Proclaimer Blog
Secondary issues are not non-issues
We often talk about secondary issues. That's sometimes helpful terminology when we're talking about gospel partnership and evangelical distinctives. It's not entirely unbiblical either – "Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters" – disputable translating the word dialogismos. But it's very easy to make a fundamental mistake about these issues – that they are unimportant. Paul's teaching in Romans 14-15 should set us straight on that. For a start, there is a clear understanding that these issues have a right and wrong about them (that, surely is partly the point about being weak and strong in faith).
For a start, some disputable matters become points of identity for a church. Take baptism. I'm ready and willing to argue the case for baptism as I see it in Scripture. But I understand that some of my brothers hold equally convinced differing positions. One of us is weak. One is strong. I'm not going to let that break fellowship, but equally, a church of which I'm a minister must have a position to which it holds. There are numerous other examples. And for those of us in ministry, we must know with some conviction at least, what we think about women's ministry, baptism, ecclesiology and church government – and here's one we ignore at our peril – the place of Israel in the purposes of God.
I think that could increasingly be a point of disagreement amongst Christians. It is often an emotive one. I want to believe that we can differ on what we think and not fall out. But it's naive to think that a secondary issue is a non-issue. Not so.