The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Is it possible to have no theological persuasion?

I mean...

I have heard several folks say they have no theological persuasion and/or subscribe to no "isms", but is this really possible?

Would not a few questions clearly place them in or out of any number of theological camps?

I have ran into a few people who claim to be "above all that", and are simply Christians. Just wanting your thoughts.

Please forgive my poor articulation.

Thanks in advance. This is my first post but I have all ready learned much from this rich and wonderful resource.

Welcome to the Highway! It's a good, safe place to grow.

No, it is not possible to have "no creed but Christ; no book but the Bible," because
for one thing, that claim in itself is a creed! A creed that pretends to reject
all others. But to do so is to dismiss the foundation on which God's kingdom is built,
the Church, the "pillar and ground of the truth (1st Timothy 3:15)."

Paul, in his letters to Timothy, makes reference to "faithful sayings, worthy of acceptance" (1st Timothy 3:1, 4:9) "sound doctrine," and "received traditions" which he urges us to hold onto and preserve. Those faithful sayings were the earliest creeds! A creed is simply a summary statement of doctrine - a way of summing up doctrines in smaller and simpler terms, especially useful in training children and new converts in what the Christian religion teaches.

One who rejects the universally accepted creeds of the historic Christian faith is in danger, in fact, of departing entirely from "the faith once delivered."

-Robin

T.J.,

Methinks Robin really hit on the crux of the matter, i.e., it is impossible to have no theological persuasion and yet claim to be a Christian; by definition a follower of Christ and His teachings.

One may not fit in perfectly with any particular "ism", but that usually is the result of the person holding to contradictory doctrines, e.g., the so-called "Calminian" camp. And you are 100% correct that asking a few salient questions would definitely indicate where a person's theological persuasion is. In fact, if a person was to answer any question concerning what the Bible teaches, they have in fact revealed what "ism" they side with, even if it happens to be "me-ism".

When it comes to biblical Christianity, I think John Reisinger has it right in his article, There Are Only Two Religions in the Entire World.

Thanks Robin, I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

TJ

Thanks Pilgrim

Thanks for the quick reply. I will give that article a read when time permits.

T.J.,

And here are a couple more articles (rather short ) which are very relevant to your question:

- Is Doctrine Necessary?
- A Critique of the Evangelical Doctrine of 'Solo Scriptura'

In His grace,

Thanks again.

I was wondering...what are the rules in regard to posting articles from this site on another forum?

I would like to post the article dealing with the necessity of doctrine. I would of course place a link to the source(the-highway).

Thanks again for all the info and help.

Hi T.J.

Welcome to The Highway. I hope you enjoy your time with us. You are entirely welcome to post links to The Highway articles on other forums that you feel might benefit the readers there. All you have to do is copy the url for the article you are interested in and paste it onto where you want it to go.