adiaphora

In Romans 14, Paul confronts how easily Christians can be divided over matters which are neither commanded nor forbidden by God (aka adiaphora). The adiaphora threatening to divide the Church was how Jewish and Gentile Christians deal with the practices and traditions of the Old Testament in the New Testament Church. Emotions can run deep when it comes to evaluating one's personal practices and insensitivity is common among those who don't seek to understand another's perspective but choose to judge. This is especially true of Christians when it comes to matters to which God's Word is silent. Paul encourages his brothers and sisters in Christ to recognize that our real responsibility is to live not for what is no longer important in the sight of God but for Him who died and rose again for us.

In this Episode of the Bookcase Behind Me, Pastor Brandon Warr is Joined by Pastor Josiah Scheck of Christ Lutheran Church in Richmond, Missouri to discuss the topic of Adiaphora.

This topic is much more complex than "I can do whatever I want" as Pastor Scheck explains the philosophical, ecclesiastical, and civil realms of how adiaphora relates to our choices as well as our love for Christ and Neighbor.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America and, unless otherwise stated, my opinions are my own and I do not speak as a representative for my Diocese. That is what my Bishop is for. For more information on the ELDoNA visit eldona.org

It seems, in our current culture, one of the worst things someone can be called is “judgmental.” Sadly, this label often given to anyone who declares a belief in a moral standard; Christians are constantly called judgmental. People are reacting to this in one of two ways: They get louder and angrier – seemingly more judgmental – or they stop talking about right and wrong altogether. The average person intuitively understands that these common, yet extreme approaches are both flawed. People shouldn’t yell at everyone who does something they don’t like; people shouldn’t accept everything that everyone does as good. The Bible offers a complex solution to this tension. This series of sermons aims to teach what the Bible says about judging others.

In a sermon noting that conflict in the church is an ancient tradition Clay Nelson examines the importance of creative conflict to gaining peace and justice. Text and video available at http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/nav.php?sid=560&id=1168.