Some Christian debates are black-and-white and have serious consequences. Other arguments are like a group of people debating if something is maroon, dark red, crimson, or garnet—the average person sees people making a big deal over relatively minor differences. A graphics printer might need to know if a Carolina logo is PMS 201, but that’s a specification a specialist understands while most don’t need to worry about it.
Christian, don’t get caught up with people or groups that don’t understand the two examples above and argue with the same nonnegotiable rigidness no matter the topic. When you bring lower-level debates up to essential doctrines, you’re not contending for the faith—you’re making essential doctrines and nonessential preferences of equal standing.
Then eventually you’ll be known for making mountains out of molehills, thinking every single hill is a hill to die on, and a statement of faith that says more about lower-level man-made preferences and opinions than it does about humanity being made in God’s image, the nature of sin and the depravity of fallen man, the doctrine of salvation, and the person and work of Jesus Christ.
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