Just following my convictions

Step 4 of “Consider Others” is based on Romans 14:5-9. The key phrase is “to the Lord”. Paul is saying that our convictions should be “to the Lord”. How can we tell when someone is acting contrary to that and just following his own wishes?

Good examples of a “convictions controversy” can be found in what’s currently going on in the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board. Marty Duren, a Georgia pastor, has blogged extensively on the issues.

It seems that Marty is saying that IMB is trying to turn matters of personal conviction into doctrine. The two issues concern manner of baptism and use of prayer language.

Secondly, many other tangential issues have come to light (again, it seems that all are matters of personal conviction, not clear Scriptural teachings). For example, is the glue that holds SBC together primarily doctrine, or missions?

I don’t know the relevance of the current row to the local church. I say this since Paul was concerned about unity in the local church. That not withstanding, read thru Marty’s posts and see if you can determine what’s being done is “to the Lord”, or not. How can you tell?