Working Through Conflicts in the Church

[elanor]

Do you ever have those times when it seems like the Lord must really be trying to get your attention about something because everywhere you turn you are met with the same message? This is one of those times for me. Whether it’s our pastor’s messages this month at church, what I read when I pick up the Bible on my own, a friend’s words to me last week at lunch, even online—I keep hearing the same thing: We, the church, are one body, with many diverse members. I’ve thought about it for years, both in terms of how that works out within a particular congregation, and what a wonder it is that God can take us from many countries and many cultures and makes us altogether into His church. But until lately, I haven’t considered it much in light of conflict within the church. That seems to be the new area for me where the lesson of unity in diversity is coming up. So I wanted to start a thread here to talk about that and hear your thoughts.

I am posting links to a couple of articles that have caught my attention in the last week. They were written by two people who are both Presbyterian, discussing what they have learned from fellow believers who have different views from their own. While the issue that precipitated these articles was the divergent thoughts about homosexuality, it is not my intent here to start another debate about that. Nor is my intent to begin a discussion about the Presbyterian church or any other denomination. I post these links simply because I think the points they make about learning from one another are applicable beyond just one congregation or one denomination. Some of the conflict we face is widespread and potentially divisive. That weighs on my mind and heart. I can’t get past the thought that it was so important to Jesus we be one even as He and the Father are one, that He spent His last hours before His arrest praying for this. Nor can I forget that the way the world will know we are His disciples is if we have love for one another.

With that in mind, I’d like to read your thoughts about_:

• Does diversity have to mean conflict? And, if not, what can we do to keep diversity from becoming a source of conflict?
• What can we teach each other and learn from each other in the midst of our conflicts?
• What positive approaches can we take to resolving our conflicts?
• How can we affirm our common foundation in Christ, even when we strongly disagree about an issue?

Please don’t let this thread degenerate into an argument over the issues that divide us. It doesn’t take any effort for us to find those issues: homosexuality, abortion, the role of gays and lesbians in church leadership, the role of women in church leadership (a recent thread on that topic was an eye-opener for me), the liberal Christian vs. conservative Christian conflicts, denominational differences, etc. But it will take effort to find ways to love one another even when we disagree. But since loving one another is how Jesus said the world will know that we are His disciples, we must find a way to do just that.

Here are the links:

Why the Liberal Church Needs the Evangelical Church:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0402&article=040210b
Why the Evangelical Church Needs the Liberal Church:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0402&article=040210a

 

[elanor]

Bump.

I'm nothing if not persistent.

 

[LuxPerpetua]

How interesting that I've been thinking the same thing lately myself. Maybe it is the debates over gay marriage, etc., that has brought the divisions within Christian thought to mind again recently for me, and I will say that it pains my heart that Christians will snap at each other and belittle one another when we don't agree (or to me the worst is denying fellow Christians communion, but that's a whole different post!). Long story short, I totally understand where you are coming from, Elanor. I don't have easy answers, though, and I apologize for not having read the links you posted (I'm kind of limited by time at the moment but will check them out later).

Hmmm. Here's my go:

• Does diversity have to mean conflict? And, if not, what can we do to keep diversity from becoming a source of conflict?

~I don't think that diversity necessarily results in conflict, but usually it does. I think we as Christians would do better to focus more on the central messages of Christ's teaching (love everyone, turn from sin, forgive those who persecute you, don't worry) rather than dwelling on the peripheral issues (Should we baptize by immersion or sprinkle? Is infant baptism okay or should only adults be baptized? Can women be priests? etc.). In all honesty, I think God is more concerned about the *spirit* of our worship than the *ritual* of our worship (does that make sense?). In general, I think the worst division comes when we disagree over what constitutes sin--as we have seen so hotly debated recently over sexual morality. I do think that it is essential for Christians to agree upon how we are saved (by God's grace through our faith in Christ as the sacrificial atonement for our sins and Christ-like actions demonstrating our love and commitment to Christ as our savior), what constitutes sin (the 10 Commandments and Christ's commandments and teachings on sin, and how sin was viewed in the early church established by the apostles), one water baptism demonstrating our commitment to Christ, and the right of all children of God to have access to the communion meal celebrating our Lord's sacrifice--these are just my thoughts and are not intended to be anything else. I feel that most of the division that has occurred in the Church has resulted from Pharisee-like attitudes among ourselves, like "We were here first" or "We do things better than you" or "We have improved on your worship." We really need to sit down together and agree on essential and non-essential doctrine, and become unified in core belief if not in practice and peripheral beliefs. Of course, this may involve all of us admitting that we, as fallible humans, were wrong in some things and asking mutual forgiveness--oh the shock!

• What can we teach each other and learn from each other in the midst of our conflicts?

~I think we can teach each other the grace of patience and understanding, but also that we, as ONE CHURCH, need to agree once and for all on issues like homosexuality, masturbation, abortion, and all of the other hot issues that we are facing right now. All of us agree that murder, theft, adultery, etc. are wrong, but it's the "gray" issues that increases our division. We can't very well tell non-Christians to turn from sin if we can't identify it. In regards to what constitutes sin, Christians need to agree and present a united front. Otherwise, we look either like hypocrites or wishy-washy church-goers.

• What positive approaches can we take to resolving our conflicts?

~I think that mutual respect would be nice on behalf of all churches, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox alike. I don't think that we should necessarily agree on everything, but at least on the major Christian issues that I stated above in the first question (I consider this essential doctrine).

• How can we affirm our common foundation in Christ, even when we strongly disagree about an issue?

~Love and respect one another in Christ. I really think that we would do better to remember that only God has a monopoly on who is allowed into heaven, not men. Ultimately, He is the judge of human hearts. We have the same Father, the same Savior, and we all fall short of the glory of God, Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, etc. We are all branches from the same vine. Again, reiterating what I said earlier, there are certain issues upon which all Christians need to agree, and this involves the important things like how to be saved and how to live as Christ so that others may see Christ in us. This is the core of our belief and the all the rest (the existence or non-existence of purgatory, the nature of the Eucharist, baptism by immersion or not, etc.) is just the icing on the cake. None of us will ever be certain until we talk face to face with God.

Just my thoughts . . . excellent thread Elanor

 

[elanor]

Excellent post, LuxPerpetua!

I think we as Christians would do better to focus more on the central messages of Christ's teaching (love everyone, turn from sin, forgive those who persecute you, don't worry) rather than dwelling on the peripheral issues...

I agree. But we don't do a very good job of doing that, it seems. I include myself in that.

In all honesty, I think God is more concerned about the *spirit* of our worship than the *ritual* of our worship (does that make sense?).

Yes, and it's scriptural, too. God seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

I think we can teach each other the grace of patience and understanding, but also that we, as ONE CHURCH, need to agree once and for all on issues like homosexuality, masturbation, abortion, and all of the other hot issues that we are facing right now. All of us agree that murder, theft, adultery, etc. are wrong, but it's the "gray" issues that increases our division. We can't very well tell non-Christians to turn from sin if we can't identify it. In regards to what constitutes sin, Christians need to agree and present a united front. Otherwise, we look either like hypocrites or wishy-washy church-goers.

You know, the truth is I think we ultimately will agree on these issues. But it won't be anytime soon. I was reading today about slavery in the U.S., and how strongly Christians on both sides of that issues held their beliefs. Both were adamant that their position was rooted in scripture. I think today most of us would agree that slavery is wrong, but it's taken 150 years to get here, and the effects of the attitudes that allowed that it to be practiced here are still with us. I hope it doesn't take as long for us to come to a consensus on the issues that currently divide us, but I think we are going to be living with these disagreements for some time to come. And it doesn't send a good message to non-believers if we allow them to result in all out separation between Christians.

• How can we affirm our common foundation in Christ, even when we strongly disagree about an issue?

~Love and respect one another in Christ. I really think that we would do better to remember that only God has a monopoly on who is allowed into heaven, not men. Ultimately, He is the judge of human hearts. We have the same Father, the same Savior, and we all fall short of the glory of God, Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, etc. We are all branches from the same vine...

Well said!

 

[LuxPerpetua]

Yeah, I think it's going to take a lot of time too, but I'm very hopeful. It is amazing, though, how much change can happen in a short period of time once things get shaken up. For example, I'm originally from the south and I know for a fact that the church I was raised in was strongly against the civil rights movement in the 1960s but when I grew up there we had white, black, Asian, Hispanic members, etc.--and that was only 20 years after the fact. Now that church works very hard to make its doors open to EVERYONE who seeks God, not just white Protestants. I really hope the same type of acceptance and change can happen quickly within the larger Christian community. It probably won't but I think if we all prayed for God to bring us closer together He would. I really like the Scripture verses in my siggy: Where Christ is (not Peter, not Luther, not Joseph Smith, etc.) there is the Church and He is our cornerstone. Why is this such a hard concept??? *sigh*