Theological triage, as described in Albert Mohler’s article and Gavin Ortlund’s book, provides a helpful matrix for sorting through theological issues. D.A. Carson summarizes Ortlund’s four tiers of issues:
- doctrines that are essential to the gospel;
- doctrines that are urgent for the health and practice of the church, such that Christians commonly divide denominationally over them;
- doctrines that are important for one branch of theology or another, but not such that they should lead to separation;
- doctrines that are unimportant to gospel witness and ministry collaboration.
Theological triage calls for careful thinking and humility as we encounter potentially divisive issues within the church. Theological triage is the urgent need of our day.
I’ve been thinking about how to apply the idea of theological triage in today’s context. How should churches respond to the issues of our day such as Bill C-4, mask mandates, protests, and more?
I’ve found it useful to think in terms of three kinds of issues.
Timeless Issues That Threaten the Gospel
Some issues, like those that belong to levels one and two of Ortlund’s hierarchy, are so vital that we must face them if we’re to guard the good deposit entrusted to us (2 Timothy 1:14). These are the issues that are perennially under attack in every age and time. They are why Paul (Galatians 1:6-9) and Jude (Jude 3) wrote letters.
Faithfulness requires that we don’t duck these issues. We must be clear about the gospel. We must not assume it. We must guard against distortions of the gospel. We don’t have a choice when it comes to this category of issue, even when it costs.
As churches, we must be clear on these issues.
Timely Issues That Threaten the Gospel
Other issues are timely. They’re also in levels one and two of Ortlund’s taxonomy, but they’re unique to our time and place. Other Christians in other times and places haven’t had to deal with them in the same way.
The church in every age has responded to the particular threats to the gospel in their day. It’s not enough to speak to the timeless threats to the gospel; we must also understand and address the particular threats to the gospel in our time.
One such issue in our culture is sexuality and gender. Some may argue that this issue isn’t as urgent because it’s not addressed as clearly in some of our creeds and confessions. In order to remain faithful to the gospel, we must address the issues of our day and show how Scripture tells a truer, better story.
When we preach through Scripture, we will inevitably encounter texts that contradict our culture’s views. When this happens, we must demonstrate how Scripture’s story is truer and better. Faithfulness requires that we speak to the threats to the gospel of our day.
Timely Issues That Don’t Threaten the Gospel
We must address the particular threats to the gospel in our day, but that doesn’t mean we must address every issue in our day.
I and my friends have views on all kinds of current issues. I appreciate learning from those who think differently from me, and I would defend their right to hold their strong opinions. But many of them fall into level three or four issues in Ortlund’s taxonomy. It’s okay to opine on them, but we must keep these issues in their place and, for the most part, out of the pulpit.
We must speak to timeless and timely threats to the gospel, and then to keep tertiary and quaternary issues in their place, a harder task than it may seem. We need wisdom, humility, and courage. May God give us all three.
