A Time and Place for Theological Battles

Theology matters, but so does wisdom and right timing:

As I have said a few million times now, anyone who has actually read some of what is found on this site will know that I am a major proponent of sound teaching and solid theology. The theology section itself contains nearly 1500 articles. So yes, I do believe that theology matters.

However, as I have also said so often, there are other things that matter as well. Just as some believers are all about being nice and loving, but lack even the slightest understanding of biblical doctrine, so too some believers are armed to the teeth with good theology, but they can treat people like dirt and they seem to know nothing of Christ and his grace and love. Getting the biblical balance right is crucial here.

And even affirming good theology needs to be done wisely: it should be done with care, discernment, and love. There is a time and a place in other words, for when we should take a strong theological stance. Sometimes it is wisest and most Christlike to just let some things go. We need the Spirit’s direction to know if and when we should speak out.

Sadly some believers feel it is ALWAYS time to go on the attack, challenging, confronting and condemning anyone and everyone who dares to believe even slightly differently than they do. They are theological pugilists who love to fight. They seem to have no peace unless they are going on the attack. See more on them here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2019/07/17/on-theological-pugilism-christian-maturity-and-humility/

And then there are all the heresy hunters who exist to correct everyone, and to point out how heretical everyone is who dares to have a somewhat different take on all sorts of theological issues. They believe they are fully right while they think everyone else is wrong. They too I have discussed often. See here for example: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2014/04/09/on-heresy-hunters/

As I have also said, while core theological issues are important and need to be championed, secondary issues can be held to more loosely, and we need not start WWIII over them every time. Of course discerning which is which can at time be a bit tricky. See more here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2024/03/11/choosing-our-battles/

I should pause here and say the obvious: many believers who take doctrine seriously and who do engage in promoting sound theology are not pugilists nor heresy hunters. But some are sadly. However, all of them need to keep humble and on their faces before God as they seek to defend biblical truth.

But there is also a place to support and defend other believers, even when we may differ with them on various theological issues. In the increasingly hostile and anti-Christian West, we are seeing more and more attacks on those who are in the Christian camp. They might be actual physical attacks, as in the recent case of the Sydney Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, or it might take other forms.

There is a place for some co-belligerence here in other words. We should seek to support such people when and where possible. But too many Christians are so utterly tribal in their particular theology, that they will want nothing to do with most others, even when they are coming under heavy assault.

A clear case in point happened some years ago when Israel Folau was booted out of a rugby team for daring to hold to biblical beliefs about things like homosexuality. But because he did not have everything theologically correct, some Christians wanted nothing to do with him, and were happy to see him thrown under the bus.

The same is happening now of course with the above-mentioned Assyrian Bishop who first came here from Iraq. Some Christians seem to think we should have nothing to do with the guy, and not give a rip about this ugly jihadist attack because his theological views in some respects differ from theirs.

A number of these folks have taken to the social media, or my site, or elsewhere to point out their dislike of the Bishop because of where he might be coming from theologically. My reply to these sorts of folks would go as follows:

I am of course an evangelical Protestant and I do know a bit about theology. Thus I am quite aware of the various differences I might have with all sorts of folks, including this Bishop. But those who read my two articles on him will see I clearly had three main aims in mind:

-To point out the Islamist war against Christianity. What this jihadist tried to do to him will happen to others – even to you or me.
-To show how under-protected ordinary citizens are in places like Australia.
-To encourage people to pray for the Bishop and his attacker.

The point of these pieces was NOT to engage in yet more theological warfare and sectarian debates. There is a place for that, but that was not my intent here.

My fear is that some believers are so intent on defending to the death their various theological views – often quite good ones I might add – that they miss the forest for the trees. The truth is, soon enough all believers of all stripes might be rounded up and herded into concentration camps or re-education camps.

But some of these folks will be blissfully unaware of this, being so concerned to defend Christianity from ‘heretics’ and the like. In this regard I always come back to the words of the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller as he opposed Hitler and the Nazis. His “First They Came” writing is well-known to many. It goes like this:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.

I often think it needs to be slightly rewritten for today, in light of what I have just been talking about. Let me take a stab at such a modern-day revision:

First they came for the Roman Catholics
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Roman Catholic
Then they came for the Eastern Orthodox
And I did not speak out
Because I was not Eastern Orthodox
Then they came for the Presbyterians
And I did not speak out
Because I was not Presbyterian
Then they came for the Anglicans
And I did not speak out
Because I was not Anglican
Then they came for the Baptists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not Baptist
Then they came for the Pentecostals
And I did not speak out
Because I was not Pentecostal
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.

I think you get the drift. These folks are so fully into their own theological camp, that they are happy to see everyone else go to hell – perhaps even literally. They have no clue that the war against faith is very real here in the West, and all forms of Christianity are coming under sustained attack.

Some of these folks will never lift a finger to come to the aid of some of their persecuted brethren. Indeed, many would claim they are NOT even their brethren. Yeah well, the time will come soon enough when they too will come under the heavy hand of the hardcore misotheists. But by then they and their few followers will be the only ones left.

I happen to think religious freedom is important, and that it should be extended as much as possible to others. I may have plenty of disagreements with my Roman Catholic friends or my Eastern Orthodox friends, but I do not want them to be silenced by the authorities. If they are silenced today, I will be silenced tomorrow.

‘There is a time for war and a time for peace’ as we are told in Ecclesiastes 3:8. There is also a time for theological war, and theological peace. As I say, discerning when these times are is important. In this case, I am praying for the Bishop’s full recovery, and for his attacker. You should too.

Those who want to go to war over his various theological views (not all of which I agree with either) should consider this option: If you pray for folks like him as much as you publicly attack folks like him, I would be much more open to what you have to say. But why do I suspect that some of these critics may never have prayed for such folks at all? As the girl in the taco shell ad says, ‘why not try both?’

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