My denomination is in a season of disagreement and conflict. And because of our Presbyterian structure, this summer’s EPC General Assembly will not be the end of debates around the subject at hand. Any amendments to our book of order will require presbytery ratification in the year to come. Our conversations and debates will continue. But it does feel that this coming week will set the tone for all that is to come after for our denomination.
Brothers and Sisters, I am praying that the path we set glorifies God. And whatever motions and overtures and recommendations are or are not approved next week, the deciding factor in whether we glorify God in this endeavor will start with how we disagree with each other in the coming week. Will we argue to the glory of God?[1] I want to look at five general admonitions that scripture, the Westminster Standards, and church history give us, if we are indeed seeking to glorify God even in the way in which we disagree with one another.
Do not pretend disagreement doesn’t exist.
The prophet Ezekiel regularly condemns the false prophets who are misleading God’s people. One of the specific accusations he lays at their feet, the reasons for God’s coming judgment upon them, is given in chapter 13. Ezekiel writes, “they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall!”[2]
God is not glorified by a white washed wall. Now, we might not all agree on the depth of the crack, on the source of the damage, or on the prescription for repair. But there is clearly a crack in our unity and we need to address it. Martin Luther King Jr. saw as his greatest enemy a type of cowardice that preferred, “a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice” because of the discomfort required to produce the latter.[3] We need to pursue a positive peace this summer, even if it requires hard conversations and difficult talks to get to that point.
Scott Swain, the current president of Reformed Theological Seminary’s Orlando campus wrote recently on the need to not see “niceness” as our goal as Christians. Swain wrote that, “”Niceness” is a counterfeit of meekness or gentleness. The nice person always compliments, never disagrees because he is unwilling to risk his reputation for the sake of the good…”[4] These hard conversations have to happen.
But let us not think that this removes from us the responsibility of right conduct within these arguments! What do our theological tradition and the scriptures have to tell us about how to approach these difficult discussions? How would God have us conduct ourselves within these disagreements?
The Ends Do Not Justify the Means
Pragmatism and utilitarianism, the “if it works…” philosophy of moral decision making, seems to be one of the prevailing moral frameworks of our age. I set my goal, I do what is needed in order to get there, and that’s that. Whether it’s politicians, mega church pastors, or shady contractors, we’ve probably all had our lives affected by someone whose rule for life was simply, does it get me what I want?
As we look throughout scripture, we see that this simply cannot be the case for us. Jesus talks about people who will come to him on the day of judgment and say look at all the things we accomplished and Jesus will tell them, “I never knew you, depart from me.”[5] These false saints say Jesus, look at all the ends we achieved and work we did, and yet this is their outcome. Clearly the ends are not the only thing that matters.
In the recent Marvel show “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”,[6] there is a freedom fighter who has recently gained super powers and begun using more and more violent methods. The main character tries to convince her that she has become the thing that she was trying to defeat. That while her cause was initially just, her pursuit of her goals at the cost of all else has begun to transform her into a funhouse mirror version of that which she sought to defeat. The Apostle Paul told us that we cannot be quarrelsome,[7] and I think this is part of the practical reason for that prohibition. When we are all about the fight in life, when the conflict becomes all-consuming and we get to the point where we will say and do whatever helps us to achieve our ends, we tend to become like the very thing that we are fighting against.
The antidote to this is to keep our eyes focused on the true goal of conflict, glorifying God, declaring His truth, and not to let “victory” in the conflict become our only goal. I think if we do this, we hold ourselves to a higher and better idea of our conduct in conflict. This ideal is expressed in the person of Faramir in Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. In the Two Towers, Faramir says, “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” Brothers and sisters, let us not put our ends so high that victory becomes a higher goal than the glory of God as expressed in our love for one another.
Think the Best
One of the best places to go for guidance when finding ourselves in conflict with fellow Christians is the Westminster Larger Catechism’s teaching on the 9th commandment.[8] These questions and answers have been critically convicting to me throughout this conflict within our denomination and I think we would all do well to bring them to mind in the midst of our conflicts with our fellow Christians.
WLC 144 says that the 9th commandment requires of us,
“the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbor, as well as our own… a charitable esteem of our neighbors; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name; sorrowing for, and covering of their infirmities; freely acknowledging of their gifts and graces, defending their innocency; a ready receiving of good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, concerning them;”
Have we thought the best of each other in this conflict? I have often found not. I know I have been sorely tempted to dismiss some of those who have irked me. To demean them in a way that is entirely, inappropriately demeaning to them as fellow elders and image bearers.
WLC 145 says that the 9th commandment forbids us from besmirching,
“the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature… speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful and equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of truth or justice; speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, tale-bearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions… aggravating smaller faults… raising false rumours, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defence; evil suspicion…”
My goodness. What a convicting command! I daresay all of us should feel our consciences pricked and should be reminded of our need for grace. I think one could easily make the case that our current conflict has seen misconstrued intentions and words, tale-bearing, reviling, the pushing of false rumors, the aggravating of small faults, and any number of other issues here raised. Lord, have mercy upon us!
George Whitefield and John Wesley were titans of British Christianity, and they were locked in theological debate between Calvinism (Whitefield) and Arminianism (Wesley). They had published heartfelt and vehement arguments against each other’s positions. The topic had become so divisive between those on either side, and Wesley’s aggressive attacks so fierce, that someone asked Whitefield if he believed he would see Wesley in heaven. Whitefield replied, “No I do not. For I believe Wesley will be seated so close to God that the light would blind me.”[9] May we show the same charity for and think so highly of our Christian brothers and sisters with whom we disagree!
This seems a good time for all of us to stop and pray something like this confession. I have found it listed as, “A prayer for a person I dislike”, but cannot find its original source. Lord, “The fault is probably mine, but I very much dislike Thy servant _________. Instead of thinking about the hundred ways in which he maddens me, I turn to Thee and ask Thy help for both of us. Give me the grace to meet him as a friend; give him the grace to conquer all his faults; and give to the two of us the grace of seeing each other as we really are—bought by Thy Blood and equally friends of Thine.”
Stay Humble
The farther I get into my time upon this earth, the more I think that if I had to pick one barometer for Christian maturity, it would be humility. Now, not what the world would call humility, the false humility of “woe is me”. Rather, the kind of humility we see in Christ, who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.[10] And as we enter into the coming debate as a denomination, I cannot help but wonder if any humble voices will be heard. Men and women who believe their positions wholeheartedly and yet are willing to seek and see the wisdom of other voices, sounding out above the din of overly self-assured argument?
I wholeheartedly count myself among those who need a gift of Christ’s humility this week. I’m the one who always has the right answer, the know-it-all. Yet I pray as we enter this assembly for the gift of listening. We as a denomination are founded upon the Reformed faith and we believe in the enduring effects of sin. I suffer under the Noetic effects of sin,[11] I don’t have every right answer and I need to stay connected to my brothers and sisters who may see one issue or another more clearly and rightly than I. I pray that I, that we, would find the time and the patience and the strength to listen to one another this summer.
The Christian poet and musician Shai Linne once wrote, “When there are people who love Jesus and the Bible on the “other side” of the argument, we shouldn’t automatically assume we are the ones who are correct and in alignment with Jesus. In fact, we both might be wrong. Jesus had a way of indicting and offending everyone at some point in His ministry. Are we the special ones with whom Jesus just happens to agree at every point?”[12] May we go into this week with the humility of knowing we may be wrong, and with a desire to hear each other clearly and to offer the best and most biblical answer possible on the questions at hand.
Remember the Other Side
I do not mean the “other side” as in those who disagree with us. I mean it in the sense that there will be an “other side” to this fight, it will be over someday. And when it is, what will we have allowed the fight to do to us? To our friendships and connections? To the love between us as citizens of the Kingdom of God and members of His household? To our hearts and our hope?
I read a quote from Augustine recently which was related to me by Joey Sherrard, EPC teaching elder and the author of “The Augustinian Pastor”.[13] In his “Confessions”, Augustine wrote of Christian Friendship that he and his friends would, “disagree occasionally but without rancor, as a person might disagree with himself, and lending piquancy by that rare disagreement to our much more frequent accord.”[14] On the other side of this conflict, may we remember it as a disagreement without rancor. Not without fire, not without belief and conviction, but without rancor. And may it lend us an enlarged appreciation of our “more frequent accord”.
I close with a prayer that we may remember and embody the words of John Newton, “If you account [your opponent] a believer, though greatly mistaken in the subject of debate between you, the words of David to Joab concerning Absalom are very applicable: ‘Deal gently with him for my sake.’ The Lord loves him and bears with him; therefore you must not despise him, or treat him harshly. The Lord bears with you likewise, and expects that you should show tenderness to others, from a sense of the much forgiveness you need yourself. In a little while you will meet in heaven; he will then be dearer to you than the nearest friend you have upon earth is to you now. Anticipate that period in your thoughts; and though you may find it necessary to oppose his errors, view him personally as a kindred soul, with whom you are to be happy in Christ forever.”[15]
- If I am arguing FOR the Glory of God, I am placing too much upon myself. God’s glory does not need me, it is not dependent upon me, in His sovereignty He WILL be glorified. I am more likely to dishonor Him by placing myself in too lofty a position in my own estimation. Yet, He has called us to argue TO His glory. To reflect His character and truth in our disagreements with one another. ↑
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2013%3A10-11&version=ESV ↑
- https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/letter-from-birmingham-jail/ ↑
- https://heidelblog.net/2018/08/swain-niceness-is-counterfeit-meekness/ ↑
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207%3A21-23&version=ESV ↑
- It was not a good show, please don’t take this as a recommendation. ↑
- https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/2%20Timothy%202%3A24 ↑
- https://thewestminsterstandard.org/westminster-larger-catechism/#144 ↑
- https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/wesley-christian-life/ ↑
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202&version=ESV ↑
- https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/noetic-effects-sin ↑
- https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/20-quotes-ethnic-unity/ ↑
- https://www.amazon.com/Augustinian-Pastor-Wisdom-Modern-Ministry/dp/1540966909 ↑
- Augustine, Confessions IV.9.14 ↑
- https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/on-controversy ↑