I wrote this post following a visit to the USA, where I visited some Churches which were insistent on members holding correct doctrine. I once outlined my own Church's attitude towards doctrine (not the doctrine itself), specifically in an urban environment:
One might say that we are not a “doctrinal” Church – insofar as Biblical doctrines are not an explicit focus in our Church, and we do not mind if people make strange (though not very strange) theological statements. Here are some of the reasons why:• The people who make up our Church have very diverse religious, cultural, and Church backgrounds, which run deep, so we set our focus on the signs of God's grace among us, and our common desire to magnify Christ.• We are situated in the midst of a traumatised suburb and society, which naturally propels certain Biblical teachings to the fore which may not be part of the usual “stock”. For instance, God's providence is surely more prominent in practice than, say, the doctrine of baptism. And• We have among us a mix of mature Christians and very new Christians with little Christian background. In such a situation, the reality of Christian living together may far outweigh correctness while we give people room for “catch-up”.OBSERVATION: This does not mean that we neglect doctrine. During any given year, my preaching and teaching covers a considerable range of doctrine. However, we prefer to let this soak in like rain on the ground. We let God do His work in His good time through the Holy Spirit. We thrive, I think, partly because of a more tolerant doctrinal environment. It matters.
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