Telling a firm conviction from an open question

Program / Course 25: Theological Synthesis / Lesson 5.3

What you will learn

• Describe a graded scale of theological claims, from the core of the faith to personal opinion.
• Explain the idea of primary and secondary doctrines and how traditions draw the line.
• Use criteria to place a given belief on the scale.
• Practice holding some beliefs firmly and others loosely without confusion.

The big idea

Not every belief deserves the same grip. Some, such as the resurrection of Christ, stand at the center of the faith and are held by nearly all Christians. Others, such as the details of the end times or the proper form of baptism, are held with conviction by some traditions and are disputed among others. Others are only personal opinion. Learning to sort beliefs into such levels guards against two errors: treating every opinion as essential, and treating everything as optional.

Key terms

Essentials

Beliefs thought necessary to the Christian faith, usually those stated in the early creeds.

Adiaphora

A Greek word for things indifferent: matters on which Christians may differ without breaking fellowship.

Dogma

A doctrine formally defined and taught by a church as part of the faith.

Confession

A formal statement of the beliefs of a church, such as the Augsburg Confession or the Westminster Confession.

Theological opinion

A view held by a theologian or school but not defined as required teaching.

Hierarchy of truths

A Catholic idea that the truths of faith are not all equally close to the center, as they relate differently to the foundation of the faith.

Confidence

The degree of certainty a person has in a belief, which should match the strength of the evidence and reasons.

Background

The early church drew lines. Paul speaks of what he handed on as of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:3), and in Romans 14 he urges the strong and the weak to accept each other over disputes about food and days. Augustine is often credited with the saying, in essentials unity, in doubtful things liberty, in all things charity, though scholars think he did not say it and that it comes from a seventeenth-century writer. The sentiment, however, has long been widely admired.

The difficulty is where to draw the line. Churches have drawn it differently, and the lines are part of what separates them. This lesson does not tell the student where to draw the line. It offers criteria and a scale that can help a student explain where they place each belief and why.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: A scale of five levels

One useful scale has five levels. Level one: the core, stated in the creeds and accepted by nearly all Christians, such as that God is Trinity, that Christ is God and man, and that he died and rose. Level two: doctrines taught firmly by a major tradition, such as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (Catholic, Orthodox and some Protestant views) or justification by faith alone (Protestant). Level three: positions held by a school or movement within a tradition, such as the form of the end times. Level four: arguments that are open among scholars, such as the authorship of a biblical book. Level five: personal opinion or speculation.

Different people may place some beliefs differently, and the scale is a tool for thinking, not a rule.

Step 2: Criteria for placing a belief

Several questions help. How clearly does Scripture teach it? How widely and how long has it been held across the church? Is it in the creeds or in the confessions of the major traditions? How much depends on it? What do reasons and evidence say? What would be lost if it were denied?

A belief that is clearly taught in Scripture, held by the church in all ages and bearing the weight of other doctrines belongs near the center. A belief that depends on a contested reading, was held only by some and carries little weight belongs near the edge.

Step 3: How traditions draw the line differently

The Catholic Church holds that the dogmas defined by councils and popes are binding on all, and speaks of a hierarchy of truths. The Orthodox Church holds that the faith defined by the seven councils is binding, and often distinguishes dogma from theological opinion, and does not accept later Western definitions. Many Protestants distinguish essentials, usually the creeds, from non-essentials, and Lutheran and Reformed churches add confessions that define their own teaching.

This means that one person’s essential may be another’s open question. For example, the Catholic dogma on the papacy is, for Protestants and Orthodox, a disputed teaching. A fair student notes this and does not treat their own tradition’s line as the universal line.

Step 4: Hold each level appropriately

A belief at the core can be held firmly and be defended, while remaining ready to give reasons. A belief at the second level can be held firmly as part of one’s tradition, with the awareness that other Christians differ. A belief at the third or fourth level should be held loosely, with room for correction. Level five opinions should be marked as such and not preached as doctrine.

It is a sign of maturity to be able to say, I hold this firmly, I lean toward that, and about this other thing I do not know.

Step 5: Beware of two errors

The first error is to treat secondary matters as essential, which leads to needless division and sometimes to cruelty. The second is to treat everything as optional, which empties the faith of content and ignores that Scripture itself commands holding fast to what is true (Jude 3). A third caution is not to let comfort decide the level. Beliefs can be placed too low because they are inconvenient, or too high because they are cherished.

1. Which of my beliefs would I place at the core, and why?
2. Which of my beliefs belong to my tradition but are disputed by other Christians?
3. Do I treat any secondary matter as if it were essential?
4. Do I treat any essential matter as if it were optional?
5. How would a member of another tradition judge the placement of my beliefs?
6. What is my confidence in each belief, and does it match the evidence?

Examples

Different perspectives

Catholic

The Catholic Church distinguishes defined dogma, which must be believed, from other teaching that deserves respect and from theological opinion. The Catechism speaks of a hierarchy of truths, with the mystery of the Trinity at the center. The church also distinguishes the substance of the faith from its changeable expressions.

Orthodox

Orthodox Christians distinguish dogma, defined by the councils, from theologoumena, opinions of respected teachers that are not binding. They stress that the dogmas protect the experience of the faith and are not a list of items to be memorized. Practice such as fasting and liturgy are treated with great seriousness as well.

Protestant

Protestants often speak of essentials and non-essentials, and confessions of faith spell out what a church holds. Some, such as Anabaptists and many Baptists, stress the believer’s conscience and are cautious about binding creeds. Lutheran confessions use the term adiaphora for matters of ceremony left to freedom. Others, such as Reformed churches, treat their confessions as binding on office-bearers.

Secular and scholarly views

Sociologists note that every group distinguishes core and periphery, and that disagreements about where to place the boundary often cause schisms. Philosophers of belief observe that rational confidence should vary with evidence. Some critics say that Christian groups use the distinction selectively, calling what they hold essential and what others hold optional.

Why it matters

A worldview with no levels cannot be examined, because everything in it seems equally risky or equally safe. Sorting beliefs allows a student to say what would be lost if a belief were wrong. It also shapes the way a person speaks to others: firmly where firmness is due, humbly where it is not. The audit in the next lesson depends on this scale.

Common misunderstandings

Knowledge check

Think it through

1. Which belief of yours might you have placed too high, and why?
2. Which belief might you have placed too low?
3. How do you speak to someone whose beliefs differ from yours on a level three matter?

Independent assignment

A scale of my beliefs

In your own notebook, list at least twelve of your beliefs (about God, Christ, Scripture, the church, ethics, the last things). Place each on the five-level scale and write one sentence of reasons for each placement. Circle two where you are least sure of the placement. Write 200 words on what would change your mind about each of the two.

Further study

• Council of Nicaea (325) and Council of Constantinople (381), The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed A statement of the common core.
• Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, vol. 2: The Greek and Latin Creeds Compare the shorter creeds.
• Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, vol. 3: The Creeds of the Evangelical Protestant Churches Compare the Protestant confessions.
• Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church See the discussion of the hierarchy of truths.
• C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Lewis writes about the common core of Christianity.
• Romans 14:1 Receive the one who is weak in faith.
• 1 Corinthians 15:3 Of first importance.
• Matthew 23:23 The weightier matters of the law.
• Jude 1:3 Contend for the faith.