Liberty of Conscience

What is liberty of conscience and why is it part of our church vision?  Liberty of conscience provides the basis for practicing "unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials, and charity in all."  It rests on recognizing 3 levels of belief, each to be embraced with varying levels of fervor:

1. "Gospel core" includes Christian distinctives such as those expressed in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. These non-negotiable doctrines are essential to Christian life and faith. We should be willing to die for them. These beliefs are required for membership in the church family. Compromise in these beliefs undermines the credibility of our profession of faith and may warrant church discipline (Galatians 1:9; 2 John 1:7-10).

2. "Biblical commitments" are secondary doctrines in which the biblical evidence can be understood in more than one way. They typically include denominational distinctives like those found in the Westminster Confession of Faith. The parting of ways between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41) demonstrates that we may, if necessary, divide over them. This kind of division in the family of Christ--while certainly not the ideal--may be unavoidable in a fallen world. These beliefs are not required for membership in the church family, but they are required for those who hold the church offices of elder or deacon. This ensures unity in the teaching ministry of the church. Examples include: the doctrines of grace, church polity, sacraments, and covenant theology.

3. "Personal convictions" include personal distinctives. They are issues of conscience where we arrive at truth by inference from limited biblical data. While we should not die for these beliefs or divide over them, we should dialog about them in a way that is mutually edifying (Roman 14). Examples might include: eschatology, Bible translations, courtship, theonomy, home schooling, political agenda, parenting styles, birth control, worship styles, ecumenical activity, the wife's role in home, literal 6-day creation, alcohol use, and expressions of Lord's Day observance.

We threaten the integrity of the gospel when we compromise on Gospel Core beliefs. On the other hand, we destroy the beauty, breadth, and balance of the Gospel when we treat our personal convictions like the Gospel Core. In other words, liberty of conscience reminds us as a church to major on the majors, and minor on the minors!