Theological Triage: A Call to Convictional and Charitable Christianity

Christians ought to hold their convictions boldly and express charity toward those who disagree.

Theological Triage is a phrase coined by Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (see his original article HERE). The phrase joins two concepts: one, diagnosing a medical emergency, and the other, the field of theology. Theological Triage is the art of categorizing theological questions or topics in such a way so as to give priority to some doctrines over others.

In short, all doctrine is important because it is God’s truth articulated, but not all doctrine is equally important.

Some doctrines are essential to the Christian faith, some are essential to doing life together among a local church family, and some are not worth dividing over at all. Furthermore, some doctrines are worth dying for, but not all doctrines should kill or divide us.

I would like to offer 4 categories or “levels” for us to use in our Theological Triage, and my hope is that we will be able to discuss theology without either leaving our convictions or our friendships behind.

First-Level Doctrines

These doctrines divide Christians from non-Christians.

Some First-Level doctrines are the authority of Scripture (Are the Scriptures the final court of arbitration when we have a difference of opinion?), the Triunity of God (Is God one or three or both?), the true divinity and true humanity of Christ (How do we understand Christ as the unique God-man?), the substitutionary atonement of Christ upon the cross (How did Christ substitute Himself under God’s penalty for sinners?), and the exclusivity of Christ as Savior (Is there any way for someone to be saved apart from personal trust in Jesus Christ?). Many of these First-Level doctrines are contained in the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicaean Creed.

These First-Level doctrines build a fence between Christians and non-Christians. The two groups do not have to be hostile toward one another, but they are not the same. Christians are defined (not exclusively, but necessarily) by their belief in essential doctrines that form the basis of Christian belief and practices. And, of course, Christian living is far more than mere assent to a list of doctrines, but an accurate (i.e., biblically accurate) understanding of those doctrines which touch the heart of the gospel itself is essential.

Again, these First-Level doctrines divide Christians from non-Christians. These are the doctrines for which Christians must be willing to die.

Second-Level Doctrines

These doctrines divide one local church from another.

Some Second-Level doctrines include believer’s baptism (What does baptism mean and who should be baptized?), church membership (What does membership mean and how is membership to be practiced?), and the Lord’s Supper (What does the Lord’s Supper mean and who should participate?).

These Second-Level doctrines build a fence around a particular local church, and this fence can extend around other local churches who want to cooperate together, sharing the same beliefs and practices. For example, gospel-believing Presbyterians and Baptists may all be included among the universal body of Christ in the world, but they are divided among different visible churches. Every local church must decide whether they will baptize believers only or believers and their children (i.e., they must be credobaptists or paedobaptists). And decisions like these will inevitably separate Christians with different convictions on the matter.

Again, these Second-Level doctrines divide one local church from another. These are the doctrines over which Christians will join or leave a church.

Third-Level Doctrines

These doctrines vary among Christians (especially in their application) without necessarily dividing Christians or local churches.

Some Third-Level doctrines include the details of our eschatology (When will Jesus return? What is the millennium? Who or what is the anti-Christ?), the intermediate state of the soul (What exactly is existence like between death and final resurrection?), and eternal rewards and punishments (Will there be any difference in the degree to which Christians are rewarded in glory and the lost are punished in judgment?).

These Third-Level doctrines do not have to build any fences or divide any Christian brotherhood, but they may provide areas of fruitful discussion and sanctifying application for Christians in fellowship together. If Christian brothers and sisters are willing and able to discuss these Third-Level doctrines in a loving and patient manner, then these discussions may produce spiritual growth and provide a marvelous occasion for exercising biblical exegesis, faithful living, and humble wisdom.

Again, these doctrines vary among Christians, and I (for one) welcome the kind of spiritual growth and sharpening that careful theological dialogue produces among Christian brothers and sisters. I also pray that Christians will become better able to benefit from dialogues over Third-Level doctrines and the applications thereof.

Fourth-Level Doctrines

These matters have no clear imperative from Scripture; they are questions of Christian conscience.

These matters are sometimes called “adiaphora,” which literally means “indifferent things” or spiritually neutral things. These Fourth-Level doctrines are the wise, biblically principled grounds from which we make decisions about where to go to school, what job we should take, what media we will read or watch, what food or drink we will ingest, or how long we should let our hair grow.

These Fourth-Level doctrines must not build fences, otherwise, we will be attempting to bind the consciences of fellow Christians on matters in which God has left freedom. In fact, dogmatic Fourth-Level doctrines are the very definition of legalism. We ought to give one another grace and charity where God gives us liberty.

I am convinced that we must learn the sensible art of theological triage in order to maintain healthy relationships with fellow Christians.

A Call to Thoughtful Christianity

For the sake of our personal spiritual development and for the sake of our churches, we must learn to distinguish those matters (those doctrines) that are essential from those that are non-essential. We must distinguish those vitally important doctrines from the essential ones and also from the lesser important ones.

For the sake of the gospel, Christians must be able to know the basis of their distinct relationships with other Christians generally, with fellow church members specifically, and with their non-Christian neighbors in the world around them.

Furthermore, we should remember that intellectual and spiritual growth is a process, and where we are now is not where we may always be. By God’s grace, we shall all grow in time.