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Can We Agree to Disagree?

By Jesse Carey
CBN.com Interactive Media Producer

CBN.com Since the presidential election, there have been several political issues that have caused high-profile conflicts within the Church at large. All of the recent headlines reminded me of a column written by a reporter last year that highlighted the issue of conflict among Christians.

CNN columnist Roland S. Martin wrote an interesting editorial that looked at the decision of Lifeway Christian bookstores to not sell an issue of GospelToday magazine because it featured a cover story on several female pastors. The bookstore chain, which is owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, said that women in pastoral roles go against a 2000 decree that says only men can be pastors. The Martin piece is particularly opinionated about the issue because his wife, a minister herself, was also recently confronted with a similar situation.

Rev. Jacquie Hood Martin (the columnist’s wife) was a longtime Lifeway teacher, and was told that she must take down her website, because using the title of "Reverend" did not comply with the rule forbidding female pastors, or she would lose support from Lifeway.

The issue of women in leadership is a continuous one among many Christians—one that you can make your own judgment on. (Martin, in his article makes a case for allowing women to be in leadership based on his biblical interpretation.) But the underlying issue here is one of how Christians deal with taking a stand on issues they feel convicted about (whether other Christians agree with them or not).

Roland S. Martin agrees to an extent that the larger issue is one of freedom of the press and speech. Here’s what he said, “But what is a greater issue is that Lifeway clearly has no respect for freedom of the press. Here is arguably the top Christian bookstore in the country making a decision based on their teachings and applying it to a magazine … So does Lifeway and, by extension, the Southern Baptist Convention, fight vigorously for freedom of religion, but it doesn't give a hoot about the other freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution?”

The problem is that the same liberty afforded GospelToday is granted to Lifeway bookstores. What if the issue was another, even more controversial one that clearly violated their biblical beliefs? What right does the store have to carry or not carry any book or magazine it wants based on their interpretation of scripture?

Though I disagree with his statement accusing Lifeway of violating the Freedom of the Press (the store isn’t saying GospelToday should not be printed and circulated; they are only saying that they have a right not to sell it), the story does highlight the double-edge sword of a free society. It’s a dilemma that is often underscored in the church and by recent events.

Obviously, churches want to protect their own doctrine and can choose to support or not support teachers, leaders and resources that do not reinforce it, but in a free society, anyone has the right the oppose them idealistically. For the Christian, and in larger part the Church, the question then becomes, “Where do we draw the line?”

When does protecting the integrity of your own scriptural interpretation trump God’s call for unity in the Church? What relationships with fellow Christians with doctrinal differences are we called to maintain? When is division OK?

In Ephesians 4, Paul tells the Church, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (4:2-3, NIV).

Paul later addresses the church in Corinth after doctrinal differences arose over the act of communion: “I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it” (1 Corinthians 11:18).

But even among the greatest New Testament teachers, doctrinal issues caused disagreement. In Acts 15, we read about Peter and Paul debating a principle of evangelism. After presenting their cases before a counsel of other leaders, James eventually found common ground and helped the group come to a resolution.

Later, Paul tells other believers, “When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong” (Gal. 2:11, NIV). He continued, “When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” (Gal. 2:14, NIV). Two of the early fathers of the Church publically disagreed.

What we see is that doctrinal differences and personality conflicts, even among great leaders, are nothing new—and in some cases, are not inherently wrong. God gave us the ability to have free thought and to discuss and debate the intricacies of His Word. The question is, “How do we treat those we disagree with?” ... Especial when they are fellow believers.

The issue concerning the Christian bookstore and their decision not carry a certain magazine highlights an issue bigger than the debate over women in leadership. Inevitably, everyone will encounter people—Christians or non-Christians—that they do not agree with. It’s up to the individual to react in love, not overly defensively, and to remember that in free society—where people are entitled to speak and disagree—that sometimes the way you act says more about what you believe than what you say.

Check out Jesse's Blog, The Morning Five

Send Jesse your comments on this article.

More Spiritual Life articles on CBN.com


Jesse CareyJesse Carey is the Interactive Media Producer for CBN.com. With a background in entertainment and pop-culture writing, he offers his insight on music, movies, TV, trends and current events from a unique perspective that examines what implications the latest news has on Christians.

 


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