Paul Washers 4th example –
Fourthly, it has become popular opinion that Christians should only concern themselves with agreement regarding major doctrines and not sweat the small stuff. There is some truth to the famous quotation: “In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.” [Although commonly attributed to Augustine, there is much debate as to the actual author of this famous quote. It is interesting that this quote is cited by “a dizzying variety of incompatible Christian traditions” (Web article posted by Steve
Perisho, http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jod/augustine/quote.html).) However, there are also some
inherent dangers. One of the most serious problems has to do with the current trend in Christianity which increasingly depreciates the importance of absolutes. As this trend continues, Christians relegate more and more doctrines to the “small” category. Doctrines that were previously held to be absolute essentials are no
longer considered worth arguing about. Another problem has to do with the practical realities of real life ministry. Being unconcerned about everything except the absolute essentials works fine if you are meditating in an ivory tower or philosophizing with your friends in the seminary student center. However, when you begin to plant a church, or when you begin to disciple real people with real questions, those small matters of doctrine become extremely important and demand definition.
