Freedom of Religious Association

At his Religion Law Blog , British attorney Neil Addsion discusses the legal case, Fernandez-Martinez c. Espagne .  This is a case before the European s in which a Roman Catholic Religious Education teacher (Jose Antonio Fernandez Martinez) at a State school brought a lawsuit against a Roman Catholic bishop for his refusal to renew the teacher’s contract because the teacher was an advocate of “pro-optional celibacy.”

This is an interesting legal case which concerns the issues of freedom of religion and freedom of association for religious groups.  Similar issues are currently being hotly discussed in the United States over the issue of whether or not religious groups can be forced to provide for their employees insurance coverage for contraception and/or abortion.  A secondary issue in the United States is whether or not church-sponsored schools, health clinics, food ministries, etc. which are not directly “religious” in nature are also “church;” whether or not these institutions are also covered by the same freedoms and guarantees as are literal churches.

Laws from one nation are not directly applicable to another since each country or group of countries is autonomous, but rulings in one country can establish a precedent which can be taken into consideration in deliberations in another.

“ … the teacher was submitted to an increased obligation of loyalty because of the special nature of his position. …  The judgment is undoubtedly important in the sphere of Human Rights jurisprudence and could strengthen the position of Faith Schools in the UK in relation to ensuring that the conduct of teachers conforms to the beliefs of their religion.”  Neil Addison

Without approving or disapproving of the action of the bishop in this case or any other, it is clear that the real underlying issues are far more fundamental than they, at first, seem to be.

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.

What Is Your Religious Tradition?

People from 58 countries are now reading this blog.  We, I am sure, come from numerous and varied religious traditions.  I am a member of a church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (13,000,000 members, primarily in the United States) and live in the US State of Alabama.  I would describe my country and my religious affiliation as:

United States: Trinitarian, Evangelical, Baptist.

Any readers of this blog who would like to identify themselves by country and religious tradition can do so below by leaving a comment.  Just click on the blue "comments." It should be interesting to see who we all are.