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By 
Greg Boyd
 on January 16, 2013

The Non-negotiable Truths with Greg Boyd

In this video Conversation, Dr. Greg Boyd discusses the basic truths that provide the framework for Christian belief and distinguishes them from the potentially divisive issues that do not compromise what he refers to as the “non-negotiable” truths.

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In this video Conversation, Dr. Greg Boyd discusses the basic truths that provide the framework for Christian belief and distinguishes them from the potentially divisive issues that do not compromise what he refers to as the “non-negotiable” truths.

In this video Conversation, Dr. Greg Boyd discusses the basic truths that provide the framework for Christian belief and distinguishes them from the potentially divisive issues that do not compromise what he refers to as the “non-negotiable” truths.

Video Transcription

That answer has been given throughout church history. That’s what the creeds are all about, like the Nicene Creed. It’s the basic storyline of Scripture. There’s the creation, there’s the fall, there’s the redemption, and then there’s the eschaton, the final hope. That basic storyline, I think, is absolutely nonnegotiable.

And with that there are some attendant theological pieces, like who is God? He’s the God revealed in Jesus Christ. He’s the triune God. How are we redeemed? It’s by God’s grace and the incarnation and things like that. But that’s a nonnegotiable. The church has always held to that center, and there’s always been a ton of stuff that we’ve been okay having diversity about. That’s fluctuated a little bit in times.

Sometimes segments of the church have been more rigid, but having to wrestle with diverse opinions and perspectives is hardly a new thing in the church. Unfortunately we’ve lost some of that, and the ability to be gracious with disagreements, especially amongst conservative Protestants throughout the 20th century, is one of the saddest things the church has lost. Hopefully we’re getting it back, but it hasn’t served us well for the last hundred years. That’s for sure.

Then it carries over to society. This is one of the reasons why conservative Christians are so often known as being intolerant and judgmental, and not at all representing graciousness, love and service of Jesus Christ. We’re that way towards each other and then we’re that way towards the world, and it’s just ugly. It’s just ugly. It’s not the beauty of Jesus Christ. We need to get back to the beauty of Jesus Christ.