Necessary Things

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The Restoration Movement, to reclaim Christianity back to New Testament practices, coalesced out of the late 1700’s Second Great Awakening. The Campbell-Stone movement, which the Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ and the Church of Christ originate, was among its most prominent voices. An enduring principle of the Campbell-Stone movement is the phrase: “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” The phrase has become one of the Disciples’ most enduring legacies. Surprisingly, this long-standing statement of principles did not originate within the Stone-Campbell tradition.

During the heated religious strife of the 1500’s, an Englishman by the name Bowles inscribed over the doorway to his house: In Nescessariis Unitas. In Dubiis Libertas. In Omnibus Caritas (“In necessary things, unity. In doubtful things, liberty. In all things, charity).”

In the current theological environment, when Christians, even inside the same fellowship, go at each other with tooth and nail it would be helpful to recall that in Christianity, especially Protestantism, little is carved in stone.

The portions of the Bible collectively referred to as “Thus Sayeth the Lord” consists of the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ teaching of the goats and sheep, the Nicene or Apostles’ Creed–among others. Such are the necessariis (necessary things).

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According to the recently departed Rev. Dr. Mark Toulouse (Campbell-Stone Movement preeminent historian, seminary dean of student affairs, and World Poker Tour savant) just about everything else falls within the formula’s middle, the “doubtful or nonessentials things” where there must be liberty and freedom. From Bowles (1500’s) to Campbell (1700’s) to Toulouse (2025) to future Disciples, it’s acknowledged Chrisitan tradition leaves room for liberty to test, adjust and even change.

The Christian obligation to love others, especially those already joined to the Lordship of Christ, should make it possible to handle diversity – to sift through in order to discern whether they are in the “nonessentials” area or in the “essentials” category, where topics can be openly discussed without insisting that change is impossible. The obligation to love our neighbor should ensure that quite literally everything can be discussed and explored in an environment of respect and love.

Paul deals with this issue in Romans 14 where he explores the danger of self-righteousness, making our own convictions the measure of the validity of the convictions of others. Paul sees the problem as not in holding firm positions, but in judging and condemning others. God is the sole judge in these matters (Rom. 14:10-12). The danger of self-righteousness is closely allied to self-idolatry. The self-limitation of Christ for others (Phil. 2:1-6) is crucial insight. This Lent/Easter season it’s especially clear the goal of God’s act of grace in Christ is a unity which can become reality if priority is given to the Lordship of Jesus. The Lordship of Christ is indeed in necessarii unitas.

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- Rev. Colby Smith