Was Saint Augustine Post-Conservative?

There is a well known phrase which is often attributed to Saint Augustine, it says:

In the essentials unity, in the non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity.

Whether or not the great saint was post-conservative in all matters and whether or not he even was the one who first said this, the bottom line is that this quote captures the heart of post-conservativism!

In The Essentials!

In the essentials of the faith (that is, when the very gospel is at stake, when the fundamentals of the Apostles Creed is considered when reviewing the ‘basics’ list of Hebrews 6:1-3 – the very essence of what makes Christianity what it is; i.e. the essentials) let us have absolute unity! If someone declares Jesus not to be God we need to stand up and call a spade what it is. If someone denies that Christ came in the flesh let us stand up as one! These are examples of the unity of the faith in all matters pertaining to the essentials.

In The Non-Essentials!

What are the non-essentials of Christianity? Is God presently in the future yes or no? That is a non-essential question. Which is closer to the truth Calvinism or Arminianism? That is a non-essential question. Post- Pre- or Amillennialism? That is a non-essential question. Dispensational or Covenantal? That is a non-essential question. Contemporary or Hymnal worship in churches? That is a non-essential question. Is the Kingdom of God present or is it future? That is a non-essential question. Transubstantiation, Consubstantiation or symbolic? That is a non-essential question. Tongues as evidence of Spirit Baptism or not? That is a non-essential question. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

I realize that these areas are considered essential by those who hold to them but the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the fundaments of the faith do not hang on the outcome of any one of these questions. That is not to say that these questions are not important ones, they are! It is to say though that because they are important Christians should be allowed to debate them, wrestle with them, work them through, attempt to find common ground and if necessary, agree to disagree. This is the heart of Post-Conservativism.

In All Things Charity!

And this is where the rubber meets the road. There is where seasoned, tempered and mature spirituality shines! Are we to condemn people and their theological musings because they don’t jive with our traditions (whether they be Dispensational or Covenantal)? Are we to call people heretics and declare that they have stepped ‘out of bounds’ because the idea seems novel to us (Free will theists or omni-determinists)?

When the essentials are not at stake (and I cannot see which of the essentials are at stake, for example, in Open Theism – though I am not an Open Theist), how we respond to a brother or sister in the Lord whose theological musings are different from our traditions will often be the mark of our spiritual maturity.

The post-conservative pleads with his brothers and sisters in Christ with this prayer: In the essentials unity; in the non-essentials liberty; and in all things charity.

Derek

I have written this blog as a compliment to the last, to clarify certain points. Some people are fearful that a post-conservative approach to Christianity and to the scriptures places the very gospel at stake; that it may very well disappear. To react with fear is to miss the mark altogether! Post-conservativism is rooted in the Reformers principle of Sola Scriptura and is wholly committed to the fundaments of the faith. The gospel is not at stake with a post-conservative worldview and neither is the Tradition of the Fundamentals. Only our tradition are and if this scares us then that fear is a check.