Tonight was lecture in the theology program I’m enrolled in. It was very stimulating, we are currently discussing Modernism, Post-Modernism, and Christian epistemology. One thing that our instructor touched upon was the way in which churches make their truth claims. This is when i was first introduced to these three terms. I found them to be very helpful and i wish to share them with you:
Maximalist Approach: This church is absolutely right in everything it teaches, including the details. Adherents must believe all doctrines and the specific interpretations of them.
Example: Concerning the doctrine of creation, adherents must believe in a literal 6 day creation. Or else!
Minimalist Approach: This church is only concerned about general truths that everybody can agree about. Adherents are not required to believe anything except some very general truths.
Example: Concerning the doctrine of creation, adherents are not required to believe anything except that some higher power exists.
Centralist Approach: This church is concerned about the essentials of Christianity and leaves room for disagreements when it come to non-essentials. It allows for varied interpretations (they must be valid) where scripture is unclear. Adherents are required to believe the main tenets of Christianity and are allowed to differ when it comes to secondary things.
Example: Concerning the doctrine of creation, adherents are required to believe that God created the universe. Different interpretations such as a literal 6 days or metaphorical 6 days (which may allow for evolution) are allowed.
6 Comments
October 2, 2008 at 8:02 am
This is interesting. Which do you think a Church should be.
October 2, 2008 at 8:02 am
Change my last period to a question mark!
October 2, 2008 at 10:07 am
Hey Ben. I really think Christians should take a centralist approach. There are two truths that a maximalist approach is ignorant of: the fact that we are tainted by sin, and the fact that we are finite creatures. Secondly, taking a minimalist approach undermines Christianity because it is clear that scripture emphasizes some truths as extremely important. So much so that we must believe them to be considered Christians. (for example: the death and resurrection of Christ)
October 2, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Well said Daniel, I think I would agree with you.
Do you think that individual members should be held to more maximalism as they progress in the faith and have been members for longer?
October 2, 2008 at 7:25 pm
I think that Centralism should be the dominating spirit by which the Church makes all its truth-claims. With that said, there should also be distinctions made in how we deal with different people. For example, people who visit our church and are not members should not be forced to hold to any form of confession. People who are members should adhere to a confession that is consistent with Christianity. Pastors, teachers, and leaders should adhere strongly to a confession that is Christian and consistent with that church’s tradition. These are just my premature thoughts on the matter.
November 24, 2008 at 9:53 pm
C.A. all the way!