In part two of the "Spiritual Mutts" series, Pastor Cyle explores what it means to be "dogmatic" as a Christian — and why being dogmatic about the wrong things causes so much damage in the church. Using his Weimaraner Trevie as a humorous and relatable illustration, he breaks down three critical categories every believer needs to understand:

  1. Imperatives — Biblical truths God has clearly commanded (love God, love others, forgive, flee immorality). These we hold tightly.
  2. Convictions — How the Holy Spirit personally applies those imperatives in our individual lives (drinking, entertainment, speech, Sabbath). These we hold faithfully, recognizing they may differ from person to person.
  3. Preferences — What we simply like (worship style, dress, pews vs. chairs, technology). These we hold loosely.

Drawing from 2 Timothy 3, Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 10, and the United Brethren tradition of "in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity," Pastor Cyle challenges the church to stop barking about preferences and start standing firm on what Scripture actually says. The result? Unity without uniformity — loving each other well while being dogmatic only where God is clear.