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The Aquila Report

Choosing Our Battles

By Bill Muehlenberg — 2 months ago

Choosing Our Battles

We should choose our battles carefully. More specifically and more correctly, we should let God choose the battles he wants us to engage in. But being imperfect creatures, it is not always so clear as to what those might be. Or when and how they should be engaged in. All the more reason to proceed with caution, to proceed with prayer, and to proceed with humility.

All Christians should do what God has called them to do. In one sense, that is clear enough, especially because God has already told us in his Word what he wants us to do—at least in terms of all the big-ticket items. But of course many believers will still want to run with a particular, individual calling they feel God has given them.

Some believers for example will be public figures with public ministries. This can often mean teaching and speaking out on various things, and even getting into various battles with others on various matters. While controversy for the sake of controversy is never a virtue, controversy for the sake of the gospel is—or can be.

It partly depends on what battles we think are paramount, and what areas we must defend to the death. And different believers will have different views on these things of course. It all can get rather tricky—and contentious. In the numerous fights over theology for example, some Christians want nothing to do with theology and doctrine.

Others are convinced that their pet beliefs are 110% right, and anyone who dares to differ is a rank heretic. Still others are so put off by all the incessant and often uncharitable arguing, name-calling and attacks that they will never dare to say in public what they believe. It is just safer and more peaceful not to say anything!

Anyone familiar with me and my website knows that I have discussed these topics plenty of times. Here—once again—is my take on some of the ways we should think about the many theology wars that we find all around us. Some basic propositions in outline form are these:

  • Theology matters.
  • We are all fallen, finite and fallible creatures, so that will impact all of our lives, including our theological understanding.
  • Some core theological truths must be championed.
  • But with lesser truths there can be some room to move.
  • Admittedly sometimes it is not always clear which is a primary doctrine and which is a secondary doctrine.
  • What can be won by the arguments and reasoning of some believers in defending their preferred theology can easily be lost by their arrogance, nastiness, anger, and complete lack of Christian grace.
  • We are told in Scripture to look after both our doctrine and our life carefully (1 Timothy 4:16).
  • Some believers who will fight to the death for their pet theology show little or no evidence of Christ and his love.
  • Humility, prayer and being on our knees will take us MUCH further than simply engaging in theological and intellectual pugilism alone.

I say all this because of what one social media friend has been doing of late. Many of you would know him—a real champ. For many years now he has been a tireless warrior in the culture wars, especially defending the biblical view on homosexuality against its many detractors. He has countless Christian supporters who so appreciate this work of his.

But I notice that of late he has been spending a fair bit of time moving into some hot and heavy theological debates—and long-standing ones at that. In making his criticisms of one particular theological view—in this case Calvinism—I simply wonder if all the good work he has done elsewhere might be undermined. Perhaps many of his fans will now turn on him or turn away from him because of this theological row.

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