bible clearly teaches’ for matters on which careful Christians differ. Avoid ‘the church teaches’ for things that are only your reading.
Step 4: Be honest when you disagree with your tradition
Many thoughtful believers disagree with some aspect of their tradition. It is honest to say so, and in many traditions it is a matter to discuss with a pastor, priest or teacher. Do not present your disagreement as the tradition’s teaching, and do not hide the official teaching because you dislike it.
If your disagreement concerns something that your tradition holds to be central, consider seriously what that means for your relation to that tradition. Such questions are best explored with a trusted guide.
Step 5: Respect the limits of your authority
A private student has no authority to define doctrine, and the program claims none for its students. When speaking about the faith, you are a witness and an explainer, not a magisterium. Point to the sources and invite others to consult them.
When asked about something beyond your competence, say so and refer the person to a pastor, priest or reliable book. This is not weakness. It is accuracy.
- Where does this belief come from: creed, council, confession, Scripture, teacher or me?
- Is this a matter on which my tradition allows different views?
- Do my words match the level of authority the belief carries?
- Would a priest, pastor or teacher of my tradition agree with how I described it?
- Am I presenting my preference as the church’s teaching?
- What can I say about this that is true of all traditions, and what only of mine?
Examples
Four levels in one topic
On the resurrection: that Christ rose bodily is confessed in all creeds and by all three traditions (defined teaching). That the empty tomb was discovered by women first is in all four Gospels (a matter of Scripture). Which historical argument is strongest is a matter of scholarly opinion. And what the resurrection body will be like is largely a matter of speculation. A speaker who puts all four at the same level misleads. (Constructed example.)
A personal conviction presented as doctrine
A speaker says, ‘The church teaches that the world was made in six literal days.’ In fact Christian traditions differ widely on how to read Genesis 1, with Catholic and Orthodox teaching not requiring a literal reading and some Protestant groups holding it. The speaker’s view is one among several. A more accurate phrase would be ‘Some Christians, including me, hold...’. (Constructed example.)
Settled teaching treated as opinion
A speaker says, ‘Whether Jesus is God is just one view among many Christian views.’ All three major traditions and the great confessions affirm the divinity of Christ, so describing it as one opinion misstates the situation. (Constructed example.)
Different perspectives
Catholic thought
Catholic teaching recognizes degrees of authority, from infallibly defined dogma to the ordinary magisterium and to opinions of theologians. The faithful owe different kinds of assent to each, and the Catechism and the documents of the councils are the main guides.
Orthodox thought
Orthodox teaching holds that the faith is the mind of the church, expressed in the councils, the fathers and worship, and uses the category of theologoumena for private theological opinions. It is often said that no single person, not even a famed theologian, defines the faith for the whole church.
Protestant thought
Protestants hold the creeds and confessions as subordinate standards under Scripture and differ about their detail. Many distinguish primary doctrines, such as the Trinity and the gospel, from secondary ones, such as baptism and church government, on which fellowship may continue across disagreement.
Scholarly view
Historians of doctrine, such as Jaroslav Pelikan, show that doctrines developed through debate over time, and that the status of a teaching often became clear only after disputes. This helps explain why traditions classify some teachings as firmly settled and others as open.
Why it matters
Listeners trust a speaker who says exactly how sure the church is and how sure he or she is. Mixing the levels leads to quarrels in which opinion is defended as dogma and dogma dismissed as opinion. It can also cause pain, as when a person is told that a private view is required of all Christians. Honesty about levels is a practical form of truthfulness and a protection for the vulnerable.
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: If I cannot find a source for a belief, I must give it up.
Correction: Not necessarily. Private convictions are permitted on many matters. The requirement is to label them honestly.
Misunderstanding: All doctrines are equally important.
Correction: The traditions teach that some doctrines are central and others secondary, though they draw the lines in different places.
Misunderstanding: Saying ‘in my view’ weakens a defense of the faith.
Correction: It strengthens credibility, because the listener can tell when you are reporting the church’s teaching and when you are giving your own.
Misunderstanding: A quotation that circulates as Augustine’s motto on unity must be his.
Correction: The saying ‘In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity’ is not found in Augustine’s works as far as scholars can tell, and is often traced to a seventeenth-century writer. The idea is old, but the attribution is doubtful.
Knowledge check
What is the difference between doctrine and personal conviction?
A doctrine is a teaching of a church or tradition, with some authority behind it. A personal conviction is a belief held on your own judgment, which may or may not agree with the tradition. Honest speech tells which is which, so that listeners are not misled about authority.
What is a theologoumenon?
It is an Orthodox term for a theological opinion that is not binding on the whole church. It may be widely respected, but Orthodox Christians may differ over it. The category is useful as a reminder that not every statement by a famous teacher is the teaching of the church.
How should you phrase a view you hold that goes beyond the settled teaching?
Use phrases that mark it as personal, such as ‘my own view is’ or ‘some theologians have held’. Avoid ‘the church teaches’ or ‘the Bible clearly says’ when they are not true. This keeps your speech accurate and respects listeners who may rely on what you say.
Why do traditions draw the lines differently?
They differ about where authority lies. Catholics look to the magisterium, Orthodox to the whole life of the church and the councils, and Protestants to Scripture and confessions. These starting points produce different ways of classifying teachings and different views of which matters are essential.
Why is the attribution of ‘in essentials unity’ doubtful?
Scholars have not found it in Augustine’s works, and it is generally traced to a seventeenth-century writer. Its idea reflects earlier thought, but quoting it as Augustine’s would be inaccurate. This is an example of checking attributions before using a quotation.
Think it through
- What is one belief you hold that you could not source to your tradition’s teaching?
- Where does your tradition leave you freedom, and where does it not?
- Have you heard someone present a private opinion as the teaching of the church?
- How would you handle a disagreement with your own tradition honestly?
Independent assignment
Mapping my beliefs by level
In your own notebook, write 500 to 700 words. List twelve beliefs you hold about the Christian faith. For each, name the source and place it at one of four levels: defined teaching, common teaching, theological opinion or personal conviction. Write the phrase you would use to state it honestly. Choose two where you were unsure of the level and write what you would do to find out. This is private, and nothing needs to be shared.
Further study
- Council of Nicaea (325) and Council of Constantinople (381), The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed The common creed. Check which of your beliefs are in it.
- Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church For levels of Catholic teaching.
- Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith An example of a Protestant confession that sets out and ranks teachings.
- Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds., The Seven Ecumenical Councils (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2, vol. 14) The councils that Catholic and Orthodox Christians receive and many Protestants honor.
- Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine (5 volumes) On how doctrines developed. Read selectively.
- Romans 14:1 Receive him that is weak in the faith, but not to doubtful disputations.
- Jude 1:3 The faith once delivered unto the saints.