Paul, Theology and Disagreement

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." -I Corinthians 1:10

There are numerous books on systematic theology. It is no surprise to the religiously savvy—those inclined to having a copious library—that multiple theologians make much ado about…well, everything. From writing about the Creation days in Genesis to eschatological paradigms in Revelations, Christian thought throughout history, and today, have been enveloped with religious perspectives. This presents a bit of a problem, but not an egregious one. Many Christians today disagree on just about any point of doctrine. It's almost ubiquitous to say that for every prayer and "amen" a Christian gives (assuming they pray), he or she has 10 woes to those with whom he or she disagrees. This is a serious problem for those involved in polemics or who wish to engage the unbeliever to account for his or her worldview, i.e., the apologetic task.

Such nuances in Christian experience don't necessarily lead to terrible portends that terminate in strife. Sure, there are ominous individuals who care little about Christian piety in order to trouble the household of God. But there are also those who care about the nature of true faith. This is where contention can serve the church. Throughout church history, the church has been able to answer almost every heresy through debate. Any modern heresy that buoys itself in the tavern of theological insight can almost certainly find its root in church history. Approbation can certainly be established with this sort of dialectic, and can serve the church. Tomes can fill the pages of history that testify to the nature of the apologetic task among church historians.

Notwithstanding the fecundity in church history, I think the first problem mentioned above needs meticulous consideration. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians (cf. I Corinthians 1:10), he prays that they [the Corinthian believers] be united in mind. Objecting to their party spirit, he chastises the Corinthians for being derisively divisive. It is no doubt, for this reason, that the Greek renders this verse as an exhortation. Parakaleo
specifically means to call forth or to implore. The Christian body is to be united in one mind, according to Paul. But what do we say about his words, "that you agree on everything?" or "speak the same thing" as the AV renders it? The ESV renders this portion, "that you all of you agree." Is this the case? Are we not allowed to disagree on points of doctrine or is Paul here referring to their indigent party spirit that is replete with bankrupt Christian ethics? Much can be said about the disparity of Christian uniformity, but what is symptomatic of that dissonance? We can surely disagree on the corpus of Christian doctrine, but we cannot perpetuate a docile and errant attitude that characterized the Corinthians, namely the party spirit of division.