Doctrine and Division, I.2.5 There are more than a few of today’s church leaders who are explicitly saying that the doctrines of salvation are no longer essential matters. Indeed, they were never that determinative to begin with, so that... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Doctrine and Division, I.2.4 The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Doctrine and Division, I.2.3 Anthropology is the study of man. The first difficulty is that in the Christian doctrine of man—just as in the doctrine of creation as a whole—there is an “upside” and a “downside.” There is an original design and then... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Doctrine and Division, I.2.2 The study of Theology Proper, as it is sometimes called, is probably the best venue in which to see what we mean by putting the word essential back in its proper setting. Nowhere in the Bible does it say: “Throw the... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Doctrine and Division, I.2.1 Christians have differed on the exact number of essential doctrines to list or in which order of importance, but there has been a basic agreement on the meaning of the word “essential” as it relates to other relevant... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Doctrine and Division, I.1.4 Having defined an essential doctrine, what is a heresy? In the most general terms of Christian theology, a heresy is an expression of doctrine that errs at an essential point of the faith. Its distortion is not merely an... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Doctrine and Division, I.1.3 Now what do we mean by calling some doctrines “essential” to the Christian faith and others merely “secondary”? In the first place, we do not mean to suggest that secondary doctrines are not important or that we may not... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Doctrine and Division, I.1.2 There are five basic objections that have always been made against talk of doctrine and which have reached a fevered pitch in the contemporary church. The first two have to do with alleged negative effects that doctrine... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Doctrine and Division, I.1.1 When we think of the word “doctrine” what impressions tend to come into our minds? A new generation of church planters and pastors has generally absorbed their parent’s caricature of what doctrine is. I am convinced that... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Part 8 (final part) of the Introduction to Doctrine and Division Theologians of liberal and conservative leanings have described Christian doctrine as a “second order” aspect of the faith in that the relationship of our whole souls to the infinite,... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
