This week's edition of Jym Shorts is brought to you in the form of a book review by one of our elders, David Denny. Enjoy!
Tribalism is a term defined by Merriam-Webster as “strong in-group loyalty”. In our modern Twitter/Facebook/Instagram world, with its instant information and judgment, combined with a deep emotional commitment to distinct worldviews, Christians may be tempted to draw a line in the sand concerning every issue imaginable. An old saying reads, “There is no doctrine a fundamentalist will not fight over, and no doctrine a liberal will fight over.” In today’s climate, whether religious or political, both evangelicals and liberals seem willing to fight over every issue.
In the midst of this dilemma, Pastor/Theologian Gavin Ortlund has written, Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage. The purpose of his book is to discover a way to faithfully stand for non-negotiable truths while allowing for disagreement on topics not as vital to our faith.
Ortlund suggests four basic categories to help as a starting point in discovering what topics deserve close scrutiny.
· First-rank doctrines are essential to the gospel itself.
· Second-rank doctrines are urgent for the health and practice of the church such that they frequently cause Christians to separate at the level of the local church, denomination, and/or ministry.
· Third-rank doctrines are important to Christian theology, but not enough to justify separation or division among Christians.
· Fourth-rank doctrines are unimportant to our gospel witness and ministry collaboration.
In part one of his book, Dr. Ortlund answers the question, “Why theological triage?” In this section, he discusses the dangers of both doctrinal sectarianism (i.e. excessive attachment to a particular sect) and doctrinal minimalism (i.e. reducing all doctrinal disputes to the unimportant) and ends with his own personal journey through some secondary and tertiary (third rank) doctrines. Concerning sectarianism, the author references such stalwart theologians as Herman Bavinck and Richard Baxter to warn against making every error a heresy. For instance, Bavinck warned, “Each sect that considers its own circle as the only Church of Christ and makes exclusive claims on truth will wither and die like a branch severed from its vine.” Concerning minimalism, Baxter wrote, “Many an error is taken up by going too far based on other men’s faults” to caution against assuming that doctrine does not matter at all. In fact, Ortlund insists that on many issues it would actually be better to be wrong than to be indifferent.
In part two of his book, Pastor Ortlund focuses on how to practically work out theological triage. The first two chapters of part two explain first and second-rank doctrines and how to navigate them. He begins by explaining why some hills are, indeed, worth dying on: “Some first rank doctrines are needed to defend the gospel, and others to proclaim the gospel. Without them the gospel is either vulnerable or incomplete.” Next, utilizing other theologians, the author gives some criteria on how one might rank the importance of any particular doctrine. This is, perhaps, the most practical portion of this book, giving the reader some questions to ask of each topic to determine its gravity. Chapter two walks through some of the complexities of secondary doctrines and gives examples of doctrines such as modes of baptism, spiritual gifts, and complementarianism vs. egalitarianism, which would fall under this lower-level category. In chapter three, Dr. Ortlund details some tertiary (third-level) doctrines such as the Millennium and the days of creation, and explains why we should not divide over these issues. One such example is a quote from George Eldon Ladd. “The millennium is a question where equally evangelical scholars who accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God should be able to disagree without the accusation ‘liberal’.” Indeed, Ortlund argues that these third and fourth-rank doctrines should not cause us to label others, or to be labeled in negative terms for differing views.
The conclusion to the book is a call to humility. Pastor Ortlund ends his book with some practical advice. First, “be honest!” Second, “be tactful!” Third, “be gracious!” Finally, “put your trust in the Lord!”
This is a book that I would recommend at any time, but especially now in our current dogmatic and argumentative culture. As we see the divide growing wider between secular culture and Christianity, it is vital that we place the boundaries in the proper place. The future of a healthy Christian church in America may depend on it.
