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Ordinary Time

Orthodoxy & Error

Adiaphora

ah-dee-AH-for-uhnoun

“Things indifferent” — matters neither commanded nor forbidden, on which Christians may freely differ without breaking fellowship.

Not To Be Confused With

Adiaphora are open matters of liberty; dogma is binding and closed. Confusing the two — treating a preference as a dogma, or a dogma as a preference — is a classic source of needless division.

A Greek term from Stoic philosophy, adopted in the Reformation debates. Adiaphora covers practices and opinions Scripture leaves open — and Romans 14 is the charter: “let each be fully convinced in his own mind,” without contempt or judgment between brothers.

Related Terms

Adiaphora — Definition | Theologos Media