The question “How do I determine which doctrine is essential?” is relevant due to the various assumptions about doctrine across the current church landscape. On one side, the emergent movement (Bell, Jones, etc.) who determine whether or not something is essential by asking if it has been believed by someone that could be identified as conservative (definitely non-essential) or by Bono (definitely essential). On another side, there are groups that seem to only think the pretrib premill return of Christ (some amill types would call this questionable at best and certainly not essential) is THE only essential doctrine. The same group ironically can’t articulate matters like the trinity, the deity of Christ, the gospel, and the nature of the church correctly. Still another side represents doctrine and theology as irelevant. One of the members of my church stated that a good friend of his proudly remarked that his pastor didn’t “mess with theology and doctrine but preached real issues.” There must be some perception of freedom bound up with being the only one in the history of the church to decide what is essential.
Onto this littered landscape the question of essence arises. The Parchment and Pen guys have posted a thoughtful piece on determining whether or not a doctrine is “essential” to the faith. Their three criteria for determining if a doctrine is essential are as follows:
1. Historicity: Does the doctrine have universal historical representation?
2. Clarity (Perspicuity): Is the doctrine represented clearly in Scripture?
3. Explicity: Does the passage of Scripture explicitly teach that a certain doctrine is essential?
Read the entire post here. I would be interested in your thoughts on whether or not you agree with the criteria.
Hey Dr. Mooney,
That was an interesting post. At first it seemed really simple, almost too simple, but after reading the entire post it seems really clever. I’d love to go through a few doctrines that I’ve learned or read about and see how they measure to the criteria. As of now I give it two thumbs way up!
- Jon Brewer
By: Brewer on July 13, 2008
at 9:56 pm
i looked up “essential” and got…absolutely necessary, indispensible. I would say essential an essential doctrine to be the absolute center-piece without which you’ve lost the main thrust of whatever subject that’s being discussed. Having said that i’ll say that the essential doctrine(s) of christianity would have to be the death and resurrection of Jesus and all that’s directly related to it. For example, man’s sin (why he died to reconcile us that we’ll glorify God), God’s glory and name.
Now, be careful. There are also things that are soo connected to this that if you tamper with them or get them wrong, you might loose or be playing with fire and so that might make them pretty close to essential.
I’d say, these 3 criteria by the parchment and pen guys would be very helpful in determining not only the essential doctrine(s) but moreso, generally, what’s biblically correct/accurate teaching and thinking.
it’s good stuff and i’ve copied and pasted it. thanks to them and thx to you, Dr Mooney.
By: amechi on July 18, 2008
at 11:00 am