Arguments Within the Church Over Homosexuality

Yesterday, I posted about newspaper columnist Leonard Post having insulted conservative, traditional Christians by, at least indirectly, saying that they are bigots for opposing same-sex marriage.  Homosexuality is one of the many subjects which cause intense arguments within the Church.  My understanding is that the subject of homosexuality falls under the category of a Persuasion.  Very few doctrines should fall under the category of Conviction, doctrines over which we should utterly break all fellowship and, in effect, to use an old theological term, declare anathema (ἀνάθεμα, Greek for "cursed" or "accursed.").  Anathema applies to the doctrine or attitude, not to the person, who, of couse, can change their mind.

Convictions: Examples include the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the Virgin Birth of Christ, and salvation by grace through faith; matters crucial to salvation. Acts 10:1-35 is an example of a conviction level argument, over the doctrine of salvation by grace and not by works.  These are matters over which Christians must be willing to fight and permanently separate if necessary.


Persuasions: Examples include millenial views, the age of the Earth, the exact nature of Heaven and Hell.  In Romans 14:5, Paul talks about Persuasion level beliefs, in which each man may "be fully persuaded in his own mind" but remain in unity with other believers who disagree. "Persuaded" or "convinced" is a translation of plerophoreistho (πληροφορείσθω), from the verb plerophoreisthein, "to be fufilled," "to be fully convinced." The believers may choose to worship separately while recognizing that the others are also Christian, because we "all stand before the judgement seat of God." 


Opinions: Individual preference. Examples include the best Bible translation, the proper model for church government, whether or not to use music in church services, whether or not women should "cover" their heads in church, whether or not to use real wine in the Lord's Supper, where Cain got his wife, should Christians smoke. Paul speaks of this level of belief in 1 Corinthians 7.

Book Comment: What Christianity is All About

What Christianity Is All About. How You Can Know and Enjoy God (1999) is a highly readable book of apologetics which talks about God, revelation, the Bible, Jesus, salvation, man, the Holy Spirit, the Church, Satan, and eschatology.  The main thing I took from the book is the idea of categories of belief, which the author defines using biblical references.  To quote the author, Alan Scholes, "The New Testament writers themselves held more than one category of belief.  They held some beliefs as non-negotiable for all Christians, others as matters of individual conscience on which believers could have diversity of understanding without disunity, and other beliefs as solely matters of personal preference or style."

The three categories of belief outlined by Scholes are convictions, persuasions, and opinions.  He gives several examples.

Convictions: the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and salvation by grace through faith.
Persuasions: millenial views, the age of the Earth, the exact nature of Heaven and Hell.
Opinions: the best Bible translation, the proper model for church government.

Holding every belief on a conviction level is divisive and unbiblical; it may even be idolatrous and heretical.  Understanding that Christians may disagree on some subjects and still be recognized as legitimate Christians is one basis for Christian unity.