#48: Christian Essentials-Part of our Apologetic Mission

Merry Christmas!

This month I briefly share an important teaching point from our Introduction to International Apologetics course.[1] As many of you know, we taught this course to our Ugandan brothers this past year. After discussing a wide range of apologetic topics (see the syllabus at: www.apologeticsonmission.org/courses), I concluded the course by reminding them of what makes us uniquely Christian and must always be a part of their apologetic mission. This message is also important to Christians everywhere – including us – not just to our African brothers and sisters.

The subject of the message is “Christian Essentials.” By this, I mean those core beliefs that make us Christians; that is, those doctrines that, if not held as sacrosanct, “disqualify” us as true Christians. In Western circles, these fundamental beliefs are often called “orthodox” because they are contrasted with “liberal” or “progressive” Christian beliefs.[2]

Here are the 10 Christian Essentials that I shared with our Ugandan brothers and sisters:

• Inspiration & Authority of Scripture

• Trinity

• Deity & Humanity of Christ

• Creation Ex Nihilo

• Image of God

• Fall of Man/Original Sin

• Atonement

• Bodily Resurrection

• Miracles

• Salvation by Grace through Faith [3]

These fundamental beliefs are not listed in any priority order – they are all crucial to our faith. Other orthodox Christians might offer slightly different lists. But close examination usually reveals that one or more of the doctrines on a longer list are grouped into larger categories in the shorter lists. For example, Geisler and Rhodes list Christ’s Deity and humanity separately [4], but both are combined into one core belief above.

This list intentionally excludes those “peripheral” beliefs that are not essential to our faith. That is, those that are not fundamental to our understanding of who we are (e.g., created in the image of God, but fallen), who God is, what he did for our salvation, and what is salvific faith. Some may disagree with me (especially Roman Catholics), but baptism, for example, while a sacrament and central to worship and living out our faith, is not an essential Christian belief as defined above. I also know many Christians who consider certain music styles to be an essential element of their faith, but church music certainly varies considerably among our global Christian brothers and sisters, and has throughout the history of the Church. As Augustine, Wesley, and other Christian theologians have consistently preached, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

The reason we discuss these core doctrines with those we teach is because these budding apologists often engage churches and Christians that claim to be Christian, but may not actually be so. For example, our Ugandan students are aware of Jehovah’s Witnesses large presence in Africa and know that they do not hold to orthodox – Biblical – beliefs (e.g., they do not believe Jesus is the son of God). However, there are many other cults in Africa that claim to be Christian, but without a firm understanding of Christian essential doctrine, our brothers and sisters could be deceived during their gospel and apologetic missionary work. They must be able to determine whether the people they are engaging are true believers or not. As John tells us,

test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets

have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit

that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every

spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. (1 John 4:1-3)

As I told them, while apologetics is critical to the work of defending the Church, they need to be able to discern those churches and individuals that are actually part of the fellowship of true believers.

Lastly, it is not only our African students who need to be strong in their foundational beliefs and ability to discriminate between orthodoxy and non-orthodoxy. There are many progressive Christians and churches here in the West who do not hold to the essentials listed above. For example, I was raised in a liberal denomination that valued inclusivity to the point where members could hold to a wide range of non-biblical beliefs and still be considered in good-standing. I also know self-professed Christians who do not believe the resurrection occurred . . . despite what the Bible teaches. And this, of course, also means that they question the authority of Scripture.

For many of you, these Christian essentials are so clear that you wonder why they are an apologetic teaching point. Unfortunately, Western secular influences have not only infiltrated our own churches but are now infecting Christian churches in the regions where AoM works. Christian apologists have always – and must always – be prepared to defend the Church against all theological heresies as well as respond to questions concerning our faith and worldview.

In Christ,

Doug

[1] This blog is a continuation of Doug’s monthly apologetic notes that began before he joined AoM. This is note #48.

[2] Earlier this year, again before Doug joined AoM, he shared six monthly notes that critiqued liberal or progressive Christianity.

[3] Kevin Lewis, from a Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, course entitled, “Christian Essentials”, 2019.

[4] Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes, Conviction Without Compromise: Standing Strong in the Core Beliefs of the Christian Faith, 2008.